Andreios Kardia pulled off a 25-1 upset in his WEG Preferred debut Saturday night at Mohawk Racetrack.
The Jeff Byron trainee recently returned to the local scene after a strong summer at Tioga Downs and proved he is ready to play with the big boys.
A field of six, including powerhouse Shamballa, battled in the $34,000 Preferred. Many eyes were on Shamballa, as the Rick Zeron trainee was tuning up for next Friday’s Breeders Crown Open Pace at The Meadowlands.
After Evenin Of Pleasure cut an opening-quarter of :27, Shamballa got his cue to march on from fourth and the 1-5 favourite paced a big second-panel to take a slight lead at the half in :54.2. Andreios Kardia, who got away third, was sitting fourth and a little more than five lengths from the leader on the far turn. Shamballa continued to pace strong around the final turn and led the field by three-quarters in 1:21.2.
Shamballa edged away by a few lengths at the top of the lane, but could not sustain his momentum and tired late. A trio of challengers would pick off the favourite in deep stretch, with Andreios Kardia having the most pace to surge by on the outside for a 1:50.3 score by three-quarters of a length. Preferred mainstays Ellis Park and Nickle Bag finished second and third, respectively. Shamballa finished fourth and two-lengths behind the winner.
A five-year-old gelded son of Badlands Hanover, Andreios Kardia was the top horse this summer at Tioga Downs, winning the Open 1 and Open 2 on three occasions each. The Byron trainee has now won nine of 21 this season and earned just shy of $80,000 for owner/breeder Ina Madill.
Andreios Kardia did not race as a two-year-old and made the majority of his three and four-year-old starts on the WEG Circuit. His Preferred debut victory gives him 16 career wins and pushes his career earnings to $179,550.
Shamballa’s fourth-place finish had a major impact on the tote-board, as $15,549 of $18,660 in the Place pool was wagered on the heavy favourite. Andreios Kardia paid $55.70 to Win and $55 to Place, while Ellis Park paid $22.40 to Place.
Show wagering was not offered on the Preferred.
(WEG)
To view results for Saturday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Saturday Results – Mohawk Racetrack.