Matt's Wolfey, Honey's Luck win 2-year-old stake splits

Matt's Wolfey and Honey's Luck were winners Wednesday at Balmoral Park as freshman pacing fillies grabbed the spotlight with 13 Illinois conceived and foaled 2 year olds meeting in a pair of $6,000 Misty Misty Misty Stake splits.

In the opening division, Robert Phillips and Blackfoot Farms' Matt’s Wolfey made amends for a disappointing effort in her career debut as she posted a hard-fought head decision in 1:57.4.

Sitting fourth as the favored Merced (Todd Warren) led the field through splits of :29.2 and :59, driver Dave Magee maneuvered his charge off the pylons as the youngsters moved around the final turn. Moving swiftly on the outside of horses the daughter of Final Cheers had made her way into second and was just a length behind the pacesetting Merced as the field reached the three-quarter-mile mark in 1:30.2.

The final quarter mile then turned into a two-horse sprint to the wire with Merced and Matt’s Wolfey battling neck and neck throughout the entire homestretch. With less than a sixteenth of a mile to go the Bob Phillips-trained Matt’s Wolfey finally put away a stubborn Merced to notch her first career win. Susan Hotspur (Mike Oosting), who had followed the cover of the eventual winner, wound up third, 1 ½ lengths behind the top pair.  

Sent off the as the third choice in the wagering Matt’s Wolfey returned $11.60, $4.40 and $2.40.

In the nightcap, Jack and Peggy Hood, Mystical Marker Farms and Mike Anderson’s Honey’s Luck unleashed a powerful stretch rally to win her debut by a length in 1:59.4.

Given a patient steer by driver Brent Holland this $42,000 yearling purchase sat in fifth through the opening three-quarters of a mile as Miss Fantastic (Robert Smolin) strolled along through splits of :32.4, 1:03.1 and 1:31.3.

Despite the easy fraction the field had swallowed up the pace setter by the sixteenth pole. At that point Honey’s Luck had found her best stride and was moving like a freight train on the far outside of horses. Another Erv Miller trainee, Wild Hog (Marcus Miller), was also looking for a way through from between horses while a first over China Girl (Ryan Anderson) was battling on gamely as well. But neither of those fillies could match strides with Honey’s Luck as she flew home in :26.4 to get the victory. Wild Hog was second while China Girl had to settle for third.

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