The Hillsborough Stakes – Grade II
1 1/8 Mile Turf Stake Purse $225.000 Filly & Mare 4 Year Olds And Up.

Well, the drama of this race did not disappoint as Ponzi Scheme continued her run that could only be achieved at HRP, Lady Hilltopper once again proved how much better being five is than four and the great La Terrifiant proved that at nine years old she is still a force.

I don’t even know where to start here. What a race, what a result as once again the KYD stars were upstaged by the girls!

1st= Ponzi Scheme TwinTowersRacing Davis D

Anyone that says it is important to think about the trip your horse likes needs to look at this remarkable six-year-old mare. In her last four starts she has won stakes races over four different trips ranging from five furlongs to a mile and three eighths, not only that but the five-furlong stakes race she won saw her win in 56 and 1, well over a minute and ten seconds less than she took to win the grade three Long Island. Today was her first ever run over nine furlongs and she took it in her stride running pretty much exactly the same tactics as she does over sprint trips and holding on for a thrilling dead heat win.
If she doesn’t win another race, then she must’ve set some sort of record and this writer will certainly remember her name in the years to come. Today though racing against some of the best fillies and mares in the game, she proved that she will be around for a long time yet, and I for one can’t wait to see where she goes next, maybe a dirt sprint, maybe an open route, who knows where this streak will take her.

1st= Lady Hilltopper Black N Gold Stable Pennington F

I have followed this mare for a while now with the belief that she just needed a decent run of draws to get into the winning groove. She got well back today which worried me a little, but the pace was strong enough that if the gaps came, she would be finishing fast. They did open up but not after she was blocked for a stride or two but at the end of the day this was a dead heat that almost seemed destined to happen. She won the race a stride after the line but at the wire she had done enough to force a dead heat and let’s face it, it wouldn’t be HRP without a dead heat or two. She took a big stride towards another BC appearance today, and I think as a five-year-old she will have her best chance of carrying this form through to the big day.

3rd La Terrifiant Smokey Stover Gallardo A A

If the winner’s had their own story to tell that was worth writing about then this legend of the game just trumps the lot. Drawn wide, like in the BC, she had little choice as the race engine pushed her into the lead. The pace was pretty good and would leave her vulnerable at the end and sure enough she was collared and ended up third. There will not be one player in the game that doesn’t want to see her crack the $10,000.000 mark before her programming forces her to go to the paddocks and with this great effort it looks like even at nine years old, she retains enough ability to make it.

4th= Poetic Panther Maletto Rodriguez Jam

A dead heat for first, then why not another dead heat for fourth!
When the trainer looks at the horses around this four-year-old they may realize just how good this performance was today. She was certainly in just about the best company you can be in at HRP, and she covered herself with glory in fourth. Clearly a late maturing type she may not yet be mentioned in the same breath as the others in this driving finish, but this was a superb effort and at only four years of age she certainly has time on her side.

4th = Painville Mo Mentum Farm F Geroux

Well, she had beaten most of these before and lost to them too, so it seemed like her turn to lose today, and she ended up fourth in a driving finish. The reigning BC Champ has run two huge races this year and had a tough draw today so I think we can safely assume that this group will be butting heads all year and sometimes she will win and sometimes she will lose. She lost nothing in defeat today and we all look forward to the rematch.

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES