Not even Post 10 could stop the white hot Slave Dream and Hall of Fame reinsman John Campbell from sweeping this year’s Hiram Woodruff Series
on Thursday evening at The Meadowlands.
The four-year-old son of Pearsall Hanover, who posted wins in 1:53 and 1:53.4 in the preliminary legs of the series, eked out a narrow victory in 1:53.2 for Quebec partners Franco Cianci of St. Laurent and Isidoro Russo of Montreal.
Slave Dream stepped off the gate and slid into the four-hole while Stood Alone, who was a 1:53.2 winner in the second leg of the series, shot to the lead and chopped out an opening quarter in :28 seconds. Stood Alone was pressured and overtaken by John Pauls Legacy right at the mid-way point in :55.4.
Slave Dream had tipped out and tracked John Pauls Legacy’s cover on the way to the half, but he was forced to do the first-over work against that rival around the final turn. The were side-by-side at the three-quarter pole in 1:24.3, and they continued their toe-to-toe battle all the way down the lane.
It took the photo finish camera to crown Slave Dream as the winner by a nose. John Pauls Legacy was a determined runner-up, with Captain Primeau rounding out the top three.
“I wasn’t sure if I was going to get there, the other horse [John Pauls Legacy] was racing really well,” said driver John Campbell. “This horse has raced tough the last few weeks and there’s no quit in him. If you could get him a little easier trip I’m sure he’ll trot faster; the last two times he’s had to come from first over. If he gets in with tougher horses and follows cover I think he’ll give a good account of himself.”
With the victory, Slave Dream improved his 2009 record to 6-2-2 in 10 starts. It was his 15th lifetime victory in just 31 trips to the starting gate. The lion’s share of the purse pushed his bankroll to $206,354.
(Quotes from The Meadowlands)
To view Thursday’s results, click here.