by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — If her recent results are any indication, The Show Returns has arrived.

But owner Richard Young says the reason the filly was slow to find the spotlight had more to do with unfortunate luck than lack of performance.

The Show Returns heads into Saturday’s C$424,000 Three Diamonds Stakes for 2-year-old female pacers at Woodbine off a neck win over Band Of Angels in their elimination division, giving the Chris Ryder-trainee three victories in a row. She will start the Three Diamonds from post No. 2, with Scott Zeron listed to drive.

A daughter of stallion Rocknroll Hanover out of Stienam’s Place, The Show Returns is a full sister to previous Young female pacing star Put On A Show, who earned $2.4 million in her career and was the 2010 Dan Patch Award winner for best 3-year-old female pacer.

New Image Media photo

The Show Returns was a neck winner over Band Of Angels in their Three Diamonds elimination.

The Show Returns, who was purchased for $180,000 under the name Hey There Delilah, at last year’s Lexington Selected Sale, has won four of nine races and earned $98,738 for Richard and Joanne Young.

“We thought she was quite good from the get-go, so to speak, but she just had unfortunate situations,” Richard Young said. “People are saying she kind of tailed off in the middle (of the year) but she didn’t really tail off. Some things happened. It wasn’t that she got bad; if she had gotten bad, I’d have turned her out.”

The Show Returns finished second by a half-length to Stacia Hanover in her debut in a preliminary round of the New Jersey Sire Stakes, then finished a troubled-trip fifth in the final. She bounced back to win a round of the Whenuwishuponastar Series at Mohawk Racetrack, then finished fifth-placed-fourth in the final.

After the race, The Show Returns was diagnosed with synchronous diaphragmatic flutter; spasms of the diaphragm in synchronization with the heartbeat more commonly called “the thumps.”

The Show Returns was off-the-board in her next two races, but has been unbeaten since. Among her wins were the She’s A Great Lady Consolation and a division of the Champlain Stakes, both in 1:52.

“She’s a nice filly,” said Young, who in addition to Put On A Show owned I Luv The Nitelife, the 2013 Dan Patch Award winner for best 3-year-old filly pacer. “I don’t know if she’ll ever be as good as the other two; I think that’s asking a lot. But she’s competitive and she has good speed.

“Anytime you have speed, you can get position. And when you get position, something (good) can happen. I like her.”

The Show Returns is Young’s only racehorse at the current time.

“If you look at her on the track, she’s a peanut,” Young said, laughing. “I don’t generally buy peanuts, I like the bigger horse. But she was a June foal, so I thought she might grow. I don’t think she’s grown an inch. But she has speed, she has an ability to get position, and it looks like she will fight. I can always hope.”

The Show Returns will face — for the first time — undefeated JK She’salady in the Three Diamonds. JK She’salady won her elimination on Saturday by one length over Solar Sister in 1:53.3 for driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Nancy Johansson. The filly, who in August won the She’s A Great Lady Stakes by four lengths in a world-record-equaling 1:50.1, is 9-for-9 this year.

“I’ve been touting ‘Lady’ for Pacer of the Year, and I think if she stays undefeated, she should be,” Young said. “I don’t know if very many people are going along with me, but the fact is she does have the best record out there. She’s undefeated and she’s won them all easily.

“Of course, I want to beat her and prove me wrong. I wouldn’t bet my horse with your money, but that doesn’t mean I can’t hope that we beat her. I think she’s untouchable right now, but I’m hoping that she’s not.

“I’m a little spoiled. In the last six years or so, I had the horse that was supposed to win. I have to get used to not being the best one. But she could in fact be the second-best one. That’s OK, too.”

The full field in post order for the Three Diamonds is Happy Becky, The Show Returns, JK She’salady, Float On By, Solar Sister, Ideal Nuggets, Rock Her World, Band Of Angels, Zip Code Envy, and Shakai Hanover.