CHESTER PA – Lyons Sentinel got a good workout in her final start en route to the Breeders Crown eliminations next week, turning in a 1:52.2 victory with the temperature in the 50s in winning her division of the $114,800 Simpson Stakes for two-year-old pacing fillies on Wednesday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
The Captaintreacherous filly, a winner in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship over this track then the She’s A Great Lady final at Mohawk 19 days ago, sat third early as the unbeaten Drama Act, 3-for-3 after taking a Keystone Classic division last week, was sent to the lead and put up pedestrian splits of :28 and :57. Driver Tim Tetrick’s hand was forced at the half with an outside tier moving up, so he moved his filly, now a winner of six in a row, out for the uncovered journey which brought her to a stubborn Drama Act before the 1:25.2 three-quarters.
In the other division of the pacing stake, another daughter of Captaintreacherous, Arden Hanover, bounced back to stakes-winning form when she was able to rally from the pocket to win a three-horse photo in 1:54, a lifetime mark. Tyler Buter urged the filly, a three-time winner in PA Stallion Series competition, up the inside and she responded with a :28 kicker to win by a head over the uncovered favorite Ashtini, with the pacesetter More Than Kute just another nose back in third. Mark Harder trains Arden Hanover, and he co-owns the freshman with Joseph Jannuzzelli.
The first division of the companion $108,200 Simpson filly trotting stake went to Tricky Sister, a daughter of Trixton who was coming off two stakes wins at Freehold and added a third straight win on the engine in 1:57, easily a lifetime best. Dan Dube rolled the baby to the lead at the ¼ and was not threatened thereafter, coming home in :28.2 to win by four lengths for trainer Andrew Harris and owner Robert Key.
Tim Tetrick came back to also win a division of the trotting stake among his four victories on the day. His was behind the Sebastian K S filly Next Level Stuff, who now has four wins in her last five starts after an easy 1:56.4 success. Next Level Stuff had soft fractions with a rank outsider outside her much of the way; the strongest sweeper was second choice Hannah, but when that rival broke on the final bend it was all over but the final margin, which was 7½ lengths. Jim Campbell trains Next Level Stuff, who has never been beaten in eight career starts when she has stayed on stride, for the Runthetable Stables.