Meadowlands: Eternal Lee scores in Miss Versatility Series

Eternal Lee rallied in the lane off a pocket trip and won the final $40,000 preliminary round of the Miss Versatility Series for trotting mares on Friday night at the Meadowlands.

Fashion Schooner (Tim Tetrick) made a break before the start, leaving 1-5 favorite Raised By Lindy (Yannick Gingras) on the lead through panels of 27 2/5, 55 1/5 and 1:22 4/5 with Eternal Lee (Andy McCarthy) sitting behind her in the two-hole.

McCarthy brought Eternal Lee to the outside for the stretch drive, and although Raised By Lindy had something left and dug in gamely, Eternal Lee got next to her, then responded inside the final eighth after McCarthy pulled her earplugs to get up on the wire by a head in a 1:51 4/5 mile. Swans Eye (Andy Miller), Dreamonhigh (Dexter Dunn) and Fashion Schooner rounded out the order.

Chris Ryder trains Eternal Lee, a 4-year-old Southwind Frank mare, for owner/breeder Murray Ferguson Jr. She has a summary of 12-6-4 from 34 lifetime starts and has now put away $486,222 and paid $21.00 to win as a 9-1 shot.

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The Miss Versatility Series concludes for 2023 with the final on Little Brown Jug Day (September 21) at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in Ohio.