The Meadows: Filly pacers battle in Pennsylvania Sire Stakes

Exploiting a pocket trip, Rocknificent spoiled the sophomore debut of Dan Patch Award winner Lyons Sentinel by outkicking her and scoring in Saturday's $210,932 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes at The Meadows. The event for 3-year-old filly pacers, known as the Adios Betty, was contested over three divisions, with Drama Act and Party Girl Hill Taking the other splits.

The action-packed card featured 16 races - all stakes splits for 2- and 3-year-old filly pacers - and a number of budding stars. But the most intriguing story line was Lyons Sentinel's season kickoff, which was delayed by COVID-19 disruptions. She looked sharp in three qualifiers, but on Saturday's sloppy-but-drying surface, she couldn't hold off Rocknificent, who prevailed by a length in 1:50 4/5. Shouldabeenatd completed the ticket.

The win by Rocknificent, a Captaintreacherous daughter of Dan Patch awardee Rocklamation who banked $285.006 as a 2-year-old, wasn't much of an upset. In fact, players expected it, sending her off at 3-5 versus 3-2 odds for Lyons Sentinel.

"It was always going to come down to a sprint," said winning driver Scott Zeron. "I was happy my horse was able to win and not have to do any work. She's an extremely intelligent horse who puts herself in great positions all the time. She has a really quick turn of speed. So even chasing a great horse like that, it becomes a foot race at the end. I'm always confident that she has the quicker foot."

Linda Toscano trains Rocknificent for Enviro Stables, South Mountain Stables and Little E LLC.

Jim King Jr., who conditions Lyons Sentinel, was far from disappointed with her performance.

"It was her first time out, and trip beat her," King said. "You can't be upset with that. I don't think there's any shame in her game."

Drama Act took to the track when it was at its sloppiest, and she relished the off going, powering to a front-end victory in 1:50 4/5 with a back-half in 54 3/5. Alexis's Beach finished second, beaten 2 1/2 lengths, with Blazin Grace third.

"She paced the back half in 52 3/5 last week at Hoosier, so we know she's got it in her," said Krista Harmon, who conditions the daughter of Well Said-Lounge Act for The Ok Corral. "As long we stay healthy and sound, I think we'll be there at the end of the year. You look at her and you don't see a 1:50 mile coming out of this little butterball, but it's in there."

$190,283 PASS - 2-Year-Old Filly Pacers

Saturday's program also featured the Sand Tart, a PASS for freshman filly pacers, with the splits going to Grace Hill, Continualou, and Let 'Er Buck.

Grace Hill got to perform after the track's upgrade to fast, and the daughter of Always B Miki-Western Silk took full advantage, roaring to the point with a quarter-pole move for Dexter Dunn and winning her second straight PASS split, this one in 1:52 4/5. Dancethenightaway was second, 2 3/4 lengths back, while Marsala Hanover earned show.

"She has a long stride and does her work pretty easy," Dunn said. "She went in 1:52 today and felt like she was doing it pretty easy. She has a good future."

Nifty Norman conditions Grace Hill for Tom Hill.

Continualou was sitting second near the three-quarters when Chris Page confidently pulled the pocket with her. The daughter of Sweet Lou-Continual Velocity cruised by, breaking her maiden in 1:54 2/5. When Uptown Hanover and Ocean's Apart rounded out the ticket, it gave trainer Ron Burke a 1-2-3 sweep of this split.

"I realize how old I'm getting when I'm starting to drive the moms of these things," Page said. "I drove her mom - had like three lungs - and I think she passed that on to her baby. She felt pretty good and I thought, 'well, we’ll give her a shot.' The sky's the limit for her."

--press release (The Meadows)--