Washington, PA — Strawb’s Chippie N zipped to the point and held tough in the lane to score in Tuesday’s (Dec. 11) opening leg of a Holiday Claiming Series for $20,000 claiming distaff pacers at The Meadows. My Kind Of Dance captured the other $15,000 opening-leg split.

Strawb’s Chippie N was a sharp winner in opening-round Holiday Claiming Series action at The Meadows. Chris Gooden photo.

This week, The Meadows is kicking off six Holiday Claiming Series that conclude on a special New Year’s Eve card that also features the career finale of Foiled Again, the richest Standardbred of all time with earnings exceeding $7.5 million. First post on Dec. 31 is 5:30 p.m.

Strawb’s Chippie N had won two of her three previous starts on the front end, and her victory Tuesday for Aaron Merriman, trainer Mark Goldberg and owner Rags To Riches Of PA was much the same. She shrugged off the Lightning Lane challenge of Always A Z Tam and defeated her by three-quarters of a length in a sharp 1:53.2, with the first-over Ellasen third. The 7-year-old daughter of Stonebridge Regal and Strawb’s Last Chip now has banked $115,385 and gave Merriman one of four driving wins on the 13-race program.

Tuesday’s card also included the opening leg of a series for $10,000 claiming pacing fillies and mares. Deprived, Love Love Me Do and Spoxys Girl took the $8,000 divisions.

Elsewhere on the program, Fox Valley Charm shook off the rust from a 2-1/2 month layoff and shot the Lightning Lane to win the $18,000 Fillies and Mares Preferred Handicap Pace, downing Camera Lady by half a length in 1:54. Jewels Forreal completed the ticket. Brett Miller piloted the 6-year-old daughter of Yankee Skyscaper and Fox Valley Cherub, who lifted her lifetime earnings to $366,960, for trainer Dirk Simpson and owner Peter Karras.