Meadowlands: Favored mares strike in Miss Versatility splits

Next Level Stuff and When Dovescry were the winners of their respective $30,000 divisions of the second leg of the Miss Versatility Series for open mares on the trot at the Meadowlands Saturday night.

Next Level Stuff made it two wins in two Miss Versatility starts in the opening division for driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Jim Campbell. The 4-year-old daughter of Sebastian K-Nantab sat a four-hole to the quarter, was out and after leader A Fancy Face soon thereafter, made the top at the half in a brisk 54 4/5, and did not have an anxious moment from there, scoring by a safe half-length over Weslynn Quest in 1:52 over a track rated 'good.' A Fancy Face was third.

"There were two or three leavers being very aggressive, so I settled in," said Tetrick. "Then we made a move to the front. I was hoping she'd be tight enough after going 54 to the half. It's good that I got a breather in the third quarter [of 29 1/5], especially after being off for three weeks."

Next Level Stuff, a 2020 Breeders Crown champion, returned $3.20 to her backers as the 3-5 favorite in the seven-horse field in lifting her lifetime stats to 15 wins from 26 starts, good for earnings of $683,066.

The Brett Pelling-trained When Dovescry scored in the second division in wire-to-wire fashion as driver Dave Miller was permitted to cut out slow fractions on the point after the track was upgraded to 'fast.'

"She was coming into the race really sharp," said Miller. "She got off on the right foot and got [to the lead] real easy."

After reaching the quarter in 27 4/5, Miller and When Dovescry hit the half and three-quarters in a leisurely 58 and 1:27 3/5, respectively, meaning the 2019 Hambletonian Oaks champion had trotted her middle half in 59 4/5.

The 5-year-old daughter of Muscle Hill-Cedar Dove then sprinted home in 26 2/5 to easily defeat the pocket-sitting Sorella, the Oaks winner from 2020, by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:54. Felicityshagwell S was third in the six-horse field.

"They let me get away with cheap fractions," said Miller. "And I took it. She was very strong at the end, and she was happy with herself after the race as well."

When Dovescry's lifetime bankroll swelled to $1,144,158 in winning for 13th time from 31 career starts.

--press release (Meadowlands)--