After back-to-back defeats to Sylvia Hanover and a month on the bench, Twin B Joe Fresh returned to the track a dynamo and set a stakes record while crushing her peers for a repeat win in the Grade 2 $210,000 Milton Stakes on Saturday, Sept. 13 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Dexter Dunn fired Twin B Joe Fresh out of post five and pushed between horses through the first turn to take the lead into a :26.1 first quarter. Sylvia Hanover (Tim Tetrick), starting from the pylon post, settled in fourth and stayed in position as Twin B Joe Fresh mowed up the backside to a :53.4 half.
Nearing the far turn, Sylvia Hanover lifted from the pegs and began her assault on the rim, though Dunn loosened his reins on Twin B Joe Fresh and promptly accelerated to slip away from the field rolling to three-quarters in 1:21.1. Twin B Joe Fresh straightened and ripped away from the competition for a wrapped-up 5-1/2-length win in 1:47.4, besting the stakes record of 1:48 set in 2023 by Grace Hill and equalling Grace Hill’s track and Canadian record set the same year. Sylvia Hanover settled for second with My Girl Ej (Louis-Philippe Roy) taking third.
“She was alive tonight,” Dunn said after the race. “She felt fantastic. It’s only been Plainridge [in the Clara Barton on July 20] and that last start at Meadowlands where she wasn’t herself. She’s been pretty good for a year and a half now, but obviously she wasn’t quite right since Plainridge. We were pretty disappointed with her effort [in that mile], although Sylvia [Hanover] was unbelievable that day – I thought we could’ve gone a little bit closer.
“We put her out in the field for a week to freshen her up. And all the reports from the camp since she came back have been nothing but positive. I was really confident and happy with her going into tonight. I was waiting for Sylvia to come, but to my mare’s credit she was rocking along there so strongly. She put up pretty good fractions and did it so easy. I’m just thrilled to have her back racing like that.”
Twin B Joe Fresh, a five-year-old mare by Roll With Joe-Fresh Breeze, won her 34th race from 47 starts and added to her bankroll now worth $3,200,151 for trainer Chris Ryder. Ryder, a resident of Allentown N.J., co-owns the mare with Dunn of Millstone, N.J., Peter Trebotica of Bordentown, N.J., and Barry Spak of Thornton, Pa. Sent off as the 3-5 favourite, she paid $3.20 to win.
Woodbine Mohawk Park also hosted the eliminations for the Metro Pace and Shes A Great Lady on the Saturday card. To read about those races, click here.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(Woodbine)
Twin B Joe Fresh RULES!!!!
Twin B Joe Fresh RULES!!!!