A look at the two-year-old pacing fillies

In the last Mane Attraction, we covered the top contenders for crowning of a champion in the category of two-year-old trotting fillies.

By request, we’ll now take a look at the juvenile pacing fillies…and there are a number of well deserving fillies for consideration.

By the way, one reader asked “Why even take the time and effort to do this…who cares?”

For every one reader that has this type of attitude, there are several hundred who might care and Harnesslink has been become to be known as the eyes and ears of our grand sport, complete with world-wide coverage with replays, when available.

There are those USHWA members who receive the same packets of information for voting as we do but have not had an opportunity to scour the sport, its races and participants as Harnesslink has done.

As the great auctioneer George Swinebroad used to “boom” to his audience, “‘Nuff said!”

These fillies are listed in “earnings” order and the comments are NOT an endorsement for any one of these grand fillies.

My Girl EJ (Sweet Lou), with the help of a convincing win in the $700,000 Breeders Crown in 1:49.2—from the 8 post, no less—became one of the most consistent with a 5-6-1 scorecard in 13 starts, only missing in her second lifetime purse start. She became the fastest in her class when she toured the Red Mile oval in 1:49.1, the fourth fastest in history for her age, sex and gait. Beginning her season in early July, she made her first six starts on the Pennsylvania circuit with her first “big” win in the $252,000 Final of the PASS. Her last start was at The Meadowlands in the $376,000 Three Diamond where she began churning on the backstretch and missed the top spot by a neck to Caviart Belle in 1:50.3.

Geocentric (Sweet Lou) was the rage from her first step out of the gate in July up until they turned for home in the Breeders Crown on October 27. Winning her first nine starts, she was untouchable in her first two starts in Pennsylvania, remained unscathed at The Red Mile, including a scintillating 1:49.4 mile in early August, traveled up to Pocono Downs to pluck the $252,000 PASS Final and, to top it off, lowered her mark by a tick—1:49.3—in the International Stallion Stake. After a confident quarter-move to the top in the Breeders Crown at Hoosier Park, her speed carried her to the three-quarter pole in 1:22.2 (her fastest ever) before succumbing in the final 3/16ths…her final earnings settling at $556,251. Geocentric faced My Girl EJ on three occasions, won the first with “EJ” grabbing the Breeders Crown headlines.

Pass Line (All Bets Off) was third in earnings in her class with $548,448 to go along with a mark of 1:49.3—one of 10 wins on her season. Prominent in every start, she had a 10-2-1 tab in her 13 starts with her biggest payday when she was second in the Breeders Crown to My Girl EJ. She spent the first 11 starts up north of the border with wins at Woodbine-Mohawk, Grand River Raceway and Flamboro Downs before easily capturing the $219,000 Ontario Sire Stakes Final. From there, she came to Hoosier Park winning the Breeders Crown Elim and then a sharp second to My Girl EJ in the final.

Caviart Belle (Captaintreacherous) couldn’t quite grab the big fish on her line…until her final two starts! She did have success in Sire Stakes action in Pennsylvania and at The Meadowlands in the Kindergarten Series and then went up into Canada to win the Eternal Camnation. “Saddled” with the seven post in her Breeders Crown, she never really could wend her way into contention. After the Crown events, she had earnings of $152,629 before traveling up to The Meadowlands where she promptly won the $205,900 KIndergarten and the $376,000 Three Diamonds—defeating My Girl EJ in the process—vaulting her earnings to $459,031 in those last two starts. She was fourth on the earnings list and fourth on the speed list.

Its A Love Thing (Bettor’s Delight) had a field day —-or two—as she swept the She’s A Great Lady Stake at Woodbine-Mohawk by taking the elim in 1:50.4—that mile highlighted by a :25.4 finale—and, one week later the $399,600 final in 1:50.3…her share just a “sneeze” short of $200,000. With six wins on the year (one a dead-heat)  her second biggest payday was in the Breeders Crown, earning $50,400 after a fast closing fourth place finish. Other wins were in the Champlain and Ontario Sire Stakes. She banked $428,927.

Lyons Legend (Stay Hungry) won eight times in 11 starts to kick off her career…starting off her career with six straight wins in Pennsylvania at Philly, The Meadows and Pocono. She finished second in the Kentuckiana at Hoosier Park and won the Bluegrass at The Red Mile in 1:52.1. Her mark for the semester was 1:50.2 in Philadelphia. She finished her year at Pocono Downs by winning the Simpson in 1:52.1, boosting her earnings to $303,236.

Lets Go Endofaera (JK Endofanera) won $284,900 this semester during her July-October schedule…with $125,000 of that amount won during her last 1:53.3 win over a sloppy track at Hoosier Park in the Indiana Sire Stakes. Modestly beginning her career in Indiana in NW 1, she was a 17 to 1 winner in 1:52.4—:27.1 and spent her entire season in Anderson winning five times in 10 starts.

Blue Pacific (Sweet Lou) had $173,050 in the bank during her first three weeks at the races—her biggest successes in the $150,000 New Jersey Classic in 1:50.3. and the $210,000 Kentuckiana at The Red Mile in 1:50.2. After three straight “runner-up” finishes—the last one in the Breeders Crown Elim—and an unlucky draw (post nine) in the Breeders Crown, she could only muster a fifth place finish, still worth $31,500. She closed out the year earning small stipends in the Home Grown and Three Diamonds at The Big M, closing out her campaign with $280,960.

Odds On Platinum (Bettor’s Delight) churned out earnings of $274,399 for the season with her biggest WIN in the $77,672 Sire Stakes at Woodbine-Mohawk and her biggest PAYDAY being in the She’s A Great Lady, earning $89,910 with a sharp second place finish. She had but two wins during her campaign but finished second on six occasions, never missing a check. Her mark was 1:52.2, achieved twice,  but was in a photo in a 1:50.2 mile.

Teelatini (Rockin Image) spent her entire season—-well, almost—at Hoosier Park and benefitted from the Sire Stakes program in the Hoosier State. From July 12 to September 15, she won six straight with the only one NOT at HoP at The Indianapolis State Fairgrounds. In that short timespan of nine weeks, her bounty jumped from $2,500 to $250,348, finally settling at $271,348.

For those that judge success by wins alone, Classic Amy (Riggins) and Fengshuiprosperity (Somestarssomewhere) had the most wins in the division with “Amy” garnering 11 wins and $25,870 to go along with a mark of 1:56.2 in her only win at Hoosier Park during a summer of fair racing.

Fengshuiprosperity won 10 of 11 on the Iowa fair circuit, grinding out earnings of $28,000.

By the way, Chloe Dancer holds the record for wins by a two-year-old pacing filly with 23, accomplishing that record back in 1980, banking $22,642 with a mark of…2:01.

As far as the speed parade goes, My Girl EJ would now be the fourth fastest two-year-old pacing filly with her 1:49.1 mark with Warrawee Beaut (1:48.3 in 2018), Test Of Faith (1:48.4 in 2020) and Twin B Joe Fresh (1:48.4 in 2022) the only ones ahead.

“May The Horse Be With You!”

by John Berry, for Harnesslink