by Dean A. Hoffman

Columbus, OH (USTA) — Timo Panula’s Queen Serene, much on the strength of a victory in the Hudson Filly Trot, in which she defeated a late-year rival, has been selected as November’s Horse of the Month by the U.S. Trotting Association. The daughter of Dream Vacation—Queen Of Queens won all four of her starts in the month just ended.

The sophomore trotting filly began the month by sweeping through a $28,362 elimination and the $170,176 final of the Matron Stakes at Dover Downs, where she won in 1:55.2 and 1:56 in consecutive starts.

The balance of the month was given over to the Hudson Filly Trot, the filly companion to the Yonkers Trot, in which a late-year match-up between Queen Serene and Hidden Viggorish was the marquee draw.

The latter, who raced in a different Hudson Filly Trot Elimination on November 18, extended her win streak to 10 races going into the final, and Queen Serene won her elimination, in 1:58, to set up the confrontation in the $165,238 Hudson Filly Trot.

In that race, on November 25, the battle never took place because Hidden Viggorish made a break at the start, but that, however, did nothing to take any of the shine off Queen Serene’s victory.

She started from post position eight, moved resolutely to take the lead before the field had reached the half-mile pole, and then sped to a three-length victory, timed in 1:57, for her driver and trainer, Trond Smedshammer.

”She’s just tough,” Smedshammer said after the Hudson Filly Trot Final. “She doesn’t seem to care what size track she races on. She beat Passionate Glide (a contender for Horse of the Year) in the second heat of the Kentucky Filly Futurity. It’s too bad she’s made breaks during some big races, or she’d have much more money on her card.”