World Champion Manchego, making her first start of the season, turned in perhaps the gutsiest performance of her great career when she won the $141,250 Cutler Memorial Free For All Trot at the Meadowlands last Saturday night.

 

Coming into the race off two workmanlike qualifiers, the champion mare left midpack from the nine post and never saw the pylons the entire mile. She came first up down the backside, stayed in the middle of the track through the stretch, and got up between two rivals for a determined 1:51.1 victory. (Watch race)

 

The time was a North American Season’s Record – the fastest mile this year by a filly or mare trotter.

 

Her driver Dexter Dunn, who sat patiently through the middle half, remarked, “I’m lucky she’s got the turn of foot she’s got. She was truly brave tonight.”

 

Manchego, bred, raised and sold as a yearling by Brittany Farms, has now won 34 times in 57 career starts for earnings of $2,790,276. She is owned by Barry Guariglia’s Black Horse Racing and trained by Nancy Takter.

 

The undefeated 2-year-old champion and 3-year-old Hambletonian Oaks winner earned divisional honors again last year as a 5-year-old, being named “Older Female Trotter of the Year.” She wrapped up her 2020 campaign in late November winning the $320,000 TVG Open Trot over her archrival Atlanta and Lindy The Great.

 

Manchego is the fastest trotting filly or mare in history, with a record of 1:49, and is the holder of three world records overall: 1:49 (all-age filly or mare, mile track), 1:50.1 (4YO mare, 5/8-mile) and 1:49.3 (all-age filly or mare, 5/8 mile).

 

She has her own "Hall Of Fame" page here on the Brittany website.

 

We wish her connections continued success – and more epic performances – as her career continues!