Winbak Speed completed a series sweep as he rolled to his fourth straight win in the $125,000 Presidential Series Final on Saturday night at the Meadowlands
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Winbak Speed was parked through the first half, finally clearing the lead from Boulder Creek (Daniel Dube) as they reached the mid-way point in :55. Winbak Speed rebuffed the challenge of Shark Gesture (John Campbell) on the final turn and held off the fast-flying Western Shore (George Brennan) for a neck victory in 1:51.2. Noble Falcon (Tim Tetrick) finished third, just three-quarters of a length behind the winner.
Sent off as the 4-5 favorite, Winbak Speed paid $3.60. Driver Ron Pierce was in the sulky for his fifth win in the Presidential.
Winbak Speed was a $30,000 claim by Delaware-based trainer Wayne Givens of Seaford and Niel Gargiulo of Milford, Delaware last January at Dover Downs. The six-year-old son of Village Jove was originally a $15,000 SUNY Morrisville yearling purchase. Winbak Speed hit the board in 17 of 30 starts in 2008, winning seven races and $173,080.
Allamerican Idol also pulled off a series sweep as he held off the late charge of Lookout Hanover (Tim Tetrick) to win the co-featured $72,500 Complex Series Final for conditioned pacers.
Starting from Post 7, driver Brian Sears urged Allamerican Idol to the lead in a swift :26.3 opening quarter. Prize Art and Ron Pierce fired to the front next, but Sears retook command off a :55.1 half. Lookout Hanover drew closer with every stride in the stretch, but Allamerican Idol dug in gamely to hold him off by a head. Wildridge Sam (Yannick Gingras) closed off a third-over trip to grab the show spot.
Allamerican Idol is perfect in three starts this season and 15 for 55 lifetime. Tom Fanning trains the five-year-old Pro Bono Best-Art With Heart gelding for Joseph Smith of Vero Beach, Florida.
"No doubt, [Brian] Sears gets along with him well and gets a lot out of him," Fanning said. "He's been on the front now four or five times in a row, so he's getting a little hot. Maybe we'll give him some earplugs to get him to relax. I was pretty confident; I thought we could get the job done. He's got one more series, the Four Leaf Clover [begins March 7]. We may pick a spot or two against some better horses, we'll see how he is."
Engel Stable's Rocknroll Band prevailed by a half-length over a game Oliver Cleo (Brian Sears) in the $94,600 Clyde Hirt Stake, the first of the night's three stakes finals.
Driven by David Miller, Rocknroll Band took command from Not Quite Forty (Daniel Dube) around the first turn but quickly released Oliver Cleo down the blustery backstretch. Miller and Rocknroll Band waited for an opening, then soared home to a 1:52.4 victory. Red Star Catch (George Brennan) rallied for third.
"As soon as my horse got room, he took right off," Miller said. "He's been racing great and I expected him to do that. He's got a big heart and he loves to win. He can go fast a long way and he loves to win."
Trained by Ken Rucker, Rocknroll Band has now won 11 of 35 career starts and $164,839.
In regular racing action, Race Track Ruler lived up to his name winning the $33,000 Open Pace in wire-to-wire fashion.
Driven by David Miller, the Casie Coleman trainee laid down fractions of :28, :56.2 and 1:25.1 before holding off the favoured Bettor Sweet (Cat Manzi) by a head for the 9-1 upset in 1:51.2. Toucam Sam (Daniel Dube) rallied for third.
Owned by the Good Time Stables of West Islip, New York and John Campagnuolo of Loxahatchee, Florida, the six-year-old Lease On Life gelding now boasts 19 victories and $334,200 in earnings.
To view Saturday’s results, click here.
(With files from NJSEA)