A pair of upsets in the three-year-old trotting filly ranks had people scratching their heads Sunday, April 29 at Balmoral Park, as two divisions of the $10,000 Koochie Stakes were contested
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In the first split, the Delbert Burkett-trained and Dean Magee-driven Gumcorner Hustle came up with the best effort of her life, as she fought back gamely in the lane to win by a half-length in 2:00 for driver Dean Magee. The homebred filly was overlooked at the betting windows returning a hefty $46.40, $10.00, $3.20 across the board in her maiden-breaking victory.
After rains turned the track into a muddy mess for the second division, Michael Reading and his trainee B Fly McQueen, racing at odds of 7-1, shook loose late after a ground-saving journey, and uncorked a :28.4 final quarter to rally for a half-length triumph in 2:00.3 over the 'sloppy' surface. Continuing with the longshot theme of the night, B Fly McQueen returned $17.60, $5.60 and $2.20 across the board.
In the final dash of the night, 25-1 outsider Winthisone Hanover led a parade of longshots home in the 10-cent Hi-Five. With no winning tickets on the combination of 5-9-3-10-1 (35-1, 50-1, 10-1 and 30-1) a total of $18,490.93 will be added to the pool on Wednesday, May 2. That led the USTA and Balmorals management to announce that Wednesday’s Hi-Five will carry a guaranteed pool of $50,000. The 10 cent Hi-Five wager is always on the final race of the night at Balmoral Park.
(With files from Balmoral)