New York Sire Stakes continued Monday night, with Yonkers Raceway hosting the $275,512 Mount Vernon Pace for three-year-old fillies
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Defending NYSS champ Hulas Z Tam (Pat Lachance) turned in by the fastest effort of the evening, in the ($92,304) third division. What figured to be a match-race was just that, with pole-sitting Hulas Z Tam releasing the odds-on Galimony (David Miller) only after a :27.2 opening quarter-mile. She then stalked her rival to the lane, ducking inside before prevailing by a head in 1:55.4. Enduring Delight (Cat Manzi) was third, beaten a couple of lengths.
Hulas Z Tam, a daughter of Bettors Delight co-owned by trainer Lachance along with Z Tam Stables and Margaret Dey, returned $4.10 for her third win in five seasonal starts.
"She's just a professional racehorse, and has been right from the start," Lachance said. "She hadn't raced a about a month (one qualifier), so I decided to let the other filly, who's also very talented, cut the mile. With nine victories and three seconds in a dozen career starts (earnings over $400,000), I really can't say enough about her."
Maxs Leading Lady (George Brennan) rolled off cover, winning the first ($90,604) division in 1:57.2. Love And Honor (D. R. Ackerman), the 7-5 favourite, was dealing with unwanted advances from Chatty Kathy (Corey Braden). All the while, Maxs Leading Lady, leaving from post position four, lurked from second-over. She went wide and outgamed Love And Honor by three-quarters of a length, with Chatty Kathy third.
Maxs Leading Lady, a daughter of Art Major co-owned by trainer Bob Horowitz along with Stephen Demeter and Blue Chip Bloodstock, returned $6.60 for her second win in nine seasonal starts.
"Bob said to me, 'Any sort of a trip,' and I was able to get her one," Brennan said. "I just gave here a chance, and she took it from there."
Shaky Hanover (Eric Goodell), flashing some of her excellent frosh from, stuck her tongue out on the money, prevailing in the second ($92,304) Mount Vernon event in 1:58.
After an elongated delay when Delightful Syd refused to hit the pace and wound up scratched lame, Shaky Hanover chased race leader Angel From Above (Corey Callahan) while second-up. The speed began to tire despite fractions of :30.4, 1:01 and 1:30, with Shaky Hanover just getting the better of a pylon-skimming Buy Art (Brennan). Angel From Above held third, with 3-5 choice Tia Marie Hanover (Jim Marohn, Jr.) an uncovered fourth.
Shaky Hanover, a Bettors Delight lass trained by Josh Green for co-owners William & Jack Heinz and Baron Racing, returned $8.10 for her first win in seven '10 tries.
"She’s been having some breaking problems, so I wanted to baby her out of there," Goodell said. "She was much better in her last start (Tompkins-Geers at Tioga), and I figured Corey's filly would probably come back to us."
(Yonkers Raceway)