Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — Pedigree Snob is back to work. Last season as a 2-year-old, the filly won five of nine races and $384,571 for owners Steve Jones, who bred her, and David Scharf. Her victories included the $431,500 Sweetheart, in a stakes-record 1:51.4, and the $114,000 Countess Adios, in a stakes-record 1:52.2. She finished second to Ginger And Fred in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship.

On May 13, Pedigree Snob returned to the track for the first time since last September and won a qualifier at Scioto Downs in 1:55.3. Sam “Chip” Noble III, who trains the filly during the winter, drove her last week.

“She looked very good,” said Jim Arledge, Jr., who will take over the training duties when Pedigree Snob goes on the road. “She looks good and has filled out. We’ll probably qualify her one more time before we start her.

“I think she’s one of the top three fillies in the country,” he added. “With the right schedule, and if she stays healthy, she’ll represent herself well.”

USTA/Mark Hall photo

Pedigree Snob was a 1:51.4 winner in the $431,500 Sweetheart Pace last August.

Pedigree Snob’s first pari-mutuel start could come in the James M. Lynch Memorial at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. Elimination races will be May 30 and the $250,000 (est.) final is June 6.

“She’s a rugged filly; you don’t have to look for a trip,” Arledge said. “She was still immature last year. We weren’t planning on going through the full year with her. She held up well through her campaign; she had no lameness issues. Last year, she was a big filly. I don’t think she got any taller, but she’s really filled out nicely. I think that will help her. I think she’ll be a nice filly.”

Last season’s Dan Patch Award winner for best 2-year-old filly pacer, Fox Valley Topaz, got her season off to a winning start on May 17 at Balmoral Park in Chicago. She won an elimination race for the $50,000 Violet Stakes (for Illinois conceived and foaled 3-year-olds) by 1-1/2 lengths over Honey B Skipalong in 1:52.3.

Fox Valley Topaz won last year’s Breeders Crown.