Sophomore filly pacers search for key Crown win

When it comes to Saturday’s $600,000 Breeders Crown final for 3-year-old female pacers, the adage that “It all comes down to the Breeders Crown” seems particularly relevant to harness racing trainer Brett Pelling.

Pelling will send out four fillies in Saturday’s field of 10 at The Meadowlands. Ron Burke-trained My Girl EJ is the 2-1 morning-line favorite, followed by five horses listed at no more than 8-1, including three from Pelling’s stable: Rocket Deo (Captaintreacherous), Direction (Always B Miki), and Disney (Always B Miki).

My Girl EJ, an elimination winner last week, is the season’s fastest sophomore filly pacer, with a mark of 1:48.1. Its A Love Thing (the 7-2 third choice) and Rocket Deo (3-1 second choice) are not far behind, at 1:48.2 and 1:48.3, respectively. Fan Hanover Stakes winner Its A Love Thing is the division’s richest horse, with $572,408. My Girl EJ and Rocket Deo have both surpassed $400,000 and Direction has nearly reached that level.

“When they say that it all comes down to the Breeders Crown, I think it definitely does for the 3-year-old fillies,” Pelling said. “Its A Love Thing, Rocket Deo, My Girl EJ, and, if Direction wins, she will have won the two highest purse money stakes for the 3-year-old fillies. So, her hat is in the ring. Any one of those four fillies, to me, could be filly of the year. I don’t know if anyone else thinks that way.

“It’s an interesting race. My Girl EJ will be the favorite; she deserves to be. It will be a good race. I see at least four horses pushing out of there hard.”

All Breeders Crown finals for 2-year-olds will be held Friday at The Meadowlands. The remaining eight finals will be Saturday at The Big M. First-race post time both nights is 6:20 p.m. (EDT). Fox Sports will air coverage Friday from 8-11 p.m. on FS1 and Saturday from 7:30-11 p.m. on FS2.

Rocket Deo finished fifth in her elimination last week, which was won by stablemate Disney at odds of 66-1. Rocket Deo, a daughter of Captaintreacherous-Rocklamation, was a nose from unbeaten in her previous seven races. Her wins included divisions of the Glen Garnsey Memorial and Bluegrass Stakes at Lexington’s Red Mile.

“She was sick coming back from Kentucky and I missed a week with her, which is really out of character for her. That’s just not what she does,” said Pelling, whose 13 lifetime Breeders Crown triumphs are tied for fourth in history. “She was good a couple of days prior to the race, but I think the week in the interim, it just wasn’t a good week for her.”

Direction also was fifth, missing by less than two lengths, in her elimination, which was won by My Girl EJ. She was no worse than second in 10 of her remaining 11 races this season, with her seven victories including the $400,000 Kentucky Sire Stakes championship. She was second to My Girl EJ in a Garnsey division in her start prior to the Breeders Crown elim.

“She’s never put in a bad race,” Pelling said about the daughter of Always B Miki-Blood Red. “I do believe that if she got through the other night, she wins. She was the one with all kinds of pace. She was just shaking her head trying to find a spot.”

Disney, a daughter of Always B Miki and two-time Breeders Crown champ Pure Country, rallied from the back of the pack to win her Crown elimination by a head. She raced in the Kentucky Sire Stakes Golden Rod Series, the third of the KYSS levels, before moving up to take on Grand Circuit horses in a division of the Bluegrass, which she won, in September.

“She’s just a big, strong, easygoing filly,” Pelling said about Disney, who has six wins, four seconds and a third in 11 starts. “She’s still learning how to race. She’s just really working it out. I kind of expect that she learned a bit the other night as well. I think she liked doing it that way, and she’s drawn for it to be the same way again. I know there will be a better group of better horses in front of her, but if they go crazy, who knows.”

Disney will leave from post six with driver Tim Tetrick, Direction from post four with Todd McCarthy, and Rocket Deo from post seven with Andy McCarthy.

Pelling’s remaining starter, Sweet Gal, will leave from post nine with Scott Zeron. The daughter of Sweet Lou-Beach Gal has hit the board in 12 of 16 season’s races, winning three and earning $180,170.

“They’re doing well this week,” Pelling said. “Father Time has kind of taken care of some of the issues I had last week. I think they’ll be the best they can be. That’s all I can ask for.”

For Saturday’s complete Meadowlands entries, click here. For free programs, visit the track’s website.

For complete race entries, click here: US Trotting entries.

by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA