Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Countess Adios' divisions contested

July 20, 2005

Two-year-old pacing fillies were on display in a pair of $67,950 divisions of the Countess Adios Wednesday night at the Big M.

In the first division, July Hot Mindale got up to win by a length over Darlin's Delight with She's Game finishing was third by two lengths. July Hot Mindale, a daughter of Jenna's Beach Boy, paced the mile in a lifetime best of 1:53.4 to post her fourth win in five starts this year. The filly races for Sylvia Burke of Fredericktown, Pennsylvania and Joann Koechlin of Bluffton, South Carolina.

"She raced well tonight," said Brian Sears, who drove the Mickey Burke trainee. "I was fortunate not to get tangled up. I didn't have to check this filly due to the breaking horses. She responded with a real nice last quarter [27.1]."

Xhilaration nipped Taxi Hanover at the wire to win by a head in the second division in 1:53.2. Evening Forecast was third by four and a quarter lengths.

"This was my first time driving her," said John Campbell, who guided the Western Hanover filly to her second win in four starts. "She came up big down the stretch when I needed her most."

Kathleen LaMontagne and her husband, Donald, own the broodmare, Motivation whose five offspring have all made money: Good Vibrations [$67,180], Figure The Odds [$247,641], Rambunctious [$20,331], Unspoken [$87,752] and Xhilaration, who earnings grew to $48,804 with the victory, her second in four starts.