The Stay Hungry-Skinny Dip two-year-old pacing filly Lyons Legend remained undefeated after four purse starts, taking one of two $35,000 divisions of her section’s Pennsylvania All-Stars event in a lifetime best 1:51.4.
After a :27.2 battle for the lead past the quarter, driver Matt Kakaley moved Lyons Legend to the lead, put up middle fractions of :56 and 1:24.2, then finished in hand while keeping pocket-sitter Asweetbeachhere 2-1/2 lengths behind. Trained by Jim King Jr. of Shartin N fame, Lyons Legend is owned by Threelyonsracing, and with two PA Sire Stakes wins under her girth already, the budding star filly may be back at Pocono on Sept. 2 for her $250,000 Sire Stakes Championship.
Strange Fruit made the lead before the :28.3 quarter in her All-Stars division, then yielded to favoured Ginger Tree Belle and sat in the pocket while the chalk put up midsplits of :56.4 and 1:25.2. The price of pacing went up in the last quarter as these two drew away from the rest, and Strange Fruit, the close second choice, was able to rally into a :27.1 back quarter to break her maiden in 1:52.3 in her second purse start, with the official margin a neck. The daughter of Sweet Lou-Bettor And Better was driven by Scott Zeron for trainer Linda Toscano and the partnership of Let It Ride Stables Inc. and Bottom Line Racing LLC.
Racing will continue at Pocono Downs with Monday (July 24) and Tuesday (July 25) cards beginning at 1 p.m. (EDT).
(PHHA / Pocono)