Fashion Schooner best yet in $240,000 NJSS victory

Fashion Schooner (Walner) captured her $240,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes Final division for three-year-old trotting fillies on Friday (May 27) at The Meadowlands and became the fastest sophomore trotter of the North American harness racing season with a time of 1:51.3.

Tim Tetrick gave no thought to taking a seat with Fashion Schooner and pushed the Jim Campbell trainee to the front. They took command passing the quarter in :26.3 and got a second-quarter reprieve, going to the half in :56.2.

Tetrick upped the tempo as Misswalner Fashion (Andrew McCarthy) pressed first-over going to three-quarters in 1:24.3. Fashion Schooner brushed that rival off in the stretch and was too much for Jiggy Jog S (Dexter Dunn) to catch as she trotted home a one-length winner in 1:51.3.

Jiggy Jog S finished second. Misswalner Fashion couldn’t stay with the top two after her first-up trek but held on for third. The winner returned $4.60.

Fashion Schooner has now won three of seven career starts and has earned $150,062. Fashion Farms of New Hope owns and bred the filly that is now three-for-four this season. She beat the season’s mark of 1:51.4 set by both Looks Like Moni and Pretender on May 13 and lowered her own previous best of 1:52.

Pretender (Muscle Hill) staved off a late charge to take the $240,000 division for colts and geldings for trainer Nancy Takter.

Yannick Gingras slotted Pretender in fourth behind three quick-leaving opponents in a :26.4 opening panel before ordering a backstretch brush to the top. Pretender took over before hitting the half in :55 and led to three-quarters in 1:24 with only B A Superhero (Tetrick) in his vicinity.

Pretender edged away from that rival as they trotted for home and found the line in time to beat a flying Temporal Hanover (Brian Sears) by a neck in 1:52.1. Periculum (Mattias Melander) also gained late and finished third. The win price was $5.40.

Pretender has won three times in four outings this season, with is only loss coming in an early break as heavy favourite in the Dexter Cup. The colt is five-for-15 lifetime and lifted his earnings to $255,228 with the NJSS Final victory. Breeders John Fielding of Scarborough, Joyce McClelland of Zanesville, and Herb Liverman of Miami Beach co-own with the Vienna (V.A.)-based Caviart Farms.

The Meadowlands also held two $100,000 NJSS Final divisions as pre-card non-wagering events.

Count Mara (Lis Mara) pocket popped as they passed three-quarters and drew off to win by seven-and-three-quarter lengths in 1:58.3 for Tim Tetrick in the division for colts and geldings. Polaris Beach (Leah Vandervort) finished second. Dry Ridge Caldwell (Scott Zeron) was well behind in third.

The winning gelding was 0-for-7 lifetime before winning both preliminary legs of the NJSS and Friday’s final, which brought his career earnings to $101,800. John Pyott of Vineland owns and trains him. The 1:58.3 clocking was a career best for Count Mara.

In line to Pat Berry, Not So Evil (Great Vintage) went two seconds faster in the filly split, getting the better of double prelim winner Bee Aware (Steve Smith) after a stretch battle in 1:56.3. The latter finished second by three-quarters of a length. Dry Ridge Cutie (Zeron) finished third, a length adrift of the winner.

Traci Berry trains Not So Evil for J. Craparotta & P. Berry Racing of Monroe Township. The filly’s win was her fourth lifetime in 10 races. She has now earned $142,175.

The two-year-olds debut in the New Jersey Sire Stakes on Jun. 24 at the Meadowlands.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink