Tough Call gobbled up the dueling leaders with a three-wide backside burst and went on to score in 1:56.4, fastest division of a $100,000 Pennsylvania Stallion Series stake for three-year-old colt and gelding trotters Friday at The Meadows
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The event was contested over five divisions, with Pretty Boy Lindy, Warrawee Lucky, Photo Rules and TSM Photo Bugger taking the other splits.
Tough Call found the going tough in PA Sires Stakes competition, earning checks but no victories. The Stallion Series was more to his liking, as he sat a comfortable fourth before trainer/driver Rick Beinhauer tipped him off the pylons. He scored by a widening five lengths over a trapped-in Nightime Flash, with Cabo Blue third.
“In the PASS, they can go a little bit more than he can go,” said Beinhauer who, with his wife Regina, owns the Tom Ridge-Luchita homebred. “There’s no sense chasing them. You don’t get any money doing that. He’s always been a nice colt, a big, growthy colt. He’s very sound right now. Hopefully, he’ll be good the rest of the year.”
With his decisive win, Tough Call lowered his lifetime mark by 2.2 seconds.
Pretty Boy Lindy sported a single career victory, a front-end effort in a Stallion Series event at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. On Friday, he showed that he can rough it as well, erasing a 6-1/2-length deficit with a determined first-over bid for Greg Grismore. He triumphed in 1:57, three lengths better than 3-2 favourite MMs Lucky Boy. The rallying Polar Rail was fourth-placed-third.
“He didn’t really get off the gate like I expected him to,” said Grismore, who fashioned a four-bagger on the 14-race card. “So I just took a seat and let things unfold. He was very willing. Every time I asked him for more trot, he responded, and that was a long first-over grind.”
Frank Antonacci trains Pretty Boy Lindy, a son of Cantab Hall-My Dollys Dream, for Lindy Racing Stable and Robert Rudolph.
Warrawee Lucky had been getting caught late, a problem trainer Don Wiest addressed by adding Lasix. Improvement was immediate, as Warrawee Lucky led wire-to-wire for Doug Snyder, prevailing in 1:57.3. Cimmaron Hall was second, two lengths in arrears, with Photo Sport third.
“He was definitely, definitely better,” Wiest said. “I don’t look for him to be a 1:54 trotter, but he’s good gaited. He’s never made a break, not even training. He’s handy and he can leave. He was a little short finishing, but now that we’ve fixed that problem, I think he’ll turn out to be a pretty nice horse.”
Wiest and his son David own the Tom Ridge-Warrawee Fourleaf gelding, a $15,000 yearling acquisition.
On Saturday, The Meadows hosts three divisions of a $257,132 PASS event for sophomore colt and gelding trotters.
(The Meadows)