Three-year-old colt and gelding trotters faced off in Pennsylvania Sire Stakes (PASS) action at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows on Friday, May 9.
The Fix Is In ($28.40) pulled off a 13-1 upset in the first $72,961 division of the PASS leg known as the Hickory Smoke for trainer/driver Charlie Norris.
Sitting a slightly gapped fifth at the :57.4 half, Norris moved the gelded son of International Moni-Dew It Justice down the backside. After engaging leader Green Mel (Andy Miller) into the turn, The Fix Is In used a 27-second last quarter to gain a three-quarter-length victory over the favoured fast-closing pocket-sitter, Hey Porter (Dave Palone), in a new lifetime mark of 1:54.3. Longshot Bombay Tom (Mike Wilder) grabbed third over Green Mel.
“I felt if I could get him close late that he could trot home as well as anyone in this field,” said Norris of the The Fix Is In, a first-time stakes winner who is perfect in two sophomore starts and is now four-for-13 lifetime with more than $115,000 earned.
A $5,500 yearling purchase from the 2023 Lexington Selected Sale, The Fix Is In is owned by Pennsylvania's Carrie Norris and Max Hempt.
Big Shoes ($17) was a mild upset winner in the second $73,517 PASS division at 7-1 odds for driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr. and trainer Ron Burke.
Making his season's debut, Big Shoes raced covered up in fourth until near the 1:24.1 third quarter mark. Two lengths off the leader at the top of the stretch, Big Shoes took advantage of several uncertain steps by popular leader and defending Pennsylvania divisional champion Meshuggah (Dave Palone) to win by 1-1/2 lengths in a 1:52.4 lifetime-best effort. Arrowhead Hanover (Anthony MacDonald) rounded out the top three.
Burke confirmed what the teletimer showed: “He’s a fast horse. The speed has always been there. Keeping him focused is Wrenn’s job and he does it well.”
The Greenshoe-Witty Girl colt, a multiple Kentucky stakes winner as a freshman, is now five-for-12 with more than $240,000 banked for Pennsylvania partners Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi and Ohio breeder Knox Services.
In the first of four $27,778 Pennsylvania Stallion Series divisions on the day, driver Andy Miller put Gimlet Hanover on the lead through soft fractions and kicked home in :28.4 to win in 1:56.4 by three-quarters of a length. D.R. Ackerman owns and trains the Bar Hopping-Ginger Tree Bren gelding, who now has four wins in 12 lifetime starts.
Driver Brian Zendt put Aperol Hanover on the lead for the second week in a row, with both weeks resulting in lifetime-best 1:56.1 victories for the Bar Hopping-Anonyme Hanover gelding, who is owned in partnership by trainer Bill Zendt, Gary Saul and Barbara McCallister.
In the third Stallion Series division, Messenger Hanover and Ronnie Wrenn Jr. patiently worked their way to the lead and went on to win in 1:56.2. The grey colt, another son of Bar Hopping (dam Musetta Hanover), is trained by Ron Burke for owners Burke Racing Stable, Beasty, James Simpson and Jandt Silva - Purnel And Libby.
The final division was the fastest and the closest of the four. Aggressively sent from post four, Honolulu Hanover was able to get enough distance between himself and favourite Lefties Righties to hold a head advantage at the wire in 1:55.4 for driver Mike Wilder. Ron Burke also trains this son of Bar Hopping out of Holtby Hanover, a colt owned by Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, William Switala and James Martin.
Racing returns at The Meadows on Saturday with a 12-race card starting at 12:45 p.m.
(With files from Meadows Standardbred Owners Association; photo of Big Shoes)