Saturday night’s feature at Saratoga Casino Hotel was the $35,400 Gary Kamal Memorial Pacing Series Final.
Young pacers had two legs to gather points towards Saturday’s final and only one of the series’ participants swept those legs. Arch Hanover recorded 1:53.4 victories in each leg of the series and rode a five-race win streak into the final. In leg two, the Monica Krist trainee squared off in the stretch with New Zealand invader Kiwi Tintin N, who had been undefeated in three starts in the USA. Those two geldings did battle in the lane before Arch Hanover emerged victorious. Kiwi Tintin N drew post eight in that start, which served as his first defeat since the trek from Down Under.
What seemed last week to be Final preview proved to be just that as in Saturday’s rematch, the same two talent pacers slugged it out to the wire. Kiwi Tintin N cruised out to a relatively easy lead with Frank Coppola Jr. in the sulky. After clocking a first half in :56.3, the 2-5 betting favourite Kiwi Tintin N checked in at three-quarters in 1:25 as Arch Hanover (Billy Dobson) closed in. This week, Kiwi Tintin N had enough to hold off his rival and stopped the timer in 1:53.4 over a track labeled ‘good.’
Though Arch Hanover’s win streak was snapped, the four-year-old was a strong second in the final. Longshot Charlie Call Home (Pete Lancaster) came on to finish third and vaulted a chalky $7.20 exacta to a hefty $132.50 triple.
Kevin Quinn owns Kiwi Tintin N, a five-year-old Tintin In America gelding. The Paul Zabielski trainee added his name to the list of previous Gary Kamal Memorial Pace winners that is now comprised of Twin B Spy, Bell I No, Stirling Electra, Carolina Beach and Kiwi Tintin N.
(With files from Saratoga Casino Hotel)