O'Brien Award winner Fancy Filly certainly lived up to her name as she scored an easy victory Saturday night in the $250,072 James M. Lynch Memorial Pace at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs
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In producing the victory from the nine-hole, Fancy Filly stopped the timer in a career-best 1:49.4, just one tick off the track and stakes mark for a three-year-old pacing filly. The win was by five and one-quarter lengths over Feeling You (Jim Morrill Jr.). Third-place went to Native Doll (Brett Miller).
“I was really confident in her,” said Brian Sears in the winner’s circle. “She has a lot of stamina.”
Sears, who has been in the sulky with Fancy Filly’s in her last eight starts, admitted to being a little nervous when she began “running” in the post parade. “Even one of the Teague trainers said to me going onto the track, ‘I hope you hit the track pacing,’” added Sears.
And indeed she did leave pacing from the outside with Native Doll taking the field to the opening quarter in :26 seconds before Feeling You grabbed the lead past the three-eighths marker. But that lead was short lived as Sears and Fancy Filly went after Feeling You before the clubhouse turn with the eventual winner getting to the half in :53.3 and three-quarters in 1:21.
Teague Jr. doesn’t know if Fancy Filly can be as good as the 2004 Horse of the Year Rainbow Blue but she’s certainly off to a good start by going three-for-three in 2010 with the Lynch victory. Fancy Filly has now won 13 of 15 lifetime starts with one second-place finish along with a third and earnings over $1 million.
Stakes and track mark at Mohegan Sun at Pocono for a three-year-old pacing filly was set in 2007 when Southwind Tempo (Tim Tetrick) won the Lynch in 1:49.3.
In other action, driver George Napolitano Jr. teamed up with trainer Lou Pena for a triple and ended the 15-race program with a total of six wins.
(With files from Pocono Downs)