Bettors were torn between two colts in Thursday’s $50,000 final of the Dream Maker Stakes, and those two colts were heads apart

at the finish line.

Even money favourite Thinking Out Loud fended off a late rush from Speed Again, who was the 8-5 second choice in the wagering, in an impressive clocking of 1:52.4.

Randy Waples got away fifth with the Bob McIntosh pupil while Spinarama muscled to the lead and threw down first-half fractions of :27.1 and :56.1. Stare Down applied mild pressure to the leader around the final turn, with Thinking Out Loud second over and Speed Again sitting third over at the three-quarter pole in 1:25.1. Waples flipped off cover when the field swung into the stretch, and his colt’s :26.3 final quarter was good enough to fend off Speed Again by a head. Special Blend was the third one under the finish line.

“He (Speed Again) was kind of scaring me a little bit, said Waples, following the victory. “That little colt of Bob’s, he’s got a lot of heart, boy I tell you. He’s a better chaser. As fast as they go he’ll chase, it’s just when he gets out in front he’ll look after himself, but that’s usually the sign of a good horse.

“He’s just a really nice horse,” Waples added. “He likes his job. Its amazing, a two-year-old, when he’s had only four starts and he knows exactly what’s its like to be out underneath these lights so he kind of gets revved up, but he was a lot quieter tonight.”

The homebred son of Ponder-Los Angeles improved his rookie record to 3-1-0 in four tries for the partnership of the Robert McIntosh Stables Inc, C S X Stables and Al McIntosh Holdings Inc. The lion’s share of the purse lifted his lifetime earnings to $47,750.

(With quotes from WEG)

To view results for Tuesday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Tuesday Results – Mohawk Racetrack.