Riding a four-race winning streak and with the possibility of a divisional crown for Three-Year-Old Pacing Colt of the Year on the line, Steve Calhoun and West Wins Stables' Betterthancheddar has been installed as the overwhelming 3-5 morning line favourite for Friday’s featured event at Maywood Park, the $175,000 Windy City Pace

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Coming off an eye-catching victory in the $225,000 American National last week at Balmoral Park, where he stopped the clock in 1:50.3, Betterthancheddar will be seeking his 10th win of the 2011 season. Many in attendance on that windy evening agreed that the time of that race more than likely translated into somewhere around a 1:48-and-change mile due to the strong winds the horses had to fight through.

“That was a pretty incredible mile he paced in those conditions to win the American National,” said pilot George Brennan, who will return on Friday to handle the driving duties. “He was pretty much in hand despite being used twice during the mile, and he acted like the wind wasn’t even blowing as he was headed through the stretch that night.”

A $30,000 yearling purchase at the 2009 Lexington Select sale, the son of Bettors Delight was unraced as a two-year-old, but he certainly caught the eye of four-time winner of Canada’s trainer of the year award, Casie Coleman.

“He’s a wicked, wicked fast horse and has all kinds of talent,” said Coleman. “I guess because people didn’t see him as a two-year-old they were a little skeptical of his ability this year, but that changed when he came right out and went in 1:49 in three of four starts this summer and that was when he only had six career starts under his belt. He’s starting to get the recognition he rightly deserves now. He’s been sharp all season long and he could be at his very best right now, which should tell something about how special this horse is.”

Betterthancheddar has also shown the ability to win on all size tracks. He captured the first leg of the Pacing Triple Crown, the Cane Pace, in a stakes record of 1:49.2 over the five-eighths mile oval at Pocono in September. He also finished second in his Little Brown Jug elimination before winding up third in the final later that day on the half-mile track in Delaware, Ohio. The colt then followed that up with three straight wins at Woodbine Racetrack, including his Breeders Crown elimination and final where he tripped the timer in 1:49.2.

After his win in the American National last week, Brennan sounded as though he couldn’t wait for his return engagement with Betterthancheddar in the Windy City Pace.

“He’s so good right now and he’s just an absolute pleasure to drive,” said Brennan. “He’ll do whatever you ask of him and he’s making his case for divisional honours so I just hope I can help get him get another step closer to that goal on Friday.”

(Maywood)