Now bound for the breeding shed in New Jersey, Six Pack capped his career with a track-record victory to nail trotting mare and 3-5 favourite Manchego in the $350,000 TVG Open Trot final at the Meadowlands on Saturday, Nov. 23.
Trainer-driver Ake Svanstedt slowly pushed the four-year-old Muscle Mass stallion for the front as Manchego, Guardian Angel As and Lindy The Great all barreled for the lead into the first turn. Guardian Angel As cleared command but Manchego bore in and hooked wheels briefly with Six Pack heading to a :26.3 first quarter. Six Pack kept Manchego parked to the backstretch and forced her to move for the front before a half timed in :53.4.
Svanstedt slowly took Six Pack off the pegs moving to the final turn. Manchego maintained command passing three-quarters in 1:22.4 as Guardian Angel As floated from the pocket and forced Six Pack to move three wide for the stretch drive.
Though stalled around the turn, Six Pack accelerated once straightened, ripping down the center of the course and past Manchego late to win in 1:50, a track record for four-year-old trotting stallions. Guardian Angel As finished third with the three-year-old invite Gimpanzee taking fourth.
“It was a perfect trip for him,” Svanstedt said after the race. “It was a fast first quarter and a fast first half so I thought I had a good chance to win.”
Racing 35 times, Six Pack retires with 19 victories, seven second and five thirds. He retires shy of $2 million in earnings for owners Ake Svanstedt, Little E LLC, Knutssontrotting, Stall Kalmar and Lawrence Berg. The TVG also marked the first time in over four months Six Pack drew a post close to the pylons.
“It’s unbelievable how bad the posts have been,” Jeff Gural, who co-owns Six Pack through Little E LLC, said after the race. “I think, had he gotten good posts, we’d be looking at the Trotter of the Year. If anybody watched the Breeders Crown—from the 10 against a really great horse [Bold Eagle] and he was parked every step of the way. [Bold Eagle] had the rail and got an easy trip but Ake was pretty confident tonight.”
Six Pack paid $5.00 to win.