Meadowlands: Elista Hanover displays 'Girl Power' in Friday's feature

After finishing fifth on Hambletonian Day in the Dr. John Steele Memorial as the 6-5 favorite, Elista Hanover had lost some of the shine she had acquired after winning her prior two outings, the E.T. Gerry Jr. Hambletonian Maturity and Miss Versatility.

But after a brilliant performance Friday night in the inaugural $117,500 Girl Power for 4-to-6-year-old trotting mares, Elista Hanover's sparkle is back.

"It's very exciting, very exciting," said winning trainer Annie Stoebe. "You know, she raced really hard those two starts, and I think she was just a little bit tired [in the Steele], so I took advantage of her schedule and gave her a week off, and she seemed to be very happy about that tonight."

M-M's Dream, who won the Steele for a third straight year, was away from the gate quickly from the rail in the seven-horse field while 2-5 favorite Warrawee Michelle raced in the pocket. Dave Miller used Elista Hanover early and worked his way into the three hole as M-M's Dream cut out fractions of 28 2/5 and 57 seconds.

Moving around the far turn, Warrawee Michelle vacated the pocket to go after the leader as 'Elista' followed that move while M-M's Dream took them past three-quarters in 1:25.

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Closing from a tough spot, Elista Hanover tipped off cover, charged down the stretch in the three path and got up on the wire to win by a neck over a determined M-M's Dream, who out-gamed third-place finisher Warrawee Michelle to the wire. The time for the mile was 1:52 2/5.

"I was laughing in the last turn because she was trying to tell Dave it was time to pull. I saw him fighting with her and I knew she was going to be ready in the stretch," said Stoebe. "I tell you what, though, trying to catch [Warrawee Michelle] proved to be pretty tough, but she got the job done."

Elista Hanover, a 4-year-old daughter of International Moni-Evermore, returned $11 to win as the 9-2 third choice in the wagering. She's now won 16 of 36 lifetime starts for owners R. Lynn & Philomena P. Curry and Stoebe, and now has earnings of $869,008.

YO TILLIE ROLLS A SEVEN: Yo Tillie, the top 3-year-old trotting filly in training, stayed perfect in seven seasonal starts after taking the first of two eliminations of the New Jersey Classic in 1:52. As the 1-2 favorite, she returned $3 to win.

"She was awesome in her last start [in the Delmonica Hanover] and she showed up again tonight," said winning driver Todd McCarthy. "She's so fun to sit behind. [Trainer] Andrew [Harris] has her going spot on right now."

A daughter of Tactical Landing-Consolidator, Yo Tillie has now won 10 in-a-row dating back to last year, and has 15 wins from just 19 lifetime outings.

A LITTLE MORE: Scott Zeron led the driver colony with three winners on the night. Noel Daley's two jaunts down victory lane paced the trainers. All-source handle on the 14-race program totaled $2,568,160. Racing resumes Saturday at 6:20 p.m. (EDT).

--press release (Meadowlands)--