Anderson, IN — Strong Poison kicked off her sophomore season with a 1:48 score in the $115,000 Nadia Lobell, for 3-year-old pacing fillies, on Friday (June 30) at Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing & Casino, setting a lifetime mark and beating Reflect With Me’s 1:48.2 stakes and track record.
Ronnie Wrenn Jr. eased Strong Poison off the gate from post three to find a spot along the rail in fifth while Sweet Amira and Peter Wrenn were the first to get a call through the opening quarter in :26. Southwind Bella and Brandon Bates benefitted from a pocket trip while heavy betting favorite McSeaside and Trace Tetrick were next in line third. The hot pace continued as Sweet Amira clicked off middle fractions of :53.2 and 1:21.1, and when the field turned for home, McSeaside was on the attack from first-over with Strong Poison in tow. Sweet Amira was bracing for the cavalry charge behind her but wasn’t going down without a fight. Just as Sweet Amira began to give way, Strong Poison was winding up and ready to strike.
Using a :26.3 closing kick, Strong Poison wore down McSeaside and hold off a late surge from the pocket-sitting Southwind Bella to win. McSeaside finished third.
“Ronnie (Burke) has done a great job getting her ready,” driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr. noted after the victory. “I wasn’t sure with it being her first start how strong she would be, but it was good to land second-over and she raced phenomenal.
“I had a game plan coming into the race; I knew I just wanted to move her late,” he continued. “It worked out with some hot fractions up front. I had to move her a littler earlier than I would have liked, but she was running over the horses in front of us and was ready to go. She’s a super talented filly who knows her work.”
Strong Poison, who returned $12.00 to win and whom Ron Burke trains for Burke Racing Stable, J&T Silva, Knox Services and Beasty, notched the first win in her first start of 2023 after a 2-year-old campaign in which she won five of 14 starts and banked $424,359 on the season. The daughter of Always B Miki—Fiyonce bred by Steve Stewart and Charles and Julie Nash now sports a lifetime bankroll of $481,859.
Live racing at Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing & Casino continues on Saturday (July 1) with a 12-race card beginning at 7 p.m. For more information on the upcoming entertainment and live racing schedule, please visit www.hoosierpark.com.