Notjustaprettyface gives Chupps another Crown chance

November 25, 2008

She is more than a pretty face, this pacing filly named Notjustaprettyface, who will be competing in the $700, Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Filly Pace Saturday night at the Meadowlands.

The pacing filly has banked nearly $261,000 for owners Merv and Kelly Chupp of Crete, IL, and will have a chance to add to that bankroll her Crown race, which is one of the eight finals worth a total of nearly $5 million for two and three-year-olds on Saturday.

For the Chupps, who have a horse transport business, this will be their second Breeders Crown finalist in two years.

�Last year I had one in the same Breeders Crown division, Wondrous Grace,� Merv Chupp said. �She was fourth in her elimination but didn�t get any money in her final [finishing sixth by four lengths]. So this is our second try. We�re now two-for-two in getting into the final. Now we�d just like to get some money in the final.�

�She raced good enough to qualify, even though she hadn�t raced in a couple of weeks and had to ship,� noted driver George Brennan after the filly finished fourth by a length and a half in her Crown elimination. �We were able to get a good trip and earn a spot in the final. She has the ability and the talent, and I think she will improve off of this race.�

Those expectations were made all the more challenging after post positions were drawn for the final and Notjustaprettyface was saddled with post 10.

Horse racing is a family activity for the Chupps. They bred Nojustaprettyface and also handle the training and caretaking duties.

The daughter of Jate Lobell is the first surviving foal out of Witty Sportslady.

�This is the first foal of racing age, and we have a yearling full sister [Don�t Hold Me Back],� said Chupp. �She�s off to a good start. We bred the mare with the intent of selling the babies, but we got attached to them.�

Holding on to Notjustaprettyface has turned out to be a profitable move. In 14 starts the bay filly has three wins, two seconds and three thirds for earnings of $260,898. She took her mark of 1:53 flat, winning the $116,000 American National at Chicago�s Balmoral Park on November 1.

Much of the filly�s wealth also came from finishing third in both the $431,500 Sweetheart Pace at the Meadowlands on July 24 and in the $462,150 Three Diamonds at Woodbine on October 25.

�She showed a little talent right from the start,� Chupp noted. �She�s sound, and it�s a joy to race her. She�s not necessarily the best in there but always shows up.�

The filly�s name comes from the title of a Shania Twain song: She�s Not Just a Pretty Face. The lyric of the song fits her well:

She hosts a TV show--she rides the rodeo
She plays the bass in a band
She's an astronaut�
a valet at the parking lot
A farmer working the land
She is a champion--she gets the gold
She's a ballerina--the star of the show

And maybe she wins a Breeders Crown.

(Carold Hodes for Breeders Crown)

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