Lady Shadow Wins $250,000 Breeders Crown Open Mares Pace At Meadowlands

Lady Shadow asserted her divisional dominance in the $250,000 Open Mares Pace, returning to the scene of her Golden Girls and Lady Liberty victories from earlier this year to post another winning effort for Canadian-based trainer Ron Adams.

Driver Yannick Gingras sent the 1-5 favourite Lady Shadow to the front past the :27 first quarter ahead of rival Solar Sister (Doug McNair), who had split horses to secure the early lead, and proceeded to the half in :54.2. While Divine Caroline (David Miller), last year’s three-year-old filly Crown champion, edged out from fourth, Lady Shadow opened up a few lengths on top on the way to three-quarters in 1:21.4 and dug in down the stretch to maintain her advantage to the wire for the 1:49.4 victory. Sassa Hanover (Matt Kakaley) closed for second-place honours and Frost Damage Blues (Brett Miller) finished third off a three-hole trip.

Lady Shadow earned her 11th win of the season from 19 starts and pushed her 2016 earnings to $849,121.

The five-year-old millionaire daughter of Shadow Play and Lady Camella is owned by David Kryway of Amherstburg, Ont., Carl Atley of Xenia, Ohio, Edwin Gold of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania and Bfj Stable of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

“We put a group together and bought her last year at the start of her four-year-old year,” explained Adams in a post-race interview. “She had a good two and three-year-old year for Gregg McNair. I really like the mare and was glad we got a deal put together and got her bought. She’s had a good year this year, a career year, actually. She beat herself a little bit when she was younger, she had issues at the gate in a couple of big races. She made miscues behind the gate and it cost her a lot of money I think early on in her career. But she’s put that behind her and she’s turned into a really nice mare. She likes the big track and she likes the speed. Speed is her game and she gets to use it here on this big track.

“It’s a really good feeling, it’s a good way to end, puts a good stamp on the end of the year. After Kentucky [where she finished eighth at The Red Mile on October 9], she bounced right back. Hopefully she will be in the TVG in a couple of weeks here.”

Lady Shadow paid $2.40 to win.

(Standardbred Canada)

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