After sitting off the pace behind quick fractions, John Littleton Jr.'s Fly High Cruiser soared around rivals in the final furlong to just nab Naturalborn Leader for a 1:50.1 score in the $12,329 top-level conditioned pacing feature that closed out the Rosecroft Raceway meet on Saturday, May 16.
Driver Trae Porter had 3-5 favourite Fly High Cruiser in sixth early as 60-1 outsider Gandalf The Bay (Russell Foster) set early fractions of :26 and :55 while shaded by pocket foe Naturalborn Leader (Eric Davis) and the first-over Sheer Terror (Jonathan Roberts) up the backstretch. After catching third-over cover nearing the 1:21.4 three-quarter juncture, Fly High Cruiser fanned four-wide off the turn for home and the four-year-old Yankee Cruiser-Letme Fly Low gelding shifted gears to best runner-up Naturalborn Leader, who lifted up the open stretch, by a neck. R N B Band (Frank Milby), who swung three-wide off cover midway on the final turn as Sheer Terror began to stall, finished third, another 1-3/4 lengths behind.
Michael Hall trains Fly High Cruiser, who has won both of Rosecroft starts this year and paid $3.20 to win.
Hall narrowly defeated Johnny Crites Jr. for top training honours at the Rosecroft meet, sealing the title with Fly High Cruiser's win in the finale. Hall ended the meet with 33 wins from 90 starts, good for $183,730 USD in purses, while Crites was second with 32 wins. Jerry Knock and William "Bib" Roberts tied for third with 15 wins apiece.
On the strength of a double on the 10-race, closing-night program, Jonathan Roberts captured top driving honours at the 33-night winter-spring harness racing meeting at Rosecroft, teaming 62 winners and amassing $355,355 USD in purses. Russell Foster (41) and William R. Carter (35) finished second and third, respectively.
Spring Blake was named the Horse of the Meet, amassing a record of eight wins, two second-place finishes and a third-place finish from 11 starts, all against Open company. The four-year-old Courtly Choice-Spring Break ridgling earned $54,660 USD at the meet for owner/trainer Johnny Crites Jr.
The Maryland harness racing circuit shifts to Ocean Downs for the summer before returning to Rosecroft in mid-September.
(With files from Rosecroft Raceway)