Wagner Doubles In Maryland Stakes Finals
Trainer John Wagner captured two of the four $118,243 Maryland Sire Stakes championship events for two-year-olds on Wednesday (Sept. 4) at Ocean Downs, sending Brooksforreal and K J The Thirteenth to victory in their respective events. Ragtime Red and Yall Keep Dreaming captured their divisional finals as well, resulting in clean sweeps of the series by all four champions.
Brooksforreal, who won at odds-on in both his preliminary legs, captured the Earl M. Wagner Memorial, for two-year-old male pacers, as the 5-2 second choice, upending 2-5 favorite Rustys Lancelot heading to the final turn en route to a 6-1/4-length score. Driver Corey Braden had Brooksforreal in motion out of third after Rustys Lancelot rated a :59 first half, and the Rustys For Real-Brooks Range gelding pushed to the lead past three-quarters in 1:29 before accelerating home in :28.1 for a lifetime-best 1:57.1 triumph. Rustys Lancelot held second narrowly over Whosabrat.
Kelsey Wagner owns three-time winner Brooksforreal, who paid $7.80 to win.
Wagner drove his other victorious trainee, K J The Thirteenth, to a 2:02 victory over Yall Just Love Me in the Hubert Jackson Memorial, for two-year-old trotting fillies. The Il Mago-My Kid Sister filly rolled unopposed through splits of :30.4, 1:01.4 and 1:33.1 before picking up the tempo through a :28.4 last quarter to stave off Yall Just Love Me by a nose. Yall Know Me finished third.
K J The Thirteenth has now won four times in seven starts for owners Kelsey Wagner and Scott Woogen. She paid $3.00 to win.
Yall Keep Dreaming kept his undefeated career record intact with a 2:03.2 win in the W.W. "Pete" Shaw Memorial, for two-year-old male trotters. Johnathan Ahle controlled the terms with Yall Keep Dreaming for owner-trainer Richard Hans, who also bred the Yall Beneath Me-Upside Blue Chip colt. After rating splits of :30.1, 1:02.1 and 1:33, Yall Keep Dreaming strode clear of pocket rival Swervingmervin to win for the fourth time in as many lifetime starts by a widening 6-1/4 lengths and pay $2.10. Magoo Will Do overcame an early break to save third.
The Dale Massey Memorial, for two-year-old pacing fillies, saw Ragtime Red and driver Trae Porter sprint clear of Lus Darling from post eight to control a :58 first half before widening her lead steadily up the backstretch. After leaving Lus Darling in her wake, Ragtime Red evaded runner-up Toys Little Tinker by 13 lengths to win in 1:56.2. Post Jolene finished third.
Now a four-time winner, Ragtime Red paid $2.20 as the overwhelming 1-9 favourite. Michael Hall trains the Getitoffyourchest-Red High Heels filly, who competes as a homebred for David Banks.
The 2024 Ocean Downs harness racing meet concludes Thursday (Sept. 5) with an 11-race program. First post is 7:05 p.m.
(Ocean Downs)