Anndrovette, a three-time winner of the Roses Are Red, was able to get up in the final strides to prevail in a win photo over Sandbetweenurtoes (Jody Jamieson) in the first of three $35,000 eliminations for the older pacing mares. The Jeff Bamond Jr. trainee stopped the clock in 1:49.4 with driver Tim Tetrick handling the lines. Waasmula (Trevor Henry), the early leader and race favourite, finished three lengths behind in third.

The elimination victory was the first win this season for the nine-year-old Riverboat King-Easy Miss mare and her 45th overall. Anndrovette is owned by Bamond Racing LLC and Joseph Davino.

In the second split, Lady Shadow made a second-quarter move to the lead and never looked back en route to a 1:50.2 victory. Driven by Doug McNair, the five-year-old daughter of Shadow Play and Lady Camella picked up her second win in eight seasonal outings. The Ron Adams trainee hit the wire three and a quarter lengths ahead of Yagonnakissmeornot (Jody Jamieson) and Wrangler Magic (Sylvain Filion).

Lady Shadow will be aiming to defend her title in the Roses Are Red final next Saturday for owners David Kryway, Carl Atley, Edwin Gold and the Bfj Stable.

McNair was right back in the winner’s circle after the final elimination with Solar Sister. Trained by his father Gregg McNair, Solar Sister went gate-to-wire to score a 1:51 victory. The four-year-old Mach Three-Cabrini Hanover mare finished a length and a half ahead of Katie Said (Brett Miller) and two lengths in front of Ms Mac N Cheese (Sylvain Filion).

Solar Sister now has two wins from five starts this season for owners David Willmot of King City, Ont., and Toronto’s Clay Harland Horner.

Devil Child, driven by Brett Miller, was the fourth-place finisher (from the first elimination) drawn by lot to qualify for next weekend’s final.

The field for the $370,000 Roses Are Red Stakes is listed below.

1. Waasmula(Ontario-Sired)
2. Solar Sister(Ontario-Bred+Ontario-Sired)
3. Lady Shadow(Ontario-Sired)
4. Anndrovette
5. Sandbetweenurtoes
6. Devil Child
7. Ms Mac N Cheese(Ontario-Sired)
8. Wrangler Magic(Ontario-Sired)
9. Yagonnakissmeornot
10. Katie Said
AE: Empress Deo

(Standardbred Canada with files from WEG)