Ft. Washington, MD — Sires Stakes cards in general tend to be chalk ladened affairs for the bettors. Low win payouts and exotics that tend to return low on the investment. However, sometimes you can catch lightning in a bottle and Tuesday night (May 16) at Rosecroft, it struck twice as the track hosted four $85,000 finals in the Maryland Sires Stakes program.

In the 3-year-old filly pacing final, a much deeper field went to post against the sensational Val’s Girl, a perfect 12-for-12 entering the track Tuesday night.

When the field left the gate, eventual winner Phoenix Rising left hard for driver Frank Milby, with the likely intention of gaining a two hole ride. As Val’s Girl accelerated along the pylons, Milby grabbed up and ducked his horse into the pocket through an opening quarter of :26.2.

Roger Plante got the leader a breather in the second quarter of :29.2 as Morgans All In began a first over journey that at one point looked like it was going to tow second choice Joyces Real Honey into a winning position, but as that cover faltered, Joyces Real Honey lost ground on the final turn.

In the final sixteenth of the mile, Milby shot up the passing lane to score the nearly 35-1 upset with Phoenix Rising. Val’s Girl was valiant in holding second while Joyces Real Honey was third. Lloyd’s Loves and Moovit Getout Dway picked up the final checks.

The exacta with the heavy favorite second produced a $314.20 return.

It was the third win of the year for Phoenix Rising, owned by trainer Frank Gannon III and his wife Liz. The winner is a daughter of Movie Idol, out of the Gannon family’s homebred mare Scarlet Pandemic.

In the pacing final for sophomore males, the showdown everyone expected indeed materialized as Smooth Rocket and Babes All In did not disappoint. With Babes All In and Jared Moyer rolling through fractions of :26, :55.2, and 1:24.2, driver Russell Foster vacated the pocket with eventual winner Smooth Rocket and the two went stride for stride literally to the wire with inches separating the two at the finish in 1:52. Center Of It All, Green Eggs N Cam and Lucky Major rounded out the top five.

The winner, a son of Cam’s Rocket, is owned by Foster and his wife Megan, who trains the sophomore. Smooth Rocket is 9-for-13 lifetime and has won four straight.

In the 3-year-old filly trot final, Call Me Goo appeared headed for a collision course with Goolishness, both daughters of Googoo Gaagaa. It was shaping up that way until the pocket sitting Goolishness made a break in the final turn and Call Me Goo won comfortably for Jonathan Roberts in 1:58.1. Googoo Gaagaa swept the top three with Gimme Goo Bumps second and Goolishness rallying for third. Roadgracemissellie and Whitesville Pride took the final checks.

Jason Skinner trains the winner for Graham Grace Stables. The win made her 7-for-11 lifetime.

In the sophomore male trot category, last year Jewett was an upset winner in the final at Ocean Downs and backed it up with a third in the final at Rosecroft in October. Coming off a second place finish in a preliminary last week, you would figure the son of Lockkeeper would have some amount of respect at the windows. Nope.

The 42-1 shot went to the front from post eight and when substantial favorite How Do You Goo made an early break, no one passed the longshot who won for driver and conditioner John Wagner and wife Pam in 1:59.2. K J Roberts was second, Googoo Eyes third, while Tenouttaten and Terrys Watching took home checks.

Roberts took the feature with Best Head West scoring her fifth win of the year in the $12,000 Open for distaff pacers.

Roberts and Foster each won four races on the card, trainer Mike Hall won three times and Wagner twice.

Rosecroft concludes the Spring meet Saturday night with a Jackpot Hi 5 carryover of $23,640.07 in race 10. Post time is 7:15 p.m. (EDT).