Perfectly Chic, Fabulous Hanover Collect Friday Grand Circuit Prizes

MILTON, September 5, 2025 – A pair of graded stakes for pacing fillies took center stage on the Friday night (Sept. 5) card of racing at Woodbine Mohawk Park with Perfectly Chic and Fabulous Hanover collecting the crowns in their respective events.

Even-money chalk Perfectly Chic brushed confidently to the front mid-race and strode for the finish with resolve to repel her late challengers and win the Grade 3 $158,225 Simcoe Stakes for 3-year-old pacing fillies in a 1:52.1 mile.

Perfectly Chic settled into third through a :26.3 first quarter as Outtathisworld Deo rushed forward alongside Dirty Diana for the top spot. Once proceedings lightened, Bob McClure angled Perfectly Chic outside and swept to command just before a :55.2 half. McClure maintained a calm hold through the turn under a mild first-over challenge from Millie May Hanover on the march to three-quarters in 1:24.1 but faced increased pressure off the bottom corner.

Always Dawn punched off a second-over trip and rushed to overtake Perfectly Chic nearing the final eighth. Perfectly Chic then drifted off the pylons to face the challenge, leaving room for Outtathisworld Deo to thrust forward late. McClure called upon his filly through the late heat and she comfortably pulled the victory from the fire, staving off Always Dawn to win by a neck with Outtathisworld Deo settling for third. Dirty Diana took fourth. ​

“Last week at Rideau she might’ve held on, but she’s never raced on the front and she cleared pretty early,” McClure said after the race. “It seemed like she was lost and she didn’t know what to do, so I thought if she had some slits in the back of her blinkers that she might see more and drive on. Tonight John [Pentland] made an adjustment and put the same blinkers, but just a little slit so she could see horses coming. That was her first time racing on the front and she raced great.”

“We’ve raced her in an open bridle and we’ve raced her with the cups without holes, so it was an easy transition to go to cups with holes in it and it obviously helped her,” trainer John Pentland said. “He gave her a good trip again, and he’s driven her well all year and kept her as fresh as you can at this class. Kudos to him.”

A daughter of Betterthancheddar, Perfectly Chic won just her second race from 13 starts this season and her fourth race from 20 starts in her career while adding to her bankroll now worth $422,839 for owners Steve Mihalic, John Pentland and 2729346 Ontario Inc. She paid $4 to win.

Fabulous Hanover spurted through an opening at the pylons in mid-stretch and outsprinted the late-rallying Daya to take the Grade 3 $164,225 Champlain Stakes for 2-year-old pacing fillies in a 1:52 mile.

Louis-Philippe Roy hustled Fabulous Hanover to the fore out of post 5 and cut a :26.4 first quarter to take the lead. As Roy steadied the tempo in the backstretch, 3-5 favourite Naughty Delight swung out of fourth and gutted forward first up to grab control through a :55.2 half. Naughty Delight carried her speed through the turn to clock three-quarters in 1:23.3 while Twin B Fierce pushed uncovered on the rim with 8-5 second choice Daya on her back.

Roy held a tight grip on Fabulous Hanover from the pocket spot spinning for home. Naughty Delight grew weary on the lead and began drifting off the pylons, giving Roy the clearance to unleash his charge just as Daya gathered to top speed towards the center of the track. Daya stormed for the finish, but Fabulous Hanover met the challenge and held strongly at the inside for a half-length win. Naughty Delight faded to third and Sangria Summer kicked home for fourth.

“Nancy [Takter] sent me a few texts about how the filly was – that she likes better to chase another one than being in the front down the lane,” Roy said after the race. “I thought we might be able to follow [Daya] there, but the way we had to push and then [Daya] retreated… we still had a helmet to follow.

“She was really good when she had room at the end,” Roy also said. “I didn’t have to ask her, still had the plugs in; she was just flying there. On the outside, Daya had the momentum, so it’s pretty rare you still beat the one when you find room late like this and the other one has gone by. That proved the filly has a pretty quick turn of foot.” ​

Nancy Takter trains Fabulous Hanover, a filly by Captaintreacherous, for owners Marvin and Lynn Katz and Daniel Plouffe. The filly broke her maiden with the win – her fifth start of the career – and has now banked $108,032. She paid $9.80 to win.

Live racing continues Saturday evening at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The 12-race card features more Simcoe and Champlain Stakes divisions.

Ray Cotolo for Woodbine Communications