Robert Key’s homebred three-year-old trotting colt Ice Machine won the $160,850 Dexter Cup on Saturday at Freehold Raceway with David Miller in the bike
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Ice Machine’s 1:57.3 victory marked the first Dexter Cup win for trainer Charlie Norris and second in a row for David Miller. Miller won last year’s event with Flex The Muscle.
Ice Machine got away fifth but cleared at the three-quarter pole and never looked back to take the 52nd edition of the Dexter Cup. Post time favourite Marcus Bi and Daniel Dube were interfered with at the start but recovered to finish second. Andy Miller guided Justa Jersey Boy to a third-place finish.
The Dexter is considered the first race on the road to the Hambletonian. The last time a Dexter winner also won the Hambletonian was in 1993 when American Winner took the crown. American Winner was also owned by Robert Key.
Ice Machine was one of six horses entered in the race who are Hambletonian eligible.
The winner returned $5.40 and sparked an exacta of $17.00 and a trifecta of $60.80.
(With files from Freehold Raceway)