Lynch elims at Pocono

My Little Dragon, Xhilaration, Future Destiny and Darlin’s Delight head up a group of talented 3-year-old pacing fillies that will be racing at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs Saturday as two eliminations for the James M. Lynch Memorial Pace will be contested. The top four finishers from each division and the fastest timed fifth-place finisher will advance to the following Saturday’s $139,392 final.

My Little Dragon, last year’s Breeders Crown winner with a time of 1:52.1 at the Meadowlands and six-for-six as a 2 year old, will be making her first start of the 2006 season. She’s coming off two winning qualifying races there with times of 1:53.4 and 1:54.4. During her freshman-racing year, My Little Dragon earned $486,583 and her best winning effort was a 1:52.1 over The Red Mile.

Brendan Johnson trains the 3-year-old Dragon Again filly owned by Adam Victor & Son Stable of New York. She drew post two for Saturday’s elimination race.

Darlin’s Delight, a Bettor’s Delight filly out of Town Pro by Big Towner, is owned by White Birch Farm. She's trained by Jeff Stafford and will leave from post eight post in the same division with My Little Dragon. Yannick Gingras will be in the sulky behind Darlin’s Delight.

The first start of the 2006 and only one for Darlin’s Delight was a second-place finish at the Meadowlands June 1 with a time of 1:53.1. The racing surface was listed as sloppy.

Darlin’s Delight earned $560,404 with nine of 14 wins and five second-place finishes during the 2005 season. Her seasonal mark was 1:53.3 at Woodbine in Canada.

Future Destiny, trained by George Teague Jr., has won six of nine starts this season and two straight. Her last victory came in the Miss New Jersey at the Meadowlands with a clocking of 1:50.3. Ron Pierce will be in the sulky with Future Destiny, leaving from the six post and a winner of $207,172 this year.

Xhilaration, with Stephane Bouchard in the bike, will start from post five in the same elim with My Little Dragon, Future Destiny and Darlin’s Delight. This 3-year-old Western Hanover filly out of Motivation has won four of six starts this year with a seasonal best of 1:53.2 at Freehold in New Jersey.

The second elim will feature nine 3-year-old fillies, including Benear, trained by J. Eddie Dennis and driven by Cat Manzi, and Just Great, trained by Mark Harder and driven by Pierce. Benear, a 3-year-old Badlands Hanover filly, has won three of nine starts this season with two seconds and two thirds. Just Great has won two of four starts this year, one of them a 1:54 win at the Meadowlands in her last outing. Just Great drew post two in her elim while Benear leaves from the seven hole.

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