The field for the $25,000 championship of the Howard Beissinger Memorial Medley Trot is set, and it promises to be quite a contentious affair at the added distance of 1-1/4 miles.
Beissinger, a Hall Of Fame trainer-driver, won three Hambletonians and maintained his base of operations in Hamilton, Ohio—less than ten miles from Miami Valley Raceway—throughout his illustrious career.
Shake It Mary (Dan Noble) extended her win streak to four at Miami Valley with a 1:57 score in the first of two divisions on Friday (Feb 12) at one mile. The classy five-year-old daughter of Dontyouforgetit, trained by Sherif Cunmulaj for the Rushcreek Stables, surpassed the $150,000 earnings plateau with her 20th career triumph. She beat favoured Compelling (LeWayne Miller) and Lets Go Bucks (Jeremy Smith) by about a length. Majestic Brayden also advanced from this split to the final with a pair of fifth place finishes in preliminary legs.
The second division went considerably faster as Perfect Chapter AS (Chris Page) swept from sixth at the head of the stretch to a narrow 1:55 victory over three other contenders in the photo. Merci Monsieur AS (Kayne Kauffman), Say You Do (Brett Miller) and The Next Triumph (Trace Tetrick) were next across the finish, all earning the same clocking as the winner and all advancing to next week’s lucrative championship tilt. Pink Tulip (Jason Brewer), based on a third place finish in the first leg, will complete the competitive field in the final.
Perfect Chapter AS is trained by Ron Burke and owned by Burke Racing and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. The seven-year-old late-blooming son of Chapter Seven also is slightly over $200,000 in earnings.
Racing resumes Saturday at Miami Valley with two divisions of the Bill Dailey Memorial for pacers will be featured as well as a $22,000 Open Handicap Pace. Post time is 4:05 p.m.
(Miami Valley Raceway)