John Wagner’s Lolique upset heavily favoured Buck I St Pat in a $40,000 Invitational Trot Sunday afternoon
at Colonial Downs. The race was the richest non-Virginia bred event on Colonial’s fall calendar.
Buck I St Pat, sent off at odds of 1-9, came first over at the top of the stretch and seemed in perfect striking position to defeat four other trotters. Roger Hammer’s Vivid Photo, who had wins here in ’06 and ’07 in a similar race, cut the first three fractions in :28.3, 1:00.1 and 1:29.3 over a sloppy track on a cool, damp afternoon.
Buck I St Pat, with Tim Tetrick, the country’s top driver by purse earnings aboard, eased past Hammer’s tiring trotter with three-sixteenths left. Lolique, quietly trotting behind Buck I with a cover trip, surged past the six-year-old mare in deep stretch and crossed in 1:56 4/5.
Lolique, co-owned by Dr. Scott Woogen of Mechanicsville, VA, won for the fourth time in his last six starts. The 6-year-old Tagliabue gelding pushed his ’09 bankroll over the $260,000 mark with his twelfth win of the year and 27th lifetime triumph.
Buck I St Pat did get second while Man About Town took third. Vivid Photo hung on for fourth and R U Watching was fifth.
Colonial Downs is dark Monday, but will host a ten-race card of harness racing Tuesday at 5 PM.
(Colonial Downs)