North America Cup eligibles strutted their stuff during the Wednesday (April 24) qualifying session at Miami Valley Raceway. One was feeling so good that he decided to go out and defeat one of the continent’s top open pacers.
Diamond Creek Racing’s Proof was on his toes during the early afternoon session, as he strode out for the third race on the docket, which was contested over a ‘fast’ track.
Driver Chris Page used Post 1 to its full advantage early, as he fired Proof out from the rail and deposited the open pacer in question, the speedy Miso Fast, into second early.
Proof went on to cut all the fractions in the qualifier (:28.1, :56.4, 1:24) and still had enough left in the tank to hold off his classy foe in the lane. Miso Fast was putting in his second charted line of the season during the Wednesday effort.
Proof, who is a three-year-old colt by A Rocknroll Dance, finished off his gate-to-wire victory with a :27.3 final quarter and pinned a one and three-quarter-length loss on Miso Fast, who finished second. Proof’s win time was an impressive 1:51.3.
The Wednesday performance was the second qualifier of the season for Proof, who was solid last year as a freshman. He won six of 11 starts in his inaugural campaign, which was highlighted by a victory in the Breeders Crown eliminations.
Based off of his solid freshman campaign, Proof was tabbed as the 17-1 seventh choice in Trot Magazine’s 2019 NA Cup Spring Book. To check out the Spring Book odds, click here.
Proof wasn’t the only Cup eligible that flashed an impressive mile during the session.
Workin Ona Mystery, pictured victorious in stakes action at the Red Mile in 2018.
Trot’s Spring Book assessed Captaintreacherous colt Workin Ona Mystery just outside its top 10 at odds of 21-1. On Wednesday, the bay may have been looking to prove that he should’ve been in there.
Reinsman Chris Page was at Workin Ona Mystery’s lines for trainer Brian Brown, and the duo took to the track for Race 5 and lined up in Post 3.
The Bluegrass and International Stallion Stakes division winner fought for the top early and made the lead just after the :28.2 quarter pole. The career winner of five of six races and $100,400 in purses was able to rate a bit in the second panel, as he was able to pass by the half-mile indicator in :57.2.
Page geared Workin Ona Mystery back up in the third panel, as the duo went on to pass the three-quarters station in 1:25 via a :27.3 quarter.
Workin Ona Mystery continued to roll from there, as he capped off his :54.2 back half with a :26.4 final quarter.
Workin Ona Mystery hit the wire first in a sharp 1:51.4. The margin of victory was three and three-quarter lengths.
Diamond Creek Racing (of Wellsville, PA) shares ownership of Workin Ona Mystery with the Stambaugh Leeman Stable (Wauseon, OH), Alan Keith (Johnstown, OH) and Wingfield Brothers LLC (Kenton, OH).
Air Force Hanover, pictured victorious in stakes action at the Red Mile in 2018.
Seeing as though speed was the order the day for Cup eligibles at Miami Valley, Brian Brown trainee Air Force Hanover figured it was only polite to oblige, as the son of Somebeachsomewhere also went out and flashed some speed over the Ohio course.
The colt went on to produce the largest winning margin of any of the Cup eligibles during the qualifying session, as the bay flew to a 10 and a quarter-length win from Post 8 for pilot Chris Page.
Air Force Hanover paced to a gate-to-wire score in 1:52.1. He flashed the quarter in :28.4 and virtually kept the exact same tempo down to the :57.2 half-mile pole.
Page called for more speed in the back half of the performance and Air Force Hanover was pleased to do it. The career winner of $131,888 in purses paced his third quarter in :27.1, as he passed the three-quarters station in 1:24.3. He capped things off with a :27.3 final quarter – good for a :54.4 back half – and was a no-doubt winner at the line.
Air Force Hanover is owned by Country Club Acres Inc. (Findlay, OH), Joe Sbrocco (Brecksville, OH), Richard Lombardo (Solon, OH) and W. J. Donovan (Delray Beach, FL).