NEW KENT, Va..--TimetoShine (Fr) won the !00,000 Life''s Illusion 2 1/4 mile Filly and Mare Hurdle Stakes at Colonial Downs on Thursday, Sept. 11.

Timetoshine (Photo by Coady Media)Trained by Mak Beecher, owned by Runnymoore Racing and ridden by Dan Nevin, Timetoshine won by 8 lengths over Anador (Fr), trained by Todd McKenna, and Madaket's Arrow trained by Kate Dalton, finishing in 4{03.86.

"That was a massive win," said Beecher. "It was a great pick-up for us."

"I bought her iin May for Runnymoore," he said. "She'd been running in England. I got her acclimated to the heat here. This was her first race in this country."

"Her owners never put any pressure on me to race her," Beecher said. "They said, run her when she's ready."

"Today was perfect for her," he said. "A little overcast, and the ground was a little yielding."

"She's a lovely, light-type mare," Beecher said, ""We'll get her home and see how she is, She'll probably run next in the filly and mare stake at Far Hills."

 

TIMETOSHINEi settled in the middle of the seven horse field. moving closer to the leaser, Anador with a mile to go, challenging Anador on the final turn and going into the lead in the stretch to pull away and win comfortably, 

Timetoshine, grey,, one fron right (Photo by Coady Media)Todd McKenna saddled the winneers of the irst two races on the Colonial Downs card.

Predominate, owned by McKenna, Gail Clark and Betsy Barr and ridden by Conor Tierney, won the $60,000 Maiden Hurdle by 6 1/2 lengths in 4:05 1/5, the fastest race of the day, over In Effect, trained by Neil Morris, and Doctor Love (Fr), trained by Tom Garner.

McKenna also saddled Keystone Thoroughbreds' Box Office Warrior, ridden by Tierney,, to win the $40,000 Ratings Handicap by 7 lengths in 4:05 4/5 over Brie's Mission, trained by Kathy Neilson, and Artistic Choice (ire), trained by Leslie Young.  

Sean McDermott trained and rode Vivian E. Rall's Icandothat to win the $50,000, 2 mile Flat race for horses that had started over hurdles at Colonial Downs, over Ocean City, trained by Keri Brion, and Rejection Hurts, trained by Beecher.