The field is now set for the 2022 Balanced Image Trot after three eliminations were contested on Saturday (August 20) at Hanover Raceway.
Darbyshire ($4.30) will most certainly get a fair amount of public support after taking the fastest of the three eliminations. James MacDonald handled the driving duties behind Darbyshire, confidently guiding the son of Muscle Mass - Danish Darby to victory in wire-to-wire winner fashion with the mile timed in 2:00. New Rules (Scott Young) was second, three lengths back, with Mass Hysteria rounding out the top three.
John Bax trains Darbyshire, pictured above, for his Bax Stable of Campbellville, breeder and co-owner Glengate Farms of Erin along with Goin To The Show Stable of Peterborough and Happy Trails Stables of London, Ont. In five starts, Darbyshire sports four wins with $36,000 in earnings.
Floyd The Freak ($7.90) followed that formula to victory in the second $5,000 Balanced Image elim. Ed Hensley placed his homebred on top early and repelled a challenge from Mass Market through the middle section of the mile to score by a length in a lifetime best 2:01.4. Resolve To Win (MacDonald) and All Star Yankee (Drury) completed the top three finishers.
Ed & Ashleigh Hensley bred and own Floyd The Freak, and the son of Archangel - Escuela is now 2-2-1 in five career tries with more than $27,600 in the bank.
The third Balanced Image elim was the biggest upset of the three as Rough Tuff Tested didn't get rough (unlike three of his rivals) but was indeed toug hand tested in a 2:03.1 decision. James MacDonald picked up the win behind Rough Tuff Tested ($13.20) who was three parts of a length better than favoured Busting With Pride (Trevor Henry) with Fantastic MVP (Natasha Day) best of the rest in third.
It was a maiden-breaking victory for Rough Tuff Tested, and the son of Muscle Mass - Razburrito now sports a 1-1-1 summary from five starts with $16,576 in earnings for trainer and co-owner Blake MacIntosh and co-owners Van Camp Trotting Corp. of Port Perry, Ont. and Mortgage Boys Stable of Fayetteville, N.Y.
The draw for the two third-place finishers to advance to the Balanced Image Trot and the post position draw for the $40,000 final took place at Hanover during Saturday's card. Elim winners drew from posts one through five for the final, slated to take place on Saturday, August 27.
$40,000 Balanced Image Trot
1. Busting With Pride
2. Rough Tuff Tested
3. Floyd The Freak
4. Darbyshire
5. Fantastic MVP
6. Mass Hysteria
7. Resolve To Win
8. New Rules
AE1. All Star Yankee
AE2. Sweet Carrie T
With an impressive three-wide backside brush, Timewaitsonnoone ($20.40) and driver Dustin McClure breezed by the early leaders en route to a new lifetime mark of 2:01.4 in the $10,000 Doc Morley Memorial Invitational. The sophomore daughter of Royal Mattjesty - Chardonnay was three lengths better than 2-5 choice Heres The Thing (Tom Smith) for trainer George McClure and breeder / owners Catherine McClure of Clinton and Ruth Hastie of Elmwood, Ont.
To view the results from Saturday's card of harness racing at Hanover, click the following link: Saturday Results - Hanover Raceway.