On the heels of One Lucky Dragon's 1:49.4 all-age pacing record at Miami Valley Raceway on Saturday night (April 16), Ladys Dude lowered the all-age trotting record to 1:52.1 on Sunday afternoon for driver Chris Page in a $20,000 Open.
In addition, the track record for three-year-old trotting colts was lowered by almost two full seconds when Fantasy League captured a division of the Robert J. Brown series in 1:55.2.
Ladys Dude’s record mile came in what was just his fifth start of the 2016 season (it was also his second start since a two-month break). He left hard and tripped the first quarter timer in :28. He did so just as the lukewarm favourite, Boffin (who was driven by Tyler Smith), was in the midst making a quarter-pole move to the front.
Boffin led the field through middle fractions of :56.2 and 1:24. He yielded to Ladys Duke in mid-stretch. Ladys Dude had taken a pocket trip for a good portion of the mile. He capped off the record mile with a 28-second final quarter. Parkhill Lancelot (Randy Crisler) worked out a second-over trip to close for third.
Ladys Dude is an Ohio-sired five-year-old son of Victory Sam. He is owned by Burke Racing, Weaver Bruscemi and J. E. Yoder.
The Kyle Ater-driven Fantasy League, who is a sophomore son of And Away We Go, obliterated the sophomore trotting standard with his four-length triumph in the day's first race. Fantasy League got away third and moved to the lead prior to the half-mile marker. He cleared to the front with ease before the three-quarters pole and coasted home a winner in 1:55.2. Fantasy League is owned and trained by Mike Sowers. Fantasy League bested Kentucky Hall (Jeremy Smith) and Chip Or Don (Tyler Smith) in his record-setting performance.
A second division of the Robert J. Brown series – which is for non-winners of two pari-mutuel races or $15,000 in lifetime purse earnings – went to The Next Triumph (Jeremy Smith) over Rompaway Hustler (Roy Wilson) and Crowned With Glory (Ed Greeno Jr.) in 1:56.1.
(With files from Miami Valley Raceway)