FASHION SCHOONER HAS OAKS HOPES AFTER BIG M SCORE

Saturday, April 30, 2022

Fashion Schooner had a rough go of it last year as a 2-year-old, but you wouldn’t know it if you saw her Friday night at The Meadowlands.

The daughter of Walner-Broadway Schooner won her first outing of 2022 in impressive fashion, grabbing the top after the quarter-mile marker and rolling home to a dominant score in a non-winners of two for 3-year-old trotting fillies.

It was her first win from five career starts, but trainer Jim Campbell has high hopes for his filly, whose dam – a Campbell trainee – was victorious in the 2009 Hambletonian Oaks.

“I was very happy with her,” said Campbell of Fashion Schooner. “She’s got a lot of ability. We’ve got to make sure she keeps her composure. She’s the type of filly who can get herself nervous and worked up, so we’ve been working with her. She was good in both of her qualifiers and was good tonight. We’ve been doing a lot of teaching.”

Fashion Schooner went around leader Mrs Taylor, who hit the quarter in :29.3, and made the top soon thereafter. Driven by Tim Tetrick, she hit the half in :58.1 and three-quarters in 1:27.1 before sprinting home in :27.1 to record a powerhouse 8¼-length destruction in 1:54.2 as Mrs Taylor held on to second. Ever Lovin was third.

As the 4-5 favorite, Fashion Schooner returned $3.60 to her backers.

Were she to continue to improve, big things await in 2022.

“Last year, she got sick back in the spring and we had to stop with her until she got over it,” said Campbell. “She got a late start because of that. We raced her one time at The Meadowlands and she was good but then we went down to Lexington and she wasn’t very good. So, we shut her down.”

Campbell is crossing his fingers, looking for a possible Hambletonian Oaks win this August.

“Any 3-year-old trotting filly in my barn, I have those aspirations,” said Campbell. “Me, and 50 other trainers.”

Fashion Schooner is owned by Jules Siegel’s Fashion Farms, who also bred the filly.

“It’s been a very good family,” said Campbell. “A lot of good horses have come from that line. She’ll be back next Friday in the first leg of the New Jersey Sire Stakes.”

A LITTLE MORE: Tetrick and Yannick Gingras paced the driver colony with two winners apiece. … Most of the Big M races will be shown live to a national television audience Saturday, as the first of six live shows will be telecast on Fox Sports 2 beginning at 7 p.m. Jessica Otten will provide commentary and interviews on the show, which will also feature the Opening Night card from Churchill Downs. … Betting was brisk on the Friday races, as a total of $2,936,079 was pushed through the windows. … Racing resumes Saturday at 6:20 p.m.

PHOTO: Fashion Schooner and driver Tim Tetrick are all alone at the wire in a 3-year-old filly trot at The Meadowlands Friday night. (Credit: Lisa Photo)