Bob McIntosh trainee Strike An Attitude turned in a World Record equalling mile in her $130,000 Glen Garnsey Memorial division for three-year-old pacing fillies during the weekend’s second night of stakes action at The Red Mile
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Favourite Drop The Ball (Yannick Gingras) worked her way to the lead from the outside Post 7 during a :27.4 opening quarter with Idyllic (Dave Miller) settling for a pocket trip and Strike An Attitude, with Dave Palone in the bike, and Rocklamation (Brian Sears) positioned third and fourth.
Drop The Ball led the field through middle fractions of :54.1 and 1:21.4 before coming under attack. As the fillies turned for home, Idyllic pulled the pocket while Strike An Attitude found a clear path on the outside and swept past her inside rivals. She prevailed in 1:48.4 by half a length over Drop The Ball and Rocklamation, who shot up the rail for third. Idyllic finished four lengths back in fourth.
The time of the mile equalled Dancinwiththestarz's World Record for three-year-old pacing fillies on a one-mile track, originally set in August 2010 at the Meadowlands Racetrack.
The homebred daughter of Western Ideal-Strike A Balance is owned by the Robert McIntosh Stables Inc. of Windsor, Ont., along with the C S X Stables and Jerry Silva. The win was Strike An Attitude's third in 13 seasonal starts and pushed her earnings to $284,188 for 2011 and $866,802 lifetime.
"She's got one really good run and it finally worked out for her," said Palone in the winner's circle. "She deserves to win a big race. She just missed in the Breeders Crown last year with the same kind of trip. If you can save her, she will fire home."
Strike An Attitude sports a solid record racing over The Red Mile surface, winning her Bluegrass Series and International Stallion Stakes divisions last year and finishing second to Drop The Ball in last week's Bluegrass action.
"The one thing about The Red Mile you have to love is how good the track is to close. Anybody can out-sprint anybody with the right trip at the right time. Bob brought her down here and pulled her shoes off, which is a big edge with her because she has the tendency to maybe touch a bit up front, and she's cleaned up both weeks. I'm excited about it because I know how much [speed] she's got if I can just put her in the right spot.
"I knew I was where I needed to be behind the two best fillies [at the top of the stretch]. The Red Mile is a really tough place to win on the front and I thought if I could keep her close enough and not use her then maybe she could gun it with anybody if it turned into a sprint."
Strike An Attitude will look to tackle harness racing's top fillies again in the upcoming Breeders Crown.
She paid $17.40 for the upset tonight.
Krispy Apple rebounded from a miscue in last week's stakes action and rallied home off cover to capture the other Glen Garnsey Memorial division.
Longshot Ace Of Pace (Dave Miller) took control of the field and led the way past fractions of :27, :54.2 and 1:23.1 while Pretty Katherine (Yannick Gingras) committed first over from third providing Krispy Apple and Tim Tetrick, who sat fourth in the early going, with cover.
Firing home off cover, Krispy Apple swept past the leading lady in the stretch en route to a 1:50.1 one length victory with Swinging Beauty (Doug McNair) chasing her home for second. Luvmylife (Brian Sears) was third.
"It worked out," said Tetrick after the win "I couldn't have asked for a better trip. She's wicked fast this mare -- her speed kind of gets away from her sometimes. She's been three-quarters in 1:19, 1:20 at the Meadowlands and she feels like she's doing it in 1:24. She's a really good mare, she's fast and she went a really good race today."
The daughter of Western Ideal-Apple Krisp, a Miss New Jersey champion and Fan Hanover runner-up to See You At Peelers, is owned by trainer Mark Kesmodel and partners Jeffrey Bamond and Joseph Davino. The win was her 10th in 16 seasonal starts and pushed her 2011 earnings to $516,775. Lifetime, she has banked $586,725.
Krispy Apple paid $4.40 to win.
World champion A Rocknroll Dance turned back first over challenger Mortal Zin and held off the pocket-pulling D Terminata in deep stretch to win the first $82,850 International Stallion Stakes division for two-year-old pacing colts
D Terminata (John Campbell) charged to the lead around the first turn before the parked out Post 7 starter A Rocknroll Dance, with Yannick Gingras in the sulky, cleared past the :26.2 opening quarter.
As the field raced down the backstretch, Mortal Zin (Ron Pierce) launched a first over attack from fourth and moved up to apply pressure at the :54.3 half-mile marker.
Mortal Zin went head-to-head with A Rocknroll Dance as they raced to three-quarters in 1:22.3, even poking a head in front. However, A Rocknroll Dance fought back on the inside and shook off that rival around the final turn.
Down the stretch, D Terminata pulled the pocket and came after A Rocknroll Dance, but missed by half a length as A Rocknroll Dance hit the wire in 1:49.4. Hillybilly Hanover (Dave Miller) followed in third.
"That's a little bit more than I wanted to go that's for sure," said Gingras of being parked to the :26.2 opening quarter. "I was actually looking to get away third or fourth, but it was probably going to be a bad spot and it looked like the front has been good tonight so I gave it a shot that way. But it was definitely taxing, that's for sure.
"There was no doubt, I wasn't going to let [Pierce] go, but he did take a good shot at me. I was rating him a little bit, but there is no doubt he did put his head in front. I knew the horse on my back was a good horse too. I think really highly of that horse actually. He was first up in the Metro and stuff, which was a bad spot for him, but I definitely thought he was the horse to beat tonight."
