Top Tart tipped three-wide at just the right time to get the jump on her main rival and pull off a 10-1 upset in Wednesday’s $31,250 championship of the Trotslikethewind Trot for three-year-old fillies at The Meadows.

Seeing that Promisemethis, the 1-5 favourite as part of an entry, was temporarily blocked by her stablemate, Chiptomylou, Eric Ledford and Top Tart peeled off cover into the final turn and brushed wide through the lane. They had just enough to hold off Promisemethis, who found the Lightning Lane too late, by a head in a career-best 1:56.2. Chiptomylou saved show.

“She’s won just about every start where she didn’t run behind the gate,” Ledford said. “She wears a hood, so you know she’s a little hot. But she wasn’t bad at all. We timed it okay.

“I didn’t want to be three-high that quick, but I thought the horse I had to beat was sitting in the pocket and I wanted to get the jump on her. That’s why I moved from second over so fast.”

Ron Burke trains Top Tart, a daughter of Andover Hall-Shesa Priority who has won four of seven lifetime starts, for Wayne Zollars.

In the $22,500 Winners Over $10,000 Life/Preferred Handicap Pace, Hugadragon needed every inch of the stretch to get by D Mac, but he scored in a sharp 1:50.4 for Dave Palone, Burke and Burke Racing Stable. The rallying Pair A Dice was second, a head back, while D Mac held on for show. A five-year-old Dragon Again-Hip Huggers gelding, Hugadragon pushed his career bankroll to $886,384.

Burke enjoyed a training triple on the 12-race program.

Live racing at The Meadows resumes Friday when the card features the $34,000 championship of the My Drag Queen Pace for three-year-old fillies. First post is 6:55 p.m.

(The Meadows)