Faves Falter In Niagara Sequel
Two new faces found their way to victory lane in Thursday’s second leg of the Niagara Series at Woodbine Racetrack, as Solid Queen and Hands Off Hanover used off-the-pace tactics to secure upset victories in their respective assignments.
Solid Queen stormed off cover to win her $15,000 division in 1:53.3 for the tandem of driver Joe Bongiorno and trainer Michael Russo. The three-year-old daughter of Riverboat King-In Solid got away sixth while Wonderful Charm shot to the top and sped through panels of :26.4, :57.1 and 1:26.2. Solid Queen tracked cover in the backstretch before exploding three wide around the final turn. She used a :27-second closing quarter to win by 3-3/4 lengths over Wonderful Charm in 1:53.3. D Gs Pesquero was third.
Scott Irwin of Milltown, New Jersey owns the filly who improved this year’s record to 6-8-2 from 27 starts with the victory. The lion’s share of the purse boosted her overall bankroll to $60,667.
Hands Off Hanover also used come-from-behind tactics to win the second division in a time of 1:54.1. Lyonssweetie charged to the early lead and had the field chasing her past the quarter pole in :26.2, but Putmeintogo popped out of the pocket spot and brushed to the front as the field entered the backstretch. Once in charge, she led the field through middle splits of :56.2 and 1:25.1. She tired late, and that allowed Hands Off Hanover to charge from the backfield and secure the win by three quarters of a length over Miss Poppycock and Lyonssweetie, who finished a dead heat for the runner-up position.
Percy Elkins of Campbellville, Ontario owns the three-year-old daughter of Western Ideal-Harlow Hall, who improved her 2013 record to 5-3-2 from 27 trips to the track. She pushed her lifetime earnings over $60,000 with the win.
To view results for Tuesday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Thursday Results – Woodbine Racetrack.