Poof She's Gone, Springtime Volo, Boinga win Oaks elims

Divisional champ Poof She's Gone found the form that has eluded her in recent starts with an explosive come from the pylons win in the first of three $35,000 Hamo Oaks elims at the Meadowlands on Saturday night.

Driven by Dave Miller for trainer Richard Norman and owners Hartman, Liverman,  and McDuffee, Poof She's Gone let Bar Slide and Tim Tetrick do the heavy lifting through fractions of :27, :56.2 and 1:24.4 while sitting third on the rail until halfway down the stretch. When Impressive Kemp made a break, Miller squirted Poof She's Gone to the outside and gobbled up ground for the career-best 1:53.1 win. Bar Slide was second with Bramalea Hanover third.

"She felt really good in the last turn," said Dave Miller. "It's the best she's been lately."

 

Springtime Volo and driver George Brennan moved one step closer to an historic Oaks repeat as they won their Oaks elim in 1:54.3. The dam of Springtime Volo, Silver Springs, driven and trained by the same connections, won the 2004 Oaks, and a win in the final would mean that they would follow in the mother-daughter steps of Nan's Catch and Moni Maker as only the second mom and daughter to win the Oaks.

Jan Johnson, who trained Nan's Catch, also trains Springtime Volo for owners Kentuckiana Farms and Jorgen Jahre. He said that like her mother, Springtime Volo is always closing at the end of the mile.

Several horses made breaks during the mile, including pacesetter Southwind Samurai and driver John Campbell who set fractions of :28, :56 and 1:25.1 on an apparent path to victory before the unfortunate miscue and an ultimate second place finish. Brennan said those and other miscues merely allowed his filly to perform at her best.

"They didn't bother her," he said. "They just helped her to advance."

 

Boinga bounced to a 36-1 upset in the third and final $35,000 Hambletonian Oaks elimination at the Meadowlands. The daughter of Windsong's Legacy, driven by Ron Pierce for trainer Brian Roland and owners Anthony and Carol Risi and Bernard O'Brien let post time favorite Ultimate Cameron and driver Trevor Ritchie do the heavy lifting through fractions of :28, :57 and 1:25.2 before finding room late for the filly's fifth win in eight starts this season. Behindclosedoors was second with Ultimate Cameron third.

"I thought she was a nice filly when she won the Windylane Hanover (in May)," said Pierce. "I was lucky to follow cover and work my way out when it looked like they weren't going that much in the last sixteenth."