by Paul Ramlow, USTA Internet News Manager

Filly Futurity Race Recap

Lexington, KY — Thomas Dillon’s Seaside may have been a bit of a longshot heading into the $378,000 Kentucky Filly Futurity on Friday (Oct. 2) at The Red Mile, but she put in two strong performances, including a heart stopping 1:54 score in the $105,840 second heat final.

USTA/Mark Hall photo

Seaside with driver David Miller in the winner’s circle.

David Miller was in the bike for trainer Jonas Czernyson as the Yankee Glide-Blue Skys Again filly closed out her day with her fifth season’s victory, improving her 2009 earnings to $273,543.

Seaside, who wired the field in her elimination earlier in the day, once again left strongly and was on top at the opening panel of :28.2. The winner yielded to OK To Play, winner of the opening elimination, and the new leader was on top through middle fractions of :56.3 and 1:25.3.

Turning for home, Yursa Hanover (Tim Tetrick) engaged the leader first over and passed her by, only to be subsequently passed by Seaside, who finally found room along the rail to score by one length in 1:54. Yursa Hanover held second, while Littlemscantbwrong (Jody Jamieson) was third. OK To Play faded badly to finish seventh, while the other elimination winner, Broadway Schooner, never got in the mix and was sixth.

“It worked out perfect,” said driver David Miller of Seaside’s trip. “I left and got the lead. But I thought the #1 (OK To Play) would be the one to follow. That’s how it worked out and I had plenty of horse.”

“She’s won many races like this with David Miller driving,” added owner Thomas Dillon. “She was going to win no matter how it worked out. I was a little nervous on the backside.

“She’s a very frustrating filly if you look back over her lines. She drew bad in the Hudson Filly Trot (the eight hole) and eight on a half-mile racetrack is suicide. She left out of there and broke. She’s probably jumped off, between her 2- and 3-year-old year, for $500- or $600,000. She helped make it up today a little.”

“I was about to say if he (Miller) ever makes it back to the paddock I’m going to kill him,” said trainer Czernyson. “But he found a way out and got it done.

“She’s a very moody little girl. You can’t feel it warming up or training what mood she’s going to be in. It’s just whatever mood she’s in today. Sometimes she gets behind the gate and says ‘not today.’

Trio of eliminations contested

Daniel Plouffe and Jean Claude Dessureault’s OK To Play brushed to the lead past the opening quarter and went on to a 1:53.4 victory in the $65,520 first elimination of the Kentucky Filly Futurity.

USTA/Mark Hall photo

OK To Play brushed to the lead and went on to a 1:53.4 victory in the $65,520 first elimination of the Kentucky Filly Futurity.

Daniel Dube was in the bike for trainer Erv Miller as the Yankee Glide-Olympic Light filly posted her second win in 14 season’s starts. Littlemscantbwrong (Jody Jamieson) finished second, while Wedding Dress (John Campbell) was third.

“She’s a pretty delightful filly,” said Miller, who took over the training duties for OK To Play just a month ago. “We’ve tried to keep her shod lightly. Daniel (Dube) has been with her all season and he knows her pretty well.”

OK To Play got away third as Missy’s Doubt Fire (Marcus Johansson) took the field to the opening quarter in :29.2. Dube sent OK To Play after the leader as the field entered the backstretch and they were in front at the :57.4 half-miler marker and the 1:26 three-quarter pole. OK To Play began to drift off the rail in the stretch, but was never caught in scoring by four lengths in the 1:53.4 mile.

In the second $65,520 elimination, Arlene and Jules Siegel’s Broadway Schooner held off Windsong Soprano in the lane to win by a half-length in a time of 1:53.3, equaling her lifetime mark. Brian Sears piloted the Broadway Hall-Pine Schooner miss to her sixth season’s victory for trainer Jim Campbell.

Honorable Daughter (John Campbell) was the early leader, taking the field to the opening quarter in :28.2, with Sea Raven (Tim Tetrick) second and Broadway Schooner third. Sears sent his filly to the top at the :56 half-mile marker and then began to feel pressure from Windsong Soprano (David Miller) at the 1:25 three-quarter pole. Fourth place finisher Honorable Daughter also qualified for the final.

USTA/Mark Hall photo

In the second $65,520 elimination, Arlene and Jules Siegel’s Broadway Schooner held off Windsong Soprano in the lane to win by a half-length in a time of 1:53.3.

Those two raced side-by-side down the stretch with Broadway Schooner holding off Windsong Soprano in the final time of 1:53.3. Sea Raven held on for third.

“She went a really tough trip,” said trainer Jim Campbell of Broadway Schooner, “and Brian put her in a position to win. She really started to come around before (winning) the Hambletonian Oaks.”

The third elimination saw Seaside go gate-to-wire from the seventh and outside post to score in a lifetime best 1:53.3 for driver David Miller and trainer Jonas Czernyson.

Miller sent Seaside right to the front and they cut fractions of :28.1, :56.3 and 1:26 before being engaged on the final turn by Margarita Momma (Ron Pierce). But heading down the lane Seaside was game and she held off the late rush of Yursa Hanover (Daniel Dube) by 1-1/4 lengths with Margarita Momma having to settle for third.

“She raced really good today,” said Czernyson of his pupil. “It’s nice to see she can actually do it.”