USTA/Ken Weingartner photo

Southwind Tempo’s 1:48.3 Betsy Ross win topped a world record that was shared by her and two other horses.

The 5-year-old Bettor’s Delight-Tsunami Hanover mare has had a brilliant career, winning 27 of 40 lifetime starts and banking $1,434,352. She is owned by Let It Ride Stables Inc. and Jerry Silva, trained by Ross Croghan, and has been driven in her three 2009 starts by Tim Tetrick.

Southwind Tempo began the month by finishing third in her season’s debut, an $85,000 Classic Distaff event at Dover Downs. After coming first-over at the three-quarter pole, she finished third in the mile, five lengths behind Martha Maxine, who crossed the finish line in 1:51.

In her $40,000 Betsy Ross elimination on April 19 at Harrah’s Chester, Southwind Tempo came from off the pace to finish second, 1-3/4 lengths behind Darlin’s Delight, a 1:51.4 winner in that event.

But in the $250,000 Betsy Ross Final on April 26, it was Southwind Tempo’s turn to shine. Coming away sixth from post position five, Tetrick had her in the back of the pack for the entire mile, as she was seventh at the half and an improving fifth at the three-quarter pole. Still fifth at the head of the lane, Southwind Tempo turned on the jets and rolled past her competitors, pacing a final quarter in :26.2 to reach the finish line in the world record time of 1:48.3. Darlin’s Delight and Martha Maxine finished in a dead heat for second, 1-1/4 lengths behind the winner.

The previous all-age record for females on a five-eighths-mile track of 1:49.3 was held by three horses, including Southwind Tempo, who posted her time as a 3-year-old in 2007 at Pocono Downs.