Sixteen pacing colts and geldings from this year’s freshmen class sparred in a set of eliminations for the Dream Maker Stake on Monday at Mohawk Racetrack, and there was no shortage of speed
in the $20,000 tilts.
Fresh off a 1:54 maiden-breaking victory, Speed Again rallied to a new lifetime mark of 1:52.2 in the opening elimination for the tandem of driver Jody Jamieson and trainer Jeff Gillis. The son of Dragon Again-Sand Speed, who was purchased for $82,000 from last year’s Lexington Select Yearling Sale, got away fifth while Gable Blue Chip shot the lead and sliced out an opening panel in :27.1. Race favourite Spinarama popped out of the three-hole in the backstretch and parked past the half in :56.3 before touching down on the lead. Hot on his heels was Speed Again, who applied mild pressure on the new leader to the three-quarter pole in 1:26. Things got more serious in stretch, however, when Speed Again summoned up a :26.2 closing panel. It was good enough to earn him the 2-1/2 length decision over Spinarama, with Terco Corazon a well-beaten third.
“We thought he was decent, nothing spectacular training down, but we are pretty tickled with that performance,” said co-owner/trainer Jeff Gillis. “I was confident he was going to get into the race, but I wasn’t confident he would win. The two most logical horses where sitting first and second. At the half I knew we would have to be first-over into slow fractions and it
was going to be tough, but he overcame it.”
The victory improved the juvenile’s record to 2-1-0 in three starts for Gillis and partners Ken Henwood, Mac Nichol and Gerald Stay. The pacer has stashed away $22,750 to date.
Thinking Out Loud lived up to his 1-5 pair-mutuel promise for the duo of driver Randy Waples and trainer Bob McIntosh. The speedy son of Ponder-Los Angeles sat fourth to the quarter pole while Special Blend led the field past that opening panel in :27.3. Special Blend was still in charge at the half in :57.1, but by the time they hit the turn Waples was on the move with the public’s top choice. Special Blend was just over a length in front at the three-quarter pole in 1:26.1, but Thinking Out Loud used a :26.2 final quarter to prevail by three-quarters of a length over Special Blend in 1:53. Artache Hanover grabbed third prize.
“He likes to track horses down,” said driver Randy Waples. “He is a real digger. He likes to see horses out in front of him and reel them in. He’s just a really nice horse and has a big engine in him. I hope he just keeps racing the way that he is because he should do pretty nice things.”
Bob McIntosh trains the homebred for his Robert McIntosh Stables Inc along with C S X Stables and Al McIntosh Holdings Inc. The victory improves the colt’s record to 2-1-0 in three tries, and the $10,000 payday boosts his earnings to $22,750.
The top five finishers from each of Tuesday’s eliminations will advance to next Tuesday’s $60,000 final. Here’s how they’ll line up behind the starting gate:
$60,000 Dream Maker Stakes
1. Waywatcher
2. Big Unit
3. Speed Again
4. Thinking Out Loud
5. Terco Corazon
6. Gable Blue Chip
7. Stare Down
8. Spinarama
9. Special Blend
10. Artache Hanover
(With quotes from WEG)
To view results for Tuesday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Tuesday Results – Mohawk Racetrack.