Hall of Fame – Devon Fancy

Original article written by Gigi Gofaster posted 3 years 2 weeks ago

If you are looking for a true ‘rags to riches’ story in the Sim, one that shows how a bit of luck can get a new player to the big time (or as big time as trotters could get in the old days of the Sim), then Devon Fancy is your story.

Coming from less than illustrious bloodlines (and that’s being generous), she was the first foal of what I recall was a ‘no potential’ mare, but sent to one of the most influential stallions in early trotter history. Born in my second full year as a Simster, she may have been the result of the trotter ‘first foals are the best foals’ superstition. She defied her dam line and went into the two year old fillies’ circuit straight into stakes company, and hit the board on her first three starts. Admittedly, I saw her as second to her stable mate Devon Lass, although eventually she’d leave that one in the dust. She couldn’t handle the tough juvenile company of the Steward’s Cup Fillies’ Trot, but that would be her only finish out of the money.

As a three-year-old, Devon Fancy pulled her boots up and showed what she was really made of. Six wins in eight stakes starts, including the illustrious triple of the Yankee Oaks, Emo Mile and Meadowfields Debutante winning with a remarkable three lengths across the triple. Poor Deadly Dreamer was runner up each time, and had it not been for Fancy would probably be in the Hall of Fame herself. At this point I remember asking the Steward why trotters don’t get triple crown blankets – and asked if she could have something appropriate to the dark underbelly that is nighttime sulky racing. Alas, my request for a blanket of beer can ring pulls went unanswered. Devon Fancy stamped herself as the top of her trotter peers with a tough run to close in the final stages of the Cup Oaks once again to just defeat a chasing Deadly Dreamer - I’m sure Mike Prevost thought he had it that time!

At four, the other girls started to mature and Fancy proved beatable, crossing the wire in front in four of her eight starts – and yes, Deadly Dreamer got her nose in front finally! But Fancy knows when it matters, and took the Cup Distaff comfortably from Deadly Dreamer once again – this time dropping her typically late close to stay up in front of the peloton behind a blazing Throw Me Cash and show that she could win no matter how the race was run.

Devon Fancy stayed on for her five year old year (since I was loving having a horse actually win some money for me). With another four out of eight wins in all stakes company, this year Fancy met some real superstars – Looks Can Kill, Share a Battle, and Drop Zone Queen just to name a few. Aiming for a third straight Cup win, Fancy and Velvety Dreams raced up to close on long time leader Dreams of Fear. Fancy couldn’t quite hold off the blazing drive of Velvety Dreams and was denied the Cup triple by just a head.

It was off to the shed for Fancy, and let’s just say that her prowess on the track wasn’t matched by stardom in the shed. Not surprising really, given her lack of substance in the tail female line. Still, she earned me a lot of cash in a string of disappointing leases (sorry to all that leased her), before bucking the first foal superstition by throwing a corker in her last foal – the aptly named ‘Last Fancy’, who went on to win the Emo Mile before becoming equally frustrating as a broodmare. That said, there’s a lot in the wings that may just be the redemption of this line – we will have to see if Super Cartier can breath some life onto a waning Devon Fancy legacy.

So the moral of this story? Hang in there, new players. Sometimes a really great one comes out of nowhere. And don’t turn your nose up at the less popular divisions. The best of a small bunch can still net you excitement, pride, and even a million bucks!

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