Former Michigan champion Two Birds Onestone, with driver Jennifer Main, demolished his own week-old all-age track record in the $18,333 Open Pace at Northville Downs at Barry Expo Center on Tuesday, Sept. 30.
Two Birds Onestone left alertly from post five and settled on the lead. He and driver Jennifer Main never looked back through fractions of :27.4, :55.2, and 1:24.1 and powered away by a widening 4-3/4 lengths while stopping the timer in 1:53. Red Righthand Man N (Kody Massey), who held the record before Two Birds Onestone's effort a week ago, finished second. Rb (Ty Goodell) was third.
The mile established a new track record for any gait, sex, or age and also set a new mark for an aged pacing gelding at the Hastings, Mich. oval. Both records were lowered from the gelding's 1:54.2 win last out.
Two Birds Onestone is owned by Carl Putnam, Jr. and is trained by Steve Main. The five-year-old Black Daniels-She B Jeebeez gelding has now earned $365,491 and won 33 of 80 starts. He paid $6.20 to win.
Earlier on the program, Not Fake News ($3.80) lowered the record for a three-year-old gelding pacer by a fifth of a second to 1:59.3. The son of Manhardt-Lock Ups Galley had the lead through :28.4, :59.4, and 1:29.3 fractions and cruised to a 3-1/4-length victory over Man Of Time (Charles Taylor), followed by Topinabee (Massey). David Lake piloted Not Fake News for trainer Marvin Craft and owner Eugene Schrauben. The win was the gelding's sixth in 23 outings.
Celebrity Pegasus ($8) sliced more than a second off his previous track record for an aged trotting horse and established the newest all-trot record with Massey aboard for owner-trainer Samuel Eicher. The 13-year-old stallion cut the fractions of :29.3, :59, and 1:28.3 and was 5-3/4 lengths the best in 1:58.3. Travlin Swan (Art McIlmurray) was best of the rest, with Dovernout (Kim Pluta) third. The winner, a son of Andover Hall-Celebrity Athena, is now 58-for-234 lifetime. His previous record was 2:00. One of his offspring, Ripn Hero, also won on the card.
Racing Glory ($16.40) closed from a pocket trip to win and added her name to a now-three-way tie for the aged pacing mare track record of 1:56.4. She was behind Joyful Lady (Lake) through :29.2 and :58.2 fractions before Avalon Freeze (John Moody) cleared to the front. Racing Glory slid out before three-quarters in 1:27.2, then collared Avalon Freeze and won by a length over the closing Mother Mary (Brad Kramer). Avalon Freeze was third. Racing Glory, a Racing Hill-Rock For Glory mare with six wins in 33 career starts, is owned by Marjorie Deshetsky and trained by Kent Hess. She now shares the record with Avalon Freeze and Meadowbrook Lady.
Rankin lowered his previously-set track record for four-year-old trotting geldings from 1:59.1 to 1:58.4. Charles Taylor had him third at the quarter in :29.1, sent him first-up nearing the half in 1:00.1, and the gelding worked past Rose Run Vincent (Lake) at three-quarters in 1:30 and held off Peter The Con (Ed Hennessey) by a half-length to take the $18,333 Open Trot. Holton (Massey) completed the ticket. Rankin is a homebred for owner-trainer Judy Roegner. The son of Enterprise-Luvyaformiles is 26-for-60 in his career.
Trainer Taylor Hanna took his first career training win on the card. It was never in doubt down the stretch as Legend Air Rei ($21.60) widened his advantage to 5-1/2 lengths in a 2:02.1 maiden-breaking victory in his eighth try for Hanna. The three-year-old Bit Of A Legend N-Lila Rei gelding took 18 attempts to break his maiden, while his trainer tallied for this first time in 52 starts. Hanna, a 33-year-old Marshall, Mich. resident, has a win, a second, and three show finishes since his training debut in 2021.
Lake led all drivers on the afternoon with three wins while Taylor, Goodell, Tim Roach, and Massey each had two. Roach had a training double on the day as well.
Racing resumes on Wednesday at Northville Downs with a first-race post time of 1 p.m.
(With files from Northville Downs)