Trotters seek stardom in Friday’s Crown finals

This time, Alexis has landed the leading role.

Lilbitalexis, whose name is a reference to the song performed by character Alexis Rose during her failed Cabaret audition on the acclaimed Canadian sitcom Schitt’s Creek, is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in Friday’s $600,000 Breeders Crown for 2-year-old female trotters. Lilbitalexis was one of two elimination winners last week, with the other, Raised By Lindy, the 3-1 second choice in the final.

A daughter of Walner out of Jolie De Vie, Lilbitalexis was bred by Keith Clark, Jeffery Ruch, and Daniel Phillips. It was Phillips’ wife, Jacquie, who came up with the Schitt’s Creek-inspired name. In the episode, Alexis Rose bills her Britney Spears-styled dance song as “the title track off of my critically reviewed, limited reality series, A Little Bit Alexis.”

Feel free to sing along if you know the words.

“I wasn’t a big follower of the show, but my wife is a big fan,” said Daniel Phillips, who was among the owners of Berto Primo, the fourth-place finisher in the 2006 Breeders Crown for 3-year-old male trotters. “I’ve had pieces of a couple nice horses along the way, but this is the first really kind of special horse that we bred. So, we’re excited. We’ll be keeping our fingers crossed and pulling for the big filly. I’m nervous, but it’s a lot of fun.”

Lilbitalexis, trained by Richard “Nifty” Norman, has seven wins and a second in nine starts. She has five wins on the Grand Circuit, including a division of the Bluegrass Stakes earlier this month. She won her Breeders Crown elimination by 1-3/4 lengths over Selfie Queen in 1:53.3. She was the 9-5 second choice in the race behind previously unbeaten stablemate Venerable, who went off stride on the last turn.

“She got a good trip,” Norman said. “It worked out nice and she was pretty strong. That’s the best trip she’s had, a nice two-hole trip, so that was good.

“She’s fast. She’s just flat-out fast. And she’s good gaited. She’s a nice filly.”

As for Venerable’s miscue, Norman said, “I don’t really know. It’s just unfortunate. I think she was a little keen and (driver David Miller) was just trying to calm her down and she was wanting to get going too much on the turn there and made a mistake.”

Lilbitalexis, owned by Pinske Stables and David Hoese, will start Friday from post three with driver Dexter Dunn. Norman also will send out Delilah Hanover, who was fourth in the elimination won by Raised By Lindy. She is 12-1 on the morning line and leaves from post four with Todd McCarthy.

Raised By Lindy carried the Lindy Farms colors to the Meadowlands winner’s circle in the second Breeders Crown elimination for 2-year-old trotting fillies. Lisa photo.

Raised By Lindy, a daughter of Walner out of Birthright trained by Domenico Cecere, will start from post five with Yannick Gingras. She brings a three-race win streak to the final and has won five of nine races overall for owner Lindy Farms of Connecticut. She won her elimination by 1-1/4 lengths over Joviality S in 1:54.4.

“I’m very happy with how she raced,” Cecere said. “This, I think, is the second time she raced on the lead, and she’s been learning a lot. It looks like she has developed into a very nice filly. I think we are in good shape. She has a lot of speed. You can see it. And her mind now, she is in a very good place. In the beginning when we started, she was anxious to do everything quick. But we did a good job to get her to settle down. When you have the head, the brain, in the right place, we see the speed is there, that’s the best thing.”

Joviality S, the New York Sire Stakes champion and Kentuckiana Stallion Management Stakes winner, saw a five-race win streak halted with the loss in her elimination. One of two Marcus Melander-trained entries in the final, with Jaya Bae, she is the 9-2 third choice.

The Breeders Crown final for 2-year-old female trotters is race eight Friday, the third of the card’s four Breeders Crown championships for 2-year-olds. Racing begins at 6:20 p.m.

Breeders Crown finals for horses ages 3 and up are Saturday at The Meadowlands. Racing gets underway at noon Saturday.