While heavy favourites won in two of the three divisions of the second preliminary of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for two-year-old pacing fillies Thursday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, the fastest winner upset the favourite – and she came to the race not only from the Stallion Series, but from a second in the second-tier series.
The Always B Miki–Gallie Beach filly Hit Me Up was developed by noted Midwestern Brian Brown, and it was for his barn that she was second, beaten only a neck, by Lyons Serenity, in a first round Stallion Series contest. In sending her east to race for trainer Jennifer Bongiorno, her connections, including owner Joshua Graber, decided to try her against Sire Stakes competition.