Peace Corps Trots to Easy Win

For a filly with sore feet, Peace Corps does all right. The Swedish-owned trotter lived up to her billing as the headliner of the Breeders Crown on a rain-spattered Friday night, lulling her rivals into misplaced security for a half-mile and then roaring to a 2 1/2-length victory in near-record time before a crowd of 12,123 at Pompano Park.

By winning the 3-year-old Filly Trot, a $322,276 race, Peace Corps extended her winning streak to 25 against fillies and eight overall, virtually clinching trotter-of-the-year honors.

Driven by John Campbell, who has won more Breeders Crown races than any other driver, Peace Corps was timed in 1:57 on a fast track, tying the Pompano record and missing the world record for a 3-year-old trotter by a fifth of a second.

Peace Corps has a particularly touchy right front hoof and races with a Murphy blind, a form of a blinker that discourages her from putting pressure on the hoof. She has shown a tendency to bear in when it bothers her, but she went straight as a bullet Friday night.

Peace Corps, who also won a Breeders Crown race as a 2-year-old, paid $2.20 for registering her 31st victory in 38 starts. She may race one more time this year and plans are to keep her on the track through 1991.

Park Avenue Kathy led until about the half-mile pole and wound up third, five lengths behind Peace Corps. Peach Pitt finished second.

Campbell, 34, returned to win the 3-year-old Filly Pace with Cheery Hello, giving him 13 winners since the Breeders Crown program began in 1984. Campbell has led the country in harness purses for the last three years.

In other races on Friday night’s $3-million Breeders Crown program, Town Pro won the 2-year-old Filly Pace; Royal Troubador was first in the 2-year-old Colt and Gelding Trot; Esquire Spur won the 3-year-old Colt and Gelding Trot; Delphi’s Lobell captured the 2-year-old Filly Trot; Till We Meet Again won the 2-year-old Colt and Gelding Pace; and Goalie Jeff was first in the 3-year-old Colt and Gelding Pace.

Delphi’s Lobell, who had won only four of 12 starts this year, was the surprise of the night, paying $53 to win.