Majestic Player A certainly has enjoyed his first month of American racing. After a 'head' defeat in his first U.S. start on February 4, the six-year-old Australian-bred gelding has reeled off three consecutive wins in Miami Valley Raceway’s weekly Open Handicap Trot.
With his 1:53.4 score on Tuesday (Feb. 25), Majestic Player A increased his earnings for the month to $41,250 for his owners Jeffrey Fought, Brian Carsey and Casey Myers. The son of Majestic Son, who banked less than $100,000 in three years of racing Down Under, has earned a well-deserved one week vacation from the racing wars at Miami Valley due to his three-consecutive Open Handicap victories. He has adapted well to American racing under the handling of trainer Walter Haynes Jr.
In the latest romp, Majestic Player A and driver Brett Miller marched directly to the front of the field and had no anxious moments while cruising through fractions of :28.1, :57.3 and 1:25.2 before sealing the deal with a :28.2 final quarter. Sweet Mr Pinetucky got a two-hole trip the entire way but never could mount a serious threat to the winner. Northern Skyway was best of the rest in the seven-horse field.
A pair of first leg divisions of the Ray Paver Sr. Memorial Series for trotters who are non-winners of four races or $40,000 lifetime also went postward on Tuesday. The first split went to B Threeseven and driver Sandy Beatty, who topped Forget It Im Crazy by four lengths in 1:56.2. Stonebridge Symba finished third. Beatty also trains the five-year-old son of Chapter Seven for owner Ben Robards.
Feel Invincible AS and driver Chris Page copped the other division with a 1:57.2 gate-to-wire tally over Serene Hall and Wrapped In Rubies. The Paver Memorial score gave Page his third success on the matinee program. Anette Lorentzon trains the four-year-old Broadway Hall mare for the ACI Stuteri Ab Stable of Kentucky and their partner Johansson of Sweden.
(Miami Valley Raceway)