by Carol Hodes, for the Breeders Crown

East Rutherford, NJ — She is more than a pretty face, this pacing filly named Notjustaprettyface.

She has banked nearly $261,000 for owners Merv and Kelly Chupp of Crete, Ill. and will have a chance to add to that bankroll in the $700,000 Breeders Crown 2-year-old filly pace, which is one of the eight finals worth a total of nearly $5 million for 2- and 3-year-olds on Saturday, November 29, at the Meadowlands.

For the Chupps, who have a horse transport business, this will be their second Breeders Crown finalist in two years.

“Last year I had one in the same Breeders Crown division, Wondrous Grace,” Merv Chupp said. “She was fourth in her elimination but didn’t get any money in her final (finishing sixth by four lengths). So this is our second try. We’re now two-for-two in getting into the final. Now we’d just like to get some money in the final.”

“She raced good enough to qualify, even though she hadn’t raced in a couple of weeks and had to ship,” noted driver George Brennan after the filly finished fourth by a length and a half in her Crown elimination. “We were able to get a good trip and earn a spot in the final. She has the ability and the talent, and I think she will improve off of this race.”

Those expectations were made all the more challenging after post positions were drawn for the final and Notjustaprettyface was saddled with post 10.

USTA/Ken Weingartner photo

Co-owner Kelly Chupp is hoping for Breeders Crown success with Notjustaprettyface.

Horse racing is a family activity for the Chupps. They bred Notjustaprettyface and also handle the training and caretaking duties.

The daughter of Jate Lobell is the first surviving foal out of Witty Sportslady.

“This is the first foal of racing age, and we have a yearling full sister (Don’t Hold Me Back),” said Chupp, who was born in Goshen, Ind. on December 15, 1956. “She’s off to a good start. We bred the mare with the intent of selling the babies, but we got attached to them.”

Holding on to Notjustaprettyface has turned out to be a profitable move. In 14 starts the bay filly has three wins, two seconds and three thirds for earnings of $260,898. She took her mark of 1:53 in winning the $116,000 American-National at Chicago’s Balmoral Park on November 1.

Much of the filly’s wealth also came from finishing third in both the $431,500 Sweetheart Pace at the Meadowlands on July 24 and in the $462,150 Three Diamonds at Woodbine on October 25.

“She showed a little talent right from the start,” Chupp noted. “She’s sound, and it’s a joy to race her. She’s not necessarily the best in there but always shows up.”

The filly’s name comes from the title of a Shania Twain song: She’s Not Just a Pretty Face. The lyric of the song fits her well:

She hosts a TV show–she rides the rodeo; She plays the bass in a band; She’s an astronaut-a valet at the parking lot; A farmer working the land; She is a champion — she gets the gold; She’s a ballerina — the star of the show.

And maybe she wins a Breeders Crown.