by Daina Kazmaier, Rosecroft Publicity Office

Ft. Washington, MD — Maryland Sires Stakes action continued at Rosecroft Raceway this past Saturday, September 8, as 2- and 3-year-old horses prepared for the finals to be held September 29. Five preliminary races, each worth a purse of $3,000, highlighted the card.

Grace Of Hearts paced wire-to-wire in the $3,000 division for 3-year-old fillies. The daughter of Allie’s Western was confident through a well-rated mile. Driven by owner-trainer Kelly Staten, Grace Of Hearts led the trailers through quarters of :28.3, 1:01.2 and 1:29, winning in 1:57.3 by a little over a length.

Leimatua made up late ground in the stretch for second with driver Billy Mann at her lines. The Shotgun Scott filly closed well with a :28 last quarter. Ken Shand trains for owner Shirley Shand. After attempting a first-over trip, Dig Alittle Deeper held on for third with John Wagner in the bike. Roger Hans trains the Nuclear High filly for owner Tom Cooke.

Freshman filly trotters took center stage in the second non-wagering race. Danish Dancer, driven by John Wagner for trainer Jeff Long, grabbed the lead in an opening quarter of :32. Wagner guided the Tejano filly through the mile in 1:02.3 and 1:32.2, winning in 2:02. Danish Dancer is co-owned by Richard Roberts, James Harris, Perry D’Ortone and Long.

Jane B, driven by Frank Milby, was second with a pocket trip. The Tejano filly is trained by Lloyd Gilmour and owned by Scott Woogen. Third under the wire were Brilliant Get Lost and driver Donnie Russell. The daughter of Go Get Lost, trained and owned by Syl King, Jr., broke stride nearing the top of the stretch but recovered to hit the board.

The 2-year-old colt and gelding trotters completed the early card, and Descant was best by a head in 2:00.4. The Tejano gelding, driven by John Wagner, was parked to the opening quarter in :30.4. Taking the lead after the first fraction, Descant remained unchallenged through quarters of 1:00.1 and 1:30. Manley Brown, Jr. trains for owners Terry Kibler and Marvin Sigler.

Trotting first-over was Mr Crazy for second. The Tejano colt, owned by Crawford Rayne, was driven capably by Sam Belote III. Mr Crazy was competitive in the stretch with a :30.1 last quarter. Bill Long trains the talented trotter. Misterio finished third, making up nearly five lengths through the back half of the mile. Jonathan Roberts drove the Tejano colt for trainer “Bib” Roberts. The Graham Grace Stables LLC owns Misterio.

Tell Hillary ($11.60, $2.60, $2.10) was overlooked at the windows in the class for 3-year-old filly pacers. As one of the morning line choices at 5-2 early odds, the Misfit filly scored by a neck in 1:56.1, equaling her lifetime best. Trained and driven by Donnie Russell, Tell Hillary paced steadily through quarters of :29, :59 and 1:28 to earn her third victory of the year from nine starts. Russell co-owns the filly with Edward Needle.

Betting choice High Speed Racer ($2.10, $2.10) was second after pacing first-over for driver John Wagner. The daughter of Nuclear High closed well with a :28 last quarter, just missing the win. Roger Hans trains for owner Tom Cooke. Masterful K ($3.00) rounded out the top three with Corey Callahan in the bike. The Masterman filly, co-owned by trainer Ron Dixon and Clarence Staats, closed up the rail to finish just over two lengths behind.

Southern Myles ($2.20, $2.20, $2.10) was impressive as usual in the division for 3-year-old pacing colts and geldings. The Nuclear High colt, a trainee of Richard Hans, quarter-poled for the lead after a sharp opening tick of :27.3. With Jonathan Roberts in the sulky, the 1-9 betting choice was confident on the front-end through fractions of :56.4 and 1:24.4. Southern Myles, owned by Gerald Kelly, won by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:53.

Mental Lapse ($2.80, $2.80) challenged for second up the passing lane, but was no match for the winner. Driven by Victor Kirby, the Shotgun Scott gelding made two moves through the mile, coming first-over and dropping in the pocket. Shaun Callahan trains for owners Faragalli, Feeney, Clark and Jackson. Talbot Redneck ($2.80), at 25-1 odds, finished third. Showing early gate speed under the urging of driver Wayne Long, the Misfit gelding crossed under the wire 5-3/4 lengths behind the winner. Ken Schlotzhauer trains and co-owns Talbot Redneck with David Donahue.

Post time for Tuesday’s (September 11) live racing card is 5:35 p.m.