Wilkes-Barre, PA —The $500,000 3-Year-Old Breeders Crown Filly Trot figured to be a battle among Atlanta, currently top-ranked in the sport’s Top 10 poll, Manchego and Phaetosive. However, longshot Lily Stride, at 31-1, had other ideas and pulled the upset in the winning in 1:53.2 at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. Lily Stride paid $65.40 to her backers.

Lily Stride sneaks through on the rail to beat Atlanta. Curtis Salonick photo.

Plunge Blue Chip pressured favored Atlanta early, but she cleared to the lead at the :26.4 quarter. She was immediately pressured by Manchego, who was followed by Phaetosive in the outside flow. Atlanta posted fractions of :54.2 and 1:23.4 as Manchego tired and Phaetosive moved three-wide. Meanwhile, Plunge Blue Chip moved outside, opening up the passing lane for Lily Stride and Tim Tetrick, who posted his second consecutive Crown win on the evening. 

The win over the sloppy surface did not surprise Tetrick.

“Ever since the first week of Lexington she’s really been charging,” he said. “She got taken out in the (Kentucky) Futurity Filly final, or she would have been second or third, and last week came home in :27.1. I thought she was setting on a good race. I’m really surprised she paid 31-1. They all went to the outside and we took a shortcut, which I have been doing with her the last few starts. The track is holding up really well. The footing is good.”

Harder, who posted his first Breeders Crown win, said the filly’s season is not over.

“The monkey off my back is great,” he said. “You know, I am really happy to do it with this filly because the group she hit this year are great, great fillies. I thought I had a great, great filly until I qualified her and these other ones started showing up and they are vicious, they’re really tough. She’s going to go down under and the owners will race her down there, which will be, you know, a feather in their cap, to race a Breeders Crown winner.”

Owned by Emilio and Maria Roasti of Condell Park, New South Wales, Australia, Lily Stride is a bay filly by Muscle Hill out of the Donato Hanover mare Sterling Volo.

Bred by Kentuckiana Farms and Jorgen Jahre, Jr., Lily Stride posted her 12th career victory as she claimed the John Simpson Memorial Trophy, sponsored by Hanover Shoe Farms, and pushed her career earnings over $700,000.