Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Faith Leigh Takes Jersey Girls Final

April 5, 2007

Faith Leigh stuck her nose out the furthest at the finish line, earning her the victory over Riley Rose in the $67,000 Jersey Girls Final on Thursday night at the Meadowlands. Fionavar Hanover finished just a neck behind in third. The lone three-year-old filly in the field, Faith Leigh picked up her first win of the season with the 1:53.3 score with George Brennan was in the sulky.

"She was a little grabby getting out of there," Brennan said. "I didn't want to have to take her right back, because I didn't want to get her air, but she never settled down when I got her in a hole and she didn't really respond like I thought she would. In fact, I even thought I got beat, but she got the job done. I think I did get her air in the first part of the race and that caused her not to finish as well as I would have expected. I actually thought Sean [Bier and Riley Rose] won. That's a good filly. [Riley Rose] loves coming at the end of the mile and I was just lucky enough to hold her off."

Erv Miller trains Faith Leigh for owners/breeders Ronald Phililips of Petersburg, Illinois and John Carver of Rapids City. She has now won eight of 15 career starts and surpassed the $100,000 mark in earnings.

"As a two-year-old, she showed a lot of promise and she looks like she's going to step up," Miller said. "Like George said, we've just got to get her more comfortable early in the race."

Miller was also in the winner's circle earlier in the evening with Crawdad, who sailed to a 1:51.1 victory in the $19,000 first leg of the Fox Sports Net Series.

Crawdad has won five of his last seven races, including the $121,300 Four Leaf Clover Final on March 24, for which he was named the United States Trotting Association's Horse of the Month. Owned by the Red Barn Stable of Morrison, Illinois, Crawdad has been first or second in 10 of 11 starts this season.

The first round of the Blossom Series was also contested on the Thursday night card. Go On BB extended her winning streak to six races with a 1:55 mile for driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Mickey Burke. Summer In Fiji and The Isle Of Pan completed the trifecta.