A snowstorm is the only thing has been able to keep pacer Awesomeness out of the winner’s circle in recent weeks for owner Martin Scharf.
The four-year-old son of Mach Three-Fancy A Dream blew away the competition in the opening leg of the Sagamore Hill Series at Yonkers Raceway on March 7, but he got to stay home last week when the track cancelled its card due to a winter storm.
Awesomeness, who was let go at odds of 1-2, got away fourth in Tuesday’s $20,000 assignment for driver Scott Zeron before making a first over bid on the way to the three-quarter pole. The Aaron Lambert pupil made a bold rush to the lead in the late stages of the mile and his :28-second final quarter propelled him to the win by 1-1/2 lengths over Artmagic in 1:53.3. Show The Fashion was third.
The victory improved the pacer’s 2017 record to 6-1-0 from seven starts and it pushed his lifetime record to 11-5-0 from just 17 trips to the track. The talented gelding upped his career earnings to $134,300 with the victory.
Other repeat winners in the series were Never Say Never N and Prejudice, while Sure Fired Bet improved on a fourth-place finish in his opening leg assignment by coming up with an impressive win in Tuesday’s first division.
Never Say Never N was a wire-to-wire winner in 1:54 for the tandem of driver Jason Bartlett and trainer Heidi Rohr. The odds-on favourite bested Magical Cowboy and Wishiwasagigolo.
Prejudice also produced a coast-to-coast win in his division for the team of driver Jordan Stratton and Joseph De Carlo. The pacer threw down panels of :27.3, :57 and 1:25.2 before scooting home in :28.2 to stop the teletimer in 1:53.4. Next best were Stirling Escort and Machiavelli.
Sure Fired Bet overcame early interference en route to rallying to a 1:54.2 triumph in his division for driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Andrew Harris. Sent off at odds of 6-1, the pacer came first-over going to the three-quarter pole and simply drew off to an easy win by 2-1/2 lengths over Dakota Jack. Rock Power was third.