Vegas Rocks and I Am Will won mini-series finals in their respective claiming classes to highlight the Tuesday (Dec. 21) afternoon program at Hollywood Dayton Raceway.
In the $19,000 final of the two-week series for $10,000 claimers, Vegas Rock was an open-length 1:53 winner over PCs Expresso and Splended Party. It was the fifth-straight win for the nine-year-old son of Rocknroll Hanover, the seventh this year and 42nd in his career. It was just his first, however, for the partnership of Carl Howard, Bottom Line Racing and trainer Virgil Morgan Jr. as the partners plucked him out of the first leg of the mini-series just last week. Mitch Cushing drove the winner.
The $380,000 career winner employed front end tactics to capture the final. He returned $4.80 for a $2 win ticket.
Roan-coloured I Am Will and driver Jason Beattie bested Ks Boy and Itiswhatitis in the $9,000 purse final for the bottom $5,000 class of pacers at Hollywood Dayton. The 1:55.3 win was the sixth seasonal score for the 10-year-old son of Yankee Skyscraper and increased his 2021 bounty to $24,815 for owner-trainer Bobbie Jo Brewer. As a longshot, I Am Will split rivals in the stretch to produce a $43.20 win mutuel to his thrilled backers.
(Hollywood Dayton Raceway)