Whirl Winds K shook a serious case of seconditis by the narrowest of margins to capture the single $39,650 Dexter Cup elimination on Saturday (April 27) at Freehold Raceway.

As a sophomore, Whirl Winds K boasted just one win but five runner-up finishes from eight seasonal starts. Appropriately enough, the son of Donato Hanover - Pacific Winds K was installed as the second choice behind rail horse Cavill Hanover.

Ake Svanstedt sent favoured Cavill Hanover away strongly for the lead and got it without much of struggle. George Brennan pinned Whirl Winds K on his rival's helmet and followed through fractions of :29.2, 1:00.3 and 1:30. HL Revadon (Matt Kakaley) engaged the temposetter through the middle portion of the mile but faded late. Brennan pointed Whirl Winds K to the passing lane and got up in the final stride to put his nose on the wire ahead of Cavill Hanover, with the mile timed in 1:59.3. Skyway Kon Man (Trond Smedshammer) closed full of trot to finish a neck back in third.

A homebred owned by Bob Key of Leechburg, Penn., Whirl Winds K now sports a solid 4-5-1 summary from 13 lifetime starts with earnings of $51,000.

The top seven finishers -- Whirl Winds K, Cavill Hanover, Skyway Kon Man, HL Revadon, Jasons Camden, Big Money Honey, Cotton To You -- join Osterc, who received a bye as the top declared earner,in next week's $118,950 Dexter Cup Final.

“YANKEE JOE” LEE WINS BILLINGS TROT AT FREEHOLD

Lightly regarded Osprey Vision got a hustling drive from “Yankee Joe” Lee and overcame traffic to rally for a length and a half victory in the $9,000 Billings Trot earlier on the card.

When the wings of the mobile gate folded Paul Minore and Wygant Prince challenged Uriel and driver “Annie Get Your Gun” Stoebe for the lead, which they obtained just after the first stanza timer flashed :29. Once on top Minore's charge stepped by the halfway point in :59 at which point Lee was out and going with Osprey Vision, who was still in fifth place but looking to move up.

“Once I got him rolling we quickly ranged up behind Doc Woogen (with Peoplesayimnogood who was first-up) and since my horse was full of trot I angled him three-deep and had my sights on Wygant Prince who was still strong on the lead,” Lee said.

Osprey Vision collared Minore's trotter at the top of the lane and then slowly began to pull away and went on to victory, the second of the season for the veteran trotter. Wygant Prince held second and Peoplesayimnogood finished third, some six lengths behind the top two.

Osprey Vision, a 10-year-old altered son of Ken Warkentin, is in from his home base in western New York and had raced successfully in a couple of NAADA trots before striking gold in the Billings today. Tommy Merton trains for owner Melissa Russo.

Osprey Vision paid $18.20 for win and marked the gelding's 50th career victory which raised his lifetime bankroll to over $302,000. For “Yankee Joe” Lee, last season's Amateur Driver of the Year, it was his 50th career triumph.

The Billings Series will continue tomorrow (Sunday) with a nine-horse field at Miami Valley Raceway.

(with files from the Billings)