Bunny Lake, The Top Filly Pacer of 2001
mature and prepare for her three-year-old season.
The Kentucky bluegrass certainly agreed with the speedy filly, as she returned for her sophomore debut on a bright afternoon at Vernon Downs in early May of this year, besting the Open female pacers in 1:53.3 with Stark at the controls. Bunny Lake had scored three consecutive winning qualifiers in April, one at Saratoga, the other two at the Meadowlands in preparation for her 2001 season.
Her next two outings would be the only time all season that Bunny Lake did not return to the winner’s circle, as she finished second in a both the elimination and the final of the Roses Are Red series at Hazel Park. Perhaps the Midwest was not to her liking, as she returned home and never lost another race this year.
Stark then put up driver Brian Cross behind Bunny Lake for a pair of starts at the Poconos, and the filly responded by winning both the elimination (in 1:53.1) and the final (in1:56) of the James Lynch Memorial.
Her next outing came with Stark back in the sulky for a five and a quarter length win in thee Ladyship at the Meadowlands, and then, with Cross in the bike again, bested her rivals in 1:56 in the Tralee at Yonkers. She returned to the Big M where she scored her lifetime best mark of 1:51, besting Lady MacBeach by three lengths for Stark.
With Mike LaChance in the bike Bunny Lake easily won both the elimination and the $400,000 final of the Mistletoe Shalee in 1:51.1., before returning to the Empire State, where she wrecked havoc upon the New York Sires Stakes once again. With Stark at the controls she posted wins at Yonkers, Vernon and Syracuse, before shipping to the Red Mile where she toasted her competition by five lengths to win the Glen Garnsey Memorial in 1:52.1
From there it was on to Woodbine for the Breeders Crown elimination and final, both of which she captured as the public’s favorite, taking home her largest paycheck to day, the $406,146 winner’s share of the Crown Final purse, with Stark at the controls. Her next two starts were romps in the park, as she won both the Lady Maud at the Meadows in 1:54.2 and the Courageous Lady at Northfield Park in 1:53.2 for her trainer-driver in wire-to-wire fashion.
Her exploits caused Bunny Lake to be named USTA Horse of the Month for October
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