After watching and competing against three-year-old pacing filly Yellow Diamond, all trainer Eddie Dennis is asking is a “shot” in this Saturday afternoon’s $250,000 James M. Lynch Memorial Pace
at Pocono Downs. Yellow Diamond has been tabbed as the 6-5 favourite after her 1:51 victory in the first Lynch elimination race last week.
“I’d like to be sitting two or three at the top of lane in Saturday’s final,” offered Dennis, whose father, J.D. Dennis, was the top driver at Pocono Downs when the track first opened its gates back in 1965. The latter was on hand to see his son’s horse, Mellissas Fancy, finish second in a Lynch elimination.
Melissas Fancy, half sister to multi-millionaire Artistic Fella, is listed as 8-1 on the morning line and drew Post 3, while No. 1A Yellow Diamond will leave alongside from Post 4.
John Campbell, who drove Melissas Fancy, won’t be available and will be at Mohawk Racetrack, leaving the catch driving to Corey Callahan.
“My filly [has] her own personality and attitude,” noted Eddie Dennis. “She is an honest mare with a lot of guts. I expected her to pace in 1:52 and change. I believe she can go faster than that, but only time will tell.
“She’s not a big filly and we didn’t punish her last year. My horse definitely has a nice kick at the end of the mile. I’m hoping we’ll be close at the top of the lane. I just want that opportunity.”
Dennis was hoping for a good draw and he got his wish with Melissas Fancy in the eight-horse final.
Dawns Legacy, a winner of the third Lynch elim, will not be in the field and will be competing in an elimination race for the Miss New Jersey Saturday night at the Meadowlands.
Owners of Dawns Legacy feel she’ll have a better chance of winning the $200,000 final at the New Jersey track.
Jim Morrill, Jr., who has been on fire this season at Pocono Downs with a leading 109 wins, is full of confidence going into the Lynch. He’ll be driving the favourite, Yellow Diamond, trained by Tracy Brainard, who will have three fillies in the Lynch.
Brainard also has Shacked Up and Fashion Week in Saturday afternoon’s 11th race.
Morrill said Yellow Diamond is the fastest three-year-old filly he has ever driven following last Saturday’s 1:51 win. He noted the win was done with relative ease and feels she can pace the mile in 1:49 and piece.
Since the James M. Lynch Memorial Pace was inaugurated at Pocono Downs in 1995, the fastest any three-year-old filly has gone is 1:49.3, a World Record on a five-eighths mile track with Southwind Tempo winning the Lynch with Tim Tetrick in the bike in June of 2007.
Morrill believes Yellow Diamond will threaten that time if the weatherman cooperates Saturday afternoon.
James M. Lynch Memorial Pace
Head # - Horse - Post Position - Driver
No. 1 - Shacked Up - Post 1 - Brian Sears
No. 1A - Yellow Diamond - Post 4 - Jim Morrill, Jr.
No. 1B - Fashion Week - Post 5 - Tim Tetrick
No. 2 - Ginger And Fred - Post 2 - Dave Palone
No. 3 - Melissas Fancy - Post 3 - Corey Callahan
No. 4 - Shanghai Lil - Post 6 - Mike Lachance
No. 6 - Cammys Heart - Post 8 - Dan Dube
(With files from Pocono)