Trot Insider has learned that three-time O'Brien Award winner Lady Shadow will be sold following her start in Friday's $250,000 Breeders Crown Open Mare Pace Final at Hoosier Park.
Co-owner Howard Taylor confirmed that the six-year-old Shadow Play mare is slated for online auction starting on Saturday morning. Thus, Taylor and his co-owners, David Kryway, Carl Atley and Ed Gold, will all be watching Lady Shadow compete under their names for the final time on Friday night.
“The sale on Lady Shadow is final,” Taylor said. “Win, lose or draw; no matter if she wins by open lengths or loses by them. We decided it was the only fair thing to do for her and for us. There are a limited amount of races available for older pacing mares and not being [able] to race her in our names in several of those, really is not right for her. She deserves the opportunity and for us, it is a business, so to be that limited with what we can do with her, when we feel she should still be racing, also places us in an undesirable situation. It’s the best thing for everybody."
With Yannick Gingras in his usual position behind her, Lady Shadow will seek to avenge her narrow loss to Darlinonthebeach in her elimination from post position eight. She is the third choice on the morning line at 7-2 behind favoured Nike Franco N (post three, Tim Tetrick, 2-1).
“I don’t love the post position, but she can win from anywhere and every time she is in a race she has the ability to win. She has shown that for years.”
Lady Shadow has won exactly half of her 66 lifetime starts and boasts more than $2.1 million in purse earnings.
All of the Breeders Crown championships for female pacers and trotters are Friday. Racing begins at 6:00 p.m. (EDT) at Hoosier Park and the Breeders Crown events are races seven through 12.
For Breeders Crown past performance program pages, click one of the following links:
► 2017 Breeders Crown Program Pages - Friday, October 27
► 2017 Breeders Crown Program Pages - Saturday, October 28
This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.