by Evan Pattak, for The Meadows Racetrack and Casino

Washington, PA — Pure Country continued her relentless march to a second straight divisional title, capturing her fifth consecutive victory in Saturday’s (July 23) Pennsylvania Sires Stake action at The Meadows, part of the Adios eliminations card. Shesasmokinlady took the other division in the $159,350 event for 3-year-old filly pacers known as the Romola Hanover.

Pure Country notches her fifth triumph in a row in PASS action at The Meadows.

Pure Country won all 10 starts at age 2 en route to her Dan Patch Award. While she’s lost three of nine outings this year, the daughter of Somebeachsomewhere-Western Montana appears to have elevated her game to a new level, with victories in the finals of the Fan Hanover and the Lynch and two straight PASS splits.

“I’ve never driven a filly like her,” winning driver Brett Miller said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever driven a colt like her. She might be the best horse I’ve ever driven. To race at the top level like this every week and be that good — it’s amazing. She’s one of the smartest fillies I’ve ever sat behind, and she has the heart of a champion. The couple times I got beat with her, it was probably my fault.”

In the Romola Hanover, Pure Country grabbed the lead with a quarter-pole move, easily thwarted the first-over challenge of I Said Diamonds and defeated the pocket-sitting Darlinonthebeach by 2-1/2 lengths in 1:50. Shezarealdeal earned show.

Jimmy Takter trains Pure Country, who now boasts $1,276,610 in career earnings, for Diamond Creek Racing.

Shesasmokinlady also made the front past the quarter for trainer/driver Ray Paver and owner/breeder Iris Horowitz and had just enough in the tank to hold off Newborn Sassy by a nose in 1:50.4. Call Me Queen Be completed the ticket.

“I figured if I got away third today, I wasn’t sitting,” said Paver of Shesasmokinlady, who now has $144,795 in her bankroll. “She usually doesn’t get tired, but she looks for a horse to race. A horse never really got to her until late.”

Although she may reach the PASS final or consolation leg, Paver said a stakes payments snafu has left Shesasmokinlady with only one definite stake engagement: the Keystone Classic at The Meadows.

$100,000 PA Stallion Series — 3-Year-Old Filly Pacers

Saturday’s program also featured five divisions of this event; as with the other stakes on the card, this one became “Miller Time.” Miller won two splits, giving him four stakes victories on the day, while trainer Michael Hall enjoyed a stake double.

Chris Gooden photos

Dismissal matches a new stakes record of 1:51.1 in the PA Stallion Series.

The highlight for Miller and Hall was the 1:51.1 win by Dismissal, which lowered the stakes record of 1:51.3 previously held by Icommandmyspirt and was matched earlier in the day by A List Hanover.

Hall owns Dismissal, a daughter of Western Terror-Her Mattjesty.

The other three splits went to Terror at Night, Kryptos and Square Dancer.

A List Hanover saw her stake record fall, but she turned in a huge performance, challenging first-over for longer that winning driver Dan Rawlings intended.

“The more I grabbed her, the more her gait became less than perfect,” Rawlings said. “So I let her go as fast and as far as she could.”

Gingertreescarlett finished second, three lengths back, with Nip’s Beach Girl third.

Hall trains and leases A List Hanover, a daughter of Somebeachsomewhere-Allamerican Nadia.

Terror At Night also converted a first-over trip to victory, edging by early leader Hug A Dragoness by a half length in 1:51.4, a lifetime mark. Donna’s Beach completed the ticket.

“She’s one of the laziest fillies I’ve ever driven,” Miller said. “You have to make her do her work. When she made the front, she thought the race was over. If you’re on the front, it’s not as bad, but if you’re passing somebody, she pulls up as soon as she gets by.”