Unbeaten Sylvia Hanover takes $100,000 Shady Daisy

Unbeaten Sylvia Hanover (Always B Miki) and driver Bob McClure barely held off Beach Cowgirl (Joe Bongiorno) to win the $100,000 Shady Daisy Pace for three-year-old harness racing fillies Saturday (Aug. 5) at the Meadowlands. It was Sylvia Hanover’s sixth straight win this season.

The number one rated harness horse in the nation, Sylvia Hanover got away in fourth place at the start of the Shady Daisy with 37-1 longshot Bellisima Hanover (Todd McCarthy) leading the field.

Bellisima Hanover led to the quarter in :26, then the half mile in :54.1 before McClure came first-over with Sylvia Hanover in the backstretch. Seemingly taking her time advancing on the outside, Sylvia Hanover let Bellisima Hanover open up a three-length lead by the three-quarters in 1:21.4.

Then in a wild stretch drive, Sylvia Hanover passed by Bellisima Hanover, but then Beach Cowgirl and Bongiorno, who had been following Sylvia Hanover second-over, ducked to the inside and with a torrid stretch drive caught Sylvia Hanover and those two battled right to the wire with Sylvia Hanover winning by a head in 1:48.3, the last quarter in :26.4. Bellisima Hanover held for third place.

SYLVIA HANOVER REPLAY

It was the 13^th straight win for Sylvia Hanover, who earnings rose past the $1 million mark with her victory. She is trained by Mark Steacy for Hudson Standardbred Stable of Hudson, Quebec. She paid just $2.10 to win.

“I gotta give that other filly credit,” said driver Bob McClure. “She raced awesome. Those two fillies raced pretty good. It was a good battle, and I am glad we came out on top.”

“She has what most other horses do not have,” said trainer Mark Steacy. “And that’s the desire to win. It does not matter what kind of trip she gets; she wants to get her nose in front in the end.”

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

by Steve Wolf, for Harnesslink