Pocono: Well-bred rookie pacing fillies prevail in PA Sire Stakes

It required a photo to decide all three divisions of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes second preliminary round Sunday night at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, and the closest finish was in the third section, as JK First Lady rebuffed Sweet Ace by a head in 1:54 1/5.

The Western Ideal filly JK First Lady came into the race with obvious credentials – her dam is 2014 Horse of the Year JK She’salady, and coming to the mountains she was two-for-two in Kindergarten Classic Series races at the Meadowlands, including her last race when she came home in 26 2/5 to win in 1:51 3/5. That kind of quick back speed was again in evidence in the Sire Stakes, as early on Sweet Ace, whose 1:50 4/5 first round Sires win is still the fastest mile by a freshman under any circumstances this year, got to the lead in a pedestrian 28 4/5, with Yannick Gingras moving “First Lady” after that point to get the lead and reach the half in an even more pedestrian 58 4/5.

The sprint started down the backstretch, with first-over Speak To Siri coming on and a 28 second third quarter resulting, but after the 1:26 4/5 three-quarters there came an even more serious challenge in the stretch from Sweet Ace, who gradually angled clear and hit a very high gear. But JK First Lady still had a 27 2/5 kicker in her to complete the hard-fought victory for trainer Nancy Johansson and the 3 Brothers Stables (who also were the braintrust behind JK She’salady).

The other two Sires divisions went in 1:52 3/5, and both saw the winner have a neck margin at the finish. First up was 11-1 upsetter Beyond Ecstasy, a daughter of Somebeachsomewhere–Fashion Ecstasy, making her a full sister of Filibuster Hanover. Beyond Ecstasy showed the quick response of a seasoned veteran as she swung clear in early stretch after a third-in trip and flew the last sixteenth in a 27 3/5 quarter, catching favored pace-setter Baby Your The Best and lowering her record by three seconds for driver Andrew McCarthy, trainer Jim Campbell, and the ownership of Jeffrey and Michael Snyder and Four Friends Racing Stable LLC.

The other Sire Stakes cut saw the Captaintreacherous–Rocklamation filly Rocknificent swing out of the pocket at headstretch, get past pace-setter Shouldabeenatd (a first round Sire Stakes winner), then hold off Pocono Pike shooter Lyons Sentinel (also an earlier Sires winner) during back fractions of 55 2/5 – 27 1/5, with Shouldabeenatd third. Tim Tetrick drove the winner, who equaled her mark previously taken in a Kindergarten event, for trainer Linda Toscano and the ownership of Enviro Stables LTD, South Mountain Stables, and Little E LLC.

--press release (PHHA/Pocono)--