Two series championships were up for grabs Thursday (March 23) at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows, and the burning question of the day was: could Heist and Inside Express possibly be as dominant in the finals as they were in the two preliminary legs?

The answer was a resounding “yes” as both notched impressive wins in the slop to complete their series sweeps. 

Heist left little to the imagination in the $17,600 championship of the Dale McConnell Memorial for three- and four-year-old trotting colts, horses and geldings, zipping to the lead from post seven and scoring by 4-1/2 lengths for Dave Palone in 1:56.3. That gave him a combined victory margin of 17 lengths in the three series legs. Curadh and Lloyd Wright finished second and third, respectively.

Winning trainer Scott Betts said he’s pretty sure whet produced the strong showings of the four-year-old son of Father Patrick-Miss Paris.

“We found he was bleeding through Lasix, so we upped the dosage,” Betts said, agreeing that the resulting improvement has been significant. “He’s Kentucky eligible, so we may send him to Oak Grove for some four-year-old events.”

Tim Betts, Tar Heel Racing and Shanamphilankilou campaign Heist.

Inside Express was every bit as dominant in the $17,200 final of the Mary Wohlmuth Memorial for three- and four-year-old filly and mare trotters. She rushed three-wide to the point for Brady Brown from post seven and drew off effortlessly to win by 4-3/4 lengths in 1:57.1. Her combined victory margin in the series sweep was 15-1/4 lengths. Allforsouthwind and Aquatica completed the ticket.

“She did everything perfect, everything I wanted her to do,” Brown said. “She hasn’t been tired yet. She’s finished through the bit every start now, and she’s not got tired once.”

Rick Beinhauer trains Inside Express, a daughter of Trixton-Jessies Song, and owns the homebred with Regina Beinhauer.

Aaron Merriman piloted four winners on the 13-race card.

Friday’s program at The Meadows features the $18,200 championship of the Wilbur Zendt Memorial for three- and four-year-old pacing colts, horses and geldings (Race 6). On the wagering front, the card offers a $625.40 Pick 5 carryover (Race 9). First post is 12:45 p.m. (EDT).

(MSOA)