by Ellen Harvey, for the Breeders Crown

Wilkes-Barre, PA — For the third consecutive time in the evening, a Jimmy Takter Stable trainee won a Breeders Crown when Shake It Cerry went wire-to-wire to win the $500,000 Breeders Crown for 2-year-old trotting fillies on Saturday at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs.

USTA/Mark Hall photo

Shake It Cerry went wire-to-wire to win the Breeders Crown for 2-year-old trotting fillies Saturday at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs.

Driver Ron Pierce hustled Shake It Cerry off the gate and to the lead, with Cooler Schooner (John Campbell) on the outside and behind her toward the homestretch for the first time. As the field turned for the stretch, Cooler Schooner made a break, leaving Struck By Lindy (David Miller) to inherit second place. Those two lead the way to the :27.1 first quarter and on to the :58 half-mile mark.

There was no change in the leaders at the 1:26 three-quarters and Pierce made an unhurried approach to the wire for the win in 1:53.4 by 1-1/4 lengths. Struck By Lindy was second and Market Rally (John Cummings, Jr.) was third.

It was the 18th Breeders Crown win for Jimmy Takter, who entered the evening tied with trainer Bob McIntosh as leading Breeders Crown trainer. He is now tied with McIntosh for most Breeders Crowns on one night.

Shake It Cerry ($4.20) is owned by Solveig’s Racing Partners of East Windsor, N.J. and was bred by the group as well.

“She’s been a top one all year,” said Takter. “She had a bloop up in Canada (when she made a break and finished fifth in the Peaceful Way on Sept. 5). She didn’t get along with the track, but she came from a (1):51 mile here and maybe she wasn’t really up to the game. She bounced back in Lexington (second in a Bluegrass Stakes race) and (then) raced a good elimination. She was even better today. She’s a very strong filly. She’s maybe the strongest 2-year-old filly I’ve trained.”

Winning driver Ron Pierce said he drove the race with confidence after the early miscue by Cooler Schooner.

“I knew I was going to get everything my way after that (Cooler Schooner break) pretty much,” he said. “I figured Lifetime Pursuit would be coming; I didn’t know she made a break behind the gate. I was waiting on her kind of, and she never showed, so I just had things my way up there.”