Its Fritz vs Cam Fella; now Twin B Joe Fresh vs Sylvia Hanover

It has been 40 years since harness racing greats Its Fritz and Cam Fella locked hooves in the Summer Championship at The Meadowlands.

It was, quite possibly, the most anticipated match-up of the year and, after Its Fritz used his tremendous brushing power to open what was thought to be an insurmountable lead, Cam Fella got a second wind near the wire and won.

While that mile lasted 1:54.2 and here it is 40 years later, and we have a similar match-up—but this one has lasted an entire season.

Yes, Twin B Joe Fresh and Sylvia Hanover both had memorable seasons, along with several other sophomore pacing fillies, but these two have separated themselves from the rest and it’s time to look at, say, the “magnificent seven” in this year’s pacing class for three-year-old pacing fillies.

Here’s a look at those “magnificent seven” in order of earnings…and please remember, this column makes no recommendation on who shall earn the top spot.

Twin B Joe Fresh (Roll With Joe) was the leading money winner in her class with bounty of $842,041 on the strength of a scorecard reading 11-3-1 in 17 starts to go along with her new mark of 1:48.2. Her season started with a couple of qualifiers at The Meadowlands—the first one in 1:50.3—:26.3—:55.2—1:22 and the next one in 1:51.4, which featured a final panel in :25.4—both gate-to-wire.

She started her 2023 season in earnest in an Open Handicap 2 for fillies and mares but a final quarter in :25.2 still wasn’t good enough to hit the board as she finished sixth. On to Woodbine-Mohawk for the Fan Hanover where she took her elimination in 1:49 but could only muster a third-place finish in the $319,200 Fan Final, which was decisively won by Sylvia Hanover in 1:48.2.

She then handily won a NYSS event at Vernon Downs before traveling to the Big M for the $169,000 Mistletoe Shalee, where she was a stout closing second—again to Sylvia Hanover with that mile in 1:48.4. She then traveled to Tioga Downs, Lexington, Pocono for the Lynch Memorial and back to Tioga and The Red Mile putting together a six-race winning streak, including that aforementioned $250,000 Lynch (when the leading Sylvia Hanover made a miscue) and the $400,000 KYSS Championship Final in 1:48.4.

Next, in the Bluegrass, her :25.2 finale still wasn’t good enough to get to Sylvia Hanover, who won that in 1:48.1. She did rebound in the $115,000 Garnsey, winning in 1:49.2. On to Hoosier for the Breeders Crown, she got nipped at the wire in her Elimination by Zanatta and, in the $600,000 Final, was an eighth away from winning but Sylvia Hanover and four others got by her late and she wound up a “1 percent-er.”

After a win in the $117,550 Matron at Dover Downs, she kept tight with a qualifier an, one week later, closed out her season with sharp win in the $175,000 Fan Duel at The Meadowlands in 1:50.2—her final quarter mile in :25 FLAT.

Sylvia Hanover (Always B Miki) put together a solid season with 10 wins in 13 starts, to go along with a pair of seconds, good for earnings of $787,959, second in that all important earnings department. Her fastest win was in 1:48.1, second on that list, as well.

She, too, began her season at Woodbine Mohawk in a conditioned event for the ladies and used a :26 closing kick home to win in 1:51.1. That was just a warm-up for the Fan Hanover event with Sylvia Hanover winning the warm-up in a 1:49.2 tune-up qualifier, she went to The Meadowlands and swept through the $169,000 Mistletoe Shalee, (hung out to dry the entire route) in 1:48.4, the Tompkins in 1:50—:26 and the $100,000 Shady Daisy in 1:48.3.

There was one “blip” when she “jumped it off” while in the lead in the Lynch at Pocono (won by Twin B Joe Fresh) but she came back to win the Simcoe at Woodbine and, after finishing second in a Preferred event (her :25.3 final not quite good enough to reach).

She rolled on to Lexington winning the Bluegrass in 1:48.1, her best mile of the year, and the Garnsey in 1:48.4, both miles featuring final quarters under :26.

A safe second in the Breeders Crown elimination, she closed out her season with a well-earned, gutsy win in the $600,000 Final in 1:49.2—her biggest payday of the year, equaling her biggest win of her career with the other one being the $600,000 Breeders Crown of last year in her juvenile class. FINAL SCORE in head-to-head match-ups…Sylvia Hanover winning 4 to 1.

Charleston (Downbytheseaside) valiantly chased the top two money winners in her class all season long and wound up with a pair of wins, six seconds and five thirds in 15 starts, still good enough for earnings of $436,242.

