by Evan Pattak for The Meadows

MEADOW LANDS, PA – Michelle’s Angel, who found herself 6-1/2 lengths in arrears with the race half over, unleashed a sustained uncovered bid that carried her to a new stake record in a division of the $93,080 Pennsylvania Sires Stake for 3-year-old trotting fillies Saturday night at The Meadows.

The stake, known as the Meadow Bright, was contested over four divisions, with Upmarket Hanover, Speedy Edie and Fuego taking the other splits.

Just past the half, Michelle’s Angel was a worrisome fourth behind determined leader TS Fast Forward. When Dave Palone asked the daughter of Andover Hall to go, she quickly passed two rivals and took aim at TS Fast Forward, collaring her in deep stretch to prevail by 1/2-length. Filly Photo was a distant third.

The winning time was 1:55, two-fifths better than the previous mark established by Gyration and Palone last year. It also was the fastest mile this year by a 3-year-old trotting filly on a 5/8-mile track. The victory pushed the career bankroll of Michelle’s Angel, a $260,000 yearling purchase, past $280,000.

“That was a good filly she caught, so I was a little bit worried (when she fell so far back),” said trainer Richard Norman. “She missed a race in Canada, and I thought this would be a nice quiet place to get back on track. They were rolling along. But it worked out good. She’s a great looking filly, nice and sound. She has a good future.”

Norman said Michelle’s Angel is ticketed for both the Delvin Miller and the Hambletonian Oaks at the Meadowlands.

Dick Stillings and Speedy Edie fashioned a two-hole trip, pulling the pocket with 1/4-mile left and holding off Winner Frost to win by a length in 1:57.2, Unicornlane was third.

Merle LaFountaine and Jennifer LaFountaine purchased Old Cape Cod in foal with Speedy Edie for $2,500. That modest investment has begun to pay off, as the daughter of S J’s Caviar won a leg of a late-closing series at Tioga Downs and will return there for the balance of the event.

“As a 2-year-old, she was big and dumb and clumsy,” said LaFountaine, who also trains Speedy Edie. “We educated her at the fairs and waited on her. She’s been well worth the wait. She’s still learning. She doesn’t get the full extent of it yet. She still has a lot of filling out to do.”

Upmarket Hanover’s winning time of 1:59.1 may not have been impressive, but her winning move was a back-side brush that erased a 9-length deficit in a heartbeat. Moreover, she was racing off a seven week-layoff caused by an unknown ailment.

“We brought her down here for a stake and she came up sore,” said trainer Doug Miller, who last winter acquired the daughter of S J’s Photo for William Weaver III from the stable of Dan Altmeyer. “I don’t know if she got hurt shipping down here or what happened to her. Whatever was wrong with her, she got better on her own. I trained her last Monday and she was good, so we put her in. She was awesome.

“She was one of the top Pennsylvania-breds last year, and I loved the fact she came out of Danny’s barn. I know he took care of her. The owner is a breeder, so we thought she would be perfect for us.

Honalulu Lulu was 5 lengths back in second, with TSM Navaho Star T finishing third. Upmarket Hanover is eligible for the Delvin Miller.

MEADOW BRIGHT NOTES: Stringtowner, driven by Ray Paver for owner/trainer Chuck Grubbs, captured the Preferred Handicap for the fourth time in the past seven weeks, scoring in 1:51.2 . . . For more information on the PA Sires Stakes program, visit www.standardbredbreederspa.org

ELUSIVE PREY TAKES KEYSTONE CLASSIC DIVISION

Out of the shadow of sophomore pacing filly boss Southwind Tempo at last, Elusive Prey set a controlled pace to capture a division of the $61,799 Keystone Classic for 3-year-old pacing fillies Saturday night at The Meadows.

The stake for Pennsylania-breds was contested over three divisions, with Fiery Buckeye and Philadelphia taking the other splits. Ray Paver scored a driving double behind Elusive Prey and Philadelphia.

Elusive Prey had encountered the dominating Southwind Tempo in three consecutive races – the Lismore at Yonkers and the James Lynch elimination and final at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. She finished second or third on each occasion, despite an individual clocking of 1:49.4 in the Lynch final.

In the Keystone Classic, the daughter of Western Hanover made a quarter-pole move for Paver, intimidating any would-be challengers. She won by 2-1/2 lengths over Lauren Order, with Caviart Cameron finishing third. The time of 1:55 was the slowest winning mark in the Keystone Classic, but trainer Kevin Johnson said it was just what Elusive Prey needed.

“We raced her here because she has three weeks between races and we didn’t want to have to qualify her,” Johnson said. “She really needs a break. That 1:49 mile last week took a little bit out of her. She’s not going to race against those big “A” fillies for the next month.”

Rebecca Williams and Joe and Joann Thomson own Elusive Prey, who is being pointed to such stakes as the Reynolds, the Tompkins-Geers and the Jugette.

Fiery Buckeye and Dave Palone recorded the fastest win of the stake, a 1:53.4 triumph by 3/4 lengths over Jerry’s Girl, who provided first-over cover for Fiery Buckeye’s winning rally. Mystical Dream was third.

A homebred for owner Edmarc Stables, the daughter of Dragon Again has shown considerable talent but has been hampered by lack of early speed.

“She can get on the front end, but she doesn’t like it,” said trainer Mickey Burke. ”In stake races, they mix them up enough that you’ll usually find some live cover that you can go with.”

Philadelphia and Pittsburgh historically have been keen in-state sports rivals, but the filly Philadelphia has nothing but affection for southwestern Pennsylvania. She captured a PA Sires Stake division here on May 12 and followed that up with her front-end, 1-3/4-length victory Saturday night. Top Shelf Hanover was 3/4 lengths back in second, with Definitely Cam in third.

“She’s a much better 3-year-old,” said Steve Leblanc, who trains the daughter of Western Hanover for Newman Racing Stable and Sampson Street Stables. “She’s a lot gamer this year. She just wasn’t mature. This year she is.”

Philadelphia remains eligible for some of her division’s richest stakes, but Leblanc said she’ll have to show him more to have her ticket punched.

“Out there, it’s a different world against Southwind Tempo and horses like that,” Leblanc said. “But she’s a nice filly, and she can get money. That’s what you want to do.”