by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — Top 10-ranked fillies Agent Q and Blazin Britches will meet for the first time Wednesday (Sept. 13) in the $160,000 Nadia Lobell Stakes for 3-year-old female pacers at Hoosier Park. Agent Q is No. 8 in the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll while Blazin Britches is No. 10.

“It will be nice to face her and see where we’re at,” said Aaron Lambert, the trainer of Agent Q. “She’s the only one we haven’t raced really.”

Agent Q leads all 3-year-old female pacers in earnings this season, with $481,066. She has won seven of 11 races in 2017 and 10 of 21 in her career while finishing worse than second only twice.

Blazin Britches, who missed the early part of this year’s stakes campaign because of a foot abscess, has won eight of nine starts this season and earned $123,392. She raced only once at age 2 because of soundness issues.

The two fillies share the mark for fastest win time by a 3-year-old female pacer this season, at 1:48.4.

Blazin Britches and driver Trace Tetrick, the leading driver at Hoosier Park, will start from post No. 3 and are 2-1 on the morning line. Agent Q and driver David Miller will leave from post seven and are 5-2.

Lisa photo

Agent Q leads all 3-year-old female pacers in earnings this season, with $481,066.

Agent Q enters the Nadia Lobell off a third-place finish in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship for 3-year-old female pacers on Sept. 3 at Harrah’s Philadelphia. The loss snapped a five-race win streak that included the James M. Lynch Memorial and Mistletoe Shalee stakes in July.

“She was a little sick the last race, but she came out of it fine and she’s had a real good week going into this race,” Lambert said. “I think she’s been terrific this year. She’s so consistent. Even her last start, where she was off her game a little bit, she put in a pretty good run, I thought.”

Agent Q’s win in the Lynch was her first victory in an open stakes final after second-place finishes in four previous opportunities. Two of those setbacks were by a nose, in the 2016 Breeders Crown and 2017 Fan Hanover, and another was by a half-length, in the 2016 She’s A Great Lady.

“It was nice to get a couple of those (wins) under our belt,” Lambert said. “I think she’s a top filly. I don’t think there’s a filly out there that’s as consistent as her. She’s raced the big dogs all her life and she’s been no worse than second in most of her races. She’s been right there all the time.

“She gets that she’s a pretty good horse now,” he added. “She’s pretty full of herself. When she steps on the track she really has her game face on.”

Agent Q, a daughter of stallion Western Terror out of the mare Teenage Paige, is owned by Martin Scharf, Rochetti Cassar Racing, and Robert Muscara.

USTA/Mark Hall photo

Blazin Britches was a winner in the Shady Daisy Stakes in her last start.

Blazin Britches heads to the Nadia Lobell with a four-race win streak, which includes victories in the Shady Daisy Stakes and a division of the Adioo Volo. She was unable to participate in the Fan Hanover and Lynch Memorial because of her foot woes and was not eligible to the Mistletoe Shalee.

The filly is a daughter of stallion Rock N Roll Heaven out of the mare Soggy Britches. She is owned by Bruce Trogdon’s Emerald Highlands Farm, which also bred her, and trained by Brian Brown.

Following is the field in post-position order for the Nadia Lobell with drivers, trainers, and morning line. Racing begins at 6:30 p.m. at Hoosier Park and the Nadia Lobell is race 10, with an estimated 9:12 p.m. post time.

PP-Horse-Driver-Trainer-Line
1. Glassine Hanover-Tyler Smith-Trent Stohler-30/1
2. Carol’s Z Tam-Ricky Macomber Jr.-Jamie Macomber-6/1
3. Blazin Britches-Trace Tetrick-Brian Brown-2/1
4. Ain’t Three Ok-Sam Widger-Steve Carter-6/1
5. Rock Me Gorgeous-Brandon Bates-Vern Fisher-12/1
6. Rosemary Rose-Ronnie Wrenn Jr.-Ron Burke-5/1
7. Agent Q-David Miller-Aaron Lambert-5/2
8. Jaye’s A Lady-Marcus Johansson-Nancy Johansson-30/1
9. Inverse Hanover-Peter Wrenn-R. Nifty Norman-25/1