The son of Rocknroll Hanover-Witchita Hanover earned his third straight win and fourth in seven career starts. The Elevation and Bluegrass Series winner, who equalled the 1:49.1 World Record in his Metro Pace elimination and was a runner-up in the final, is owned by trainer Jim Mulinix, Denny Miller, and Jerry and Theresa Silva. His earnings now stand at $418,125.
"He keeps getting better. This is a huge mile tonight," noted Gingras, adding that he likes his chances going into the Breeders Crown. "He's a good horse and hopefully he keeps going forward."
A Rocknroll Dance paid $2.60 to win.
Sing For Me George charged through horses as favourite Simply Business drifted out in the stretch to capture the second division for two-year-old pacing colts.
Ideal Champ (Tim Tetrick) cleared to command from Post 6 before the :27.3 opening mark with Metro Pace and Bluegrass champion Simply Business (Ron Pierce) settling into fourth and Sing For Me George and driver Jody Jamieson getting away sixth.
Simply Business edged out before the :55.4 half-mile mark and was up to the leader's wheel by the 1:24.2 three-quarters with Sing For Me George following his cover.
As the colts raced down the homestretch, Simply Business began to drift out towards to the center of the track leaving a clear path for Sing For Me George to shoot through. The son of Bettors Delight-Tundra Bird did just that, coming on to score in a career-best 1:51.2 by nearly two lengths. Simply Business finished second and pocket-sitter Peck Blue Chip (Yannick Gingras) was third.
Trained by Tony O'Sullivan for owner Joseph Martinelli, Sing For Me George has won half of his eight starts while earning $85,745.
After upsetting favourites American Jewel with Big McDeal last night and Simply Business tonight, Jamieson earned the nickname as "The Dragon Slayer" at The Red Mile meet.
"I actually couldn't be happier to do it really. It doesn't make for great racing if the favourite is going to win every time and dominate," said Jamieson. "It's nice to be in the position to do that with some good horses. Tony, he always gives me something good to drive. The horse came down here off of three weeks rest almost and he went a huge trip."
"This guy is lightly raced and his last three starts at Mohawk have been unbelievable. I'm surprised, but he's got a lot of ability," added O'Sullivan, noting that the Breeders Crown is next on his radar. "That's actually why we brought him here, so he could race against some better horses and see if he's up to it. So his next start will be the Breeders Crown in two weeks."
Sing For Me George paid $5.60 to win.
Nipped by just a head by Bolt The Duer in his Bluegrass Series last week, Sweet Lou got up in the final strides to nab Ezpass Hanover for the bragging rights in tonight's $83,850 third division of the International Stallion Stakes.
Ezpass Hanover (Dave Miller) set up shop on the front end with Bettors Edge (Jody Jamieson) in the pocket and Bolt The Duer (Mike Lachance) taking back into third. Ron Burke trainee Sweet Lou and driver Dave Palone were gapped back in fourth after a Post 2 start -- and a bike change prior to the race.
Ezpass Hanover laid down fractions of :26.4, :55.3 and 1:24.1 while Bolt The Duer was flushed first up down the backstretch by Sweet Lou.
After catching the top three colts and picking up second over cover, Sweet Lou fired home in :25.2 to score the career-best 1:50.3 triumph by a head. Bettors Edge was trapped behind Ezpass Hanover in the pocket and finished third. Bolt The Duer was fourth.
"We thought he was going to be good tonight," noted Palone. "We made an equipment change -- Ronnie let his hopples out when he trained him this week.
"He's just the kind of colt that all year long you've just got to babysit him in spots and I didn't want to make a mistake."
The son of Yankee Cruiser-Sweet Future, who is eight-for-10 in his career and has yet to finish worse than second, is owned by Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, Lawrence Karr, and Phillip Collura. The PASS champion and The Elevation winner has banked nearly $350,000 so far in his career.
Sweet Lou paid $4.60 to win.
Driver Brian Sears threaded Escape The News between horses to get up for the victory in the final division.
Little Michael B (Dave Miller) made a minor miscue off the gate from the inside post position, but quickly reset and took command with Escape The News settling in behind from Post 5.
Little Michael B led the way past fractions of :27, :54.2 and 1:22.4 while Shakerattlenrock (Tim Tetrick) was flushed first up from third by Verdad (Yannick Gingras).
Shakerattlenrock collared Little Michael B halfway down the stretch while Escape The News moved off the pylons to get around Little Michael B and then dove back to the inside for a clear path to come on for the career-best 1:50.3 score. Shakerattlenrock was a neck back in second with Verdad rounding out the top three.
"I was able to squeeze out and then duck back down to the rail," said Sears. "He was nice and relaxed and once I got some room I knew he had a lot of pace."
"I think he can [go with the best colts in the Breeders Crowns]," he continued. "He’s a really good-gaited colt so it’s really easy for him to go fast."
The homebred son of Artiscape-Ideal News, who was a runner-up by just a head to Simply Business last week in his Bluegrass division, is owned by Brittany Farms and Val Dor Farms. The win was his third in seven starts and pushed his earnings to $126,379.
Escape The News paid $3.80 to win.
The Red Mile’s Grand Circuit meet will wrap up tomorrow afternoon with multiple Bluegrass Series and Tattersalls Pace divisions. First race post time is 1 p.m.