Nine of harness racing’s leading ladies will line-up behind the starting gate Friday evening at The Meadows as the Pennsylvania oval hosts The Meadows Maturity.
The $51,100 tilt marks the 2015 debut for a pair of award winners from last season – Shake It Cerry and Classic Martine.
Shake It Cerry, who nabbed the Dan Patch Award as last season’s Three-Year-Old Trotting Filly of the Year, will tote a nine-race winning streak into the assignment for trainer Jimmy Takter. The homebred daughter of Donato Hanover-Solveig is a 23-time winner with earnings in excess of $2-million. The multiple stake winner is slated to start from Post 7.
Classic Martine, who earned Dan Patch and O’Brien Award honours as last year’s Older Trotting Mare of the Year, has drawn Post 9 in the star-studded affair. The Chris Oakes trainee has a trio of qualifiers under her belt going into the assignment, which will be her first since assembling a 9-for-18 record in 2014. The five-year-old daughter of Classic Photo-Drinking Days will enter the race with earnings of $994,804.
Dave Palone has been listed on both mares in addition to Ron Burke’s Cowgirl Hall.
Ben Baillargeon-trained Rockin With Dewey will depart from Post 5 with Eric Ledford in tow as she looks to build on a solid, second-place finish behind Daylon Magician in last week’s edition of the Preferred Trot at Mohawk Racetrack. The five-year-old daughter of Deweycheatumnhowe-Silky Celine is owned by Baillargeon and Diane Ingham of Mount Pleasant, Ontario.
$51,000 The Meadows Maturity
1. Sweetie Hearts
2. Cowgirl Hall
3. Anaffairtoremember
4. Daylon Miracle
5. Rockin With Dewey
6. Handover Belle
7. Shake It Cerry
8. Whata Donato
9. Classic Martine