Her two wins came in a Tompkins at The Red Mile in 1:51 and a Kentucky Sire Stakes event at Oak Grove in 1:49.4 but her best performances quite possibly when she finished on the board against her two top rivals, posting six consecutive races with final quarters all in the :25 to :25.4 range.

In the $600,000 Breeders Crown—her final race of the year—she came from eighth early on to finish a fast closing second to Sylvia Hanover in 1:49.2. Ironically, she finished second to Sylvia Hanover in last year’s $600,000 Breeders Crown, as well, both events being her biggest payday of each season.

Always B Naughty (Always B Miki) actually had a remarkable 2023 with nine wins in 21 starts and only missed one check all year. Beginning her year in early February at The Meadowlands in a couple of qualifiers, she quickly graduated from the maiden ranks and won a minor stake event in mid-April, strutting her stuff to the tune of 1:51.1 with a last quarter in :26.

She then duplicated that effort in the Final of the SRF Stake—again in 1:51.1 and then traveled to Pocono Downs to win the “All-Stars”—again gate-to-wore in 1:51.2. Her streak was briefly interrupted in PASS action (a second and a fourth after cutting the mustard in both) but put together another three-race win streak, including the $114,770 Adioo Volo in 1:50, using different tactics coming off the pace.

On to The Red Mile and finishing off the board to Twin B Joe Fresh, she turned things around in her next start by parlaying a perfect trip and using an astounding :25.2 finale to win in 1:48.2, which would be her mark for the year. That would turn out to be her last win of the season as she was showing ability to repeat her final panels in :25.2 on occasion but not quite to put the top two fillies, Twin B Joe Fresh and Sylvia Hanover, in the rear-view mirror. As she finished third to Sylvia Hanover in the Breeders Crown at “HoP” and third again to Twin B Joe Fresh in the Matron at Dover Downs.She was fourth in bounty with $418,950 and third in a DH in speed with her 1:48.2 record.

Ucandoit Bluechip (Keystone Velocity) had a solid year with a 7-3-2 scorecard in 15 starts, good for $409,734. Her first significant success was in the $240,000 NJSS Final at The Meadowlands and, while she was grinding out a living in some big stakes events—second in the $150,000 NJ Classic—her shining moments came in Delaware, Ohio showing her speed and durability by taking the $255,000 Jugette in straight heats—1:50.3 and 1:50.2. Her final start was at Northfield Park in the $100,000 Courageous Lady where she overcame the second tier nine post and finished in a dead-heat for win with Zanatta.

Strong Poison (Always B Miki) started her season with a “bang” by winning the $115,000 Nadia Lobell at Hoosier Park in 1:48 in late June—the fastest winning mile of the year in her class. But while she was prominent in her next four starts, she didn’t get another win for almost two lengths with a win in KYSS action in 1:50, highlighted by a final quarter in :25.3.

Sandwiched around that was were four second place finished—three of those to Twin B Joe Fresh. On the board again in the Bluegrass and Garnsey, she won her Breeders Crown Elimination and managed a fifth-place award in the $600,000 Final. She closed out her year with a win in the $105,000 Stake at Hoosier Park to finish her season at 3-5-2 in 13 starts, good for $407,118.

Earthwindfire (American Ideal) was within a “sneeze” of $400,000 this semester—$398,431 and won eight of 13 starts. She was “on fire” as the season started for in New York as she won seven-in-a-row traveling from. Saratoga, to Monticello to Yonkers to Tioga and back to Yonkers during the hot streak where she banked $215,416 in just nine weeks!

After a pair of seconds in New York, including the $225,000 NYSS Final at Yonkers, she traveled to Delaware, Ohio for the Jugette but had little success—just a third in the Elimination with a difficult post to overcome in the final. She did manage a win at Freehold inter Development Fund Stake but an eight post over their half-miler proved too much to do any damage. She did win $398,431 for the year while taking a 1:50.4 mark at Tioga.

Other notable performers in the class were One Last Wish (Bettor’s Delight) $304,462), racing exclusively in Canada, McSeaside (Downbytheseaside), who banked $299,887 with a mark of 1:48.4 and Odds On Hail Mary (Heston Blue Chip), who was tied for third with her 1:48.2 performance in Philadelphia in the $252,000 PASS Championship—her biggest payday—on the way to bounty of $293,607, most of her success in Pennsylvania.

On the “wins” list, High Flying’ Filly (Domethatagain) had 13 in a busy year of 30 starts, taking a 1:50.4 mark on the way to $145,909 and Dancinbytheseaside (Downbythe seaside) earned $79,332 on the strength her 13 wins in 28 starts—her mark 1:52.1.

That’s your “magnificent seven” plus a few more!

“May The Horse Be With You”

By John Berry, for Harnesslink