Hes Got Swagger blew away a group of conditioned foes in front-stepping fashion to finish up the month of September at Grand River Raceway, but it was a two-hole trip that helped propel him to a second straight score in Tuesday’s $10,000 Preferred 3 for horse and gelding pacers at The Raceway at Western Fair District.
With Travis Cullen at the lines, Hes Got Swagger snuck his way into the two-hole while A Positive Hanover pushed out hard from the rail and secured the early lead. He went on to slice out splits of :28, :57 and 1:25, but he couldn’t seal the deal. Instead, it was Hes Got Swagger who used a :29.2 final frame to post the half-length triumph over Outlawgrabbingears in 1:54.4. YS Lotus took home the show dough in the eight-horse affair.
The six-year-old son of Vintage Master-Bubbles Promise, who is owned by Cullen and trainer Rachel Andrew, improved this year’s record to 4-1-2 from 18 trips to the track. The 37-time winner bumped his lifetime earnings to $186,699 with the win.
The opening leg of the Autumn Series for two- and three-year-old trotting fillies also went postward as part of Tuesday’s proceedings, and the ageless Bill Megens guided Denise to a 2:04.3 triumph in the lone division for a purse of $8,500.
Megens put the three-year-old daughter of Angus Hall-Musclemaya on the lead from Post 1 and together they led the field through fractions of :31.1, 1:03 and 1:33.1 before using a :31.2 final frame to seal the deal by 2-1/4 lengths. Epic Thrill was next best, while race favourite Luna Seelster settled for the show dough.
Denise, who didn’t race as a rookie, snapped an 0-for-13 start to her career by posting the comfortable victory. She’s managed to stash away over $13,000 to date for owner/breeder/trainer/driver Megens.
To view results for Tuesday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Tuesday Results – The Raceway at Western Fair District.