Away My Baby and Entranced punched tickets to the ‘big dance’ by winning $17,500 splits of the last preliminary leg of the Claim To Fame Series for $15,000 trotters at Miami Valley Raceway on Monday afternoon (Jan. 20).

Away My Baby and Entranced punched tickets to the ‘big dance’ by winning $17,500 splits of the last preliminary leg of the Claim To Fame Series for $15,000 trotters at Miami Valley Raceway on Monday afternoon (Jan. 20). The championship leg, next Monday, Jan. 27, features a $27,500 purse.

Away My Baby (Tyler Smith) pulled a major upset in the first division, edging runner-up Kiwi Pres (Brett Miller) and heavily favoured show finisher Insomniac (Trace Tetrick) in 1:56.1. Sent off at 30-1 odds, the Sherif Cunmulaj trainee, a six-year-old daughter of And Away We Go, paid $63.80 for taking full advantage of an opening up the inside in deep stretch. Coupled with Kiwi Pres, who managed a brief short lead in the lane, the exacta returned $109 while the 50-cent trifecta with the favoured Insomniac, who gave up the lead in the shadow the wire, kicked back $114.65. Insomniac, who was claimed off trainer Brady Galliers in the first leg, was claimed back by Galliers for the final.

Entranced (John DeLong) narrowly defeated Ray Hall (Brett Miller) and Ursis Des Caillons (Kayne Kauffman) to secure his spot in the lucrative championship tilt. The nine-year-old Kadabra gelding, owned and trained by Joe Cirasuola, paid $6.60 following his come-from-behind triumph.

The top nine money-earners in the series comprise the final field. In order of earnings, they are Entranced, Insomniac, Away My Baby, Kiwi Pres, Infrontandforgetit, Heres The Magic, Ray Hall, Its Chocolate Time and Ursis Des Caillons.

Two final preliminary heats of the Claim To Fame Series for $8,000 claiming mares were also contested. Upsetter My Caroline (Kyle Ater) took the first division in 1:54.3 while D Gs Shadowsbell (Jeremy Smith) copped the other in 1:54.4. Joining those two winners in the $17,500 final next week will be Foolish Heart, TCs Scandal, Skyway Royalty, Elm Grove Joanette, Big Chute, Melanies Filly and Analyze.

(With files from Miami Valley Raceway)