by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — Bob Devine is unlikely to breed horses in the future, so if Devine Filly was his final attempt, it is a winner.

Devine Filly, who has two wins and a second-place finish in three starts this year, is among the 10 horses in Thursday’s (Jan. 26) $38,000 White Ruffles Series final for 4-year-old pacing mares. She will start from post three with Yannick Gingras as her driver.

“I always liked her, even if on paper she didn’t look good,” Devine said. “There are a few nice horses in there (Thursday); it’s going to be a tough final. We’ll just need a little racing luck.”

Lisa photo

Devine Filly will start from the three hole in the White Ruffles final.

Devine Filly, by Metropolitan, is the third foal out of the mare Fabulous Filly, who Devine purchased as a yearling in 2003 and never raced because of a knee injury. Fabulous Filly is a half-sister to 1999 Metro Pace winner The Firepan and 2009 Empire Breeders Classic 3-year-old filly champion Indulge Me, plus Fabulous Filly’s dam, Summer Child, won the 1991 Sweetheart.

“Someone suggested I breed her and sell her; I bred her and kept her,” Devine said, laughing. “We didn’t have much luck with the first two foals. The one got down to around 2:10 and then caught a nail in the paddock and wasn’t able to race after that. The other one had a rare heart disease.

“So it’s a great feeling to watch (Devine Filly) race and do well.”

Devine, a central New Jersey resident who owns a construction company, has not bred any horses since Devine Filly. He usually claims racehorses rather than buying yearlings or breeding his own. Devine Filly is his only horse at the moment, but he plans to go back to claiming horses in the near future.

He knows this much about Devine Filly’s future: “I’m definitely not going to breed her,” he said, again laughing.

Unraced as a 2-year-old, Devine Filly won two of 13 starts last season before heading to the stable of trainer John McDermott for the Meadowlands’ winter series. She won an overnight race in a lifetime-best 1:54.4 at the Big M on opening night and captured her first leg of the White Ruffles in 1:56.3. Last week, she was second to favorite Miss Behave, who won in 1:53.4.

“This week was better than last week,” McDermott said. “When I got her, she had a little bit of an issue with her stomach and she was a very picky eater. I put her on GastroMax and ever since she’s slowly gotten better and better. I’ve taken it easy on her because I want her stomach to get better because I think that’s her major issue.

“I think the main thing is just to get her feeling as good as possible. The difference between her eating from the day she first came in the barn to today is night and day. I can’t get over how much better she looks every day. I think she’ll have a great day on Thursday.”

McDermott was not looking to add a horse to his stable, but took Devine Filly because he previously trained horses for Devine. The mare was trained previously by Alex Kavoleff and Allie Reynolds.

“When she came to me she was pretty much pre-made,” McDermott said. “I didn’t want another horse, but I’ve trained for Bob before and he’s a really great guy. He asked me if I could take her and so far she’s been excellent.

“I know this is a homebred and I understand how important this is to him. I know it’s more than just a racehorse to him.”

Last week, Devine Filly raced first over for the first time and got the lead coming off the final turn. Miss Behave went by her in the stretch, but Devine Filly fought to the wire.

“Yannick said last week when she cleared the top she was completely lost,” McDermott said. “She is still a very green horse. She just didn’t know what to do. When (Miss Behave) cleared her, she started racing again. Hopefully she’ll be a little bit better this week and I’m sure Yannick is going to give her a great drive.”

If all goes well, Devine Filly might race in the Night Styles Series, which begins in March at the Meadowlands.

“I want to see how she matures and how she improves going forward,” McDermott said. “She’s never raced like this before in her life. It’s tough on a horse. Even though she’s 4 years old, she’s still a baby. I think she just needs more seasoning.”

Devine is happy with Devine Filly’s performances so far. A win in the White Ruffles final would be his biggest victory as an owner — and breeder, for that matter.

“When I entered her in the White Ruffles I was really just hoping to get some checks,” Devine said.

She’s done that.

“She’s done it well,” Devine added.