About eight months ago, Dejarmbro suffered the ignominy of going off-stride as the favourite at the Breeders Crown at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. On Saturday night, he exorcised those demons
and then some.
In the first ever Earl Beal Jr. Memorial for three-year-old trotters, Dejarmbro absolutely dominated in front-running style to win in a time that matched the world record for three-year-old trotting colts.
The race honours the late Earl Beal Jr., an influential figure behind the scenes in Pennsylvania harness racing for decades. Beal Jr. had an affinity for the trotters, which is why they were chosen to compete in this memorial race.
Driver Dave Palone, who was a last-minute replacement for trainer Trond Smedshammer aboard Dejarmbro, sent the colt to the front end at the three-eighths mark in front of Pastor Stephen. That was the last lead change of the race, as he continued to race without any pressure on the outside from that point on.
In the stretch, Palone asked his horse for more for the first time and he responded, trotting away from a defenseless Pastor Stephen to win by two and three-quarter lengths. The winning time of 1:52.2 matched the track and world record for three-year-trotting colts on a five-eighths mile oval, which was set last year at Pocono in the Breeders Crown by Break The Bank K. Pastor Stephen had to settle for second while Braod Bahn picked up the show.
Palone was shocked by his late assignment as the driver.
“I answered the phone and there’s a Scandanavian guy screaming at me through the receiver,” he said, referring to Smedshammer.
It turned out to be a lucrative call though, as Palone said about his drive aboard Dejarmbro, “I never felt any pressure.”
Dejarmbro, sired by Credit Winner and owned by Purple Haze Stables LLC of Fairport, New York, won for the fourth time in five tries this season. With his career earnings boosted to $576,580 with his 12th career victory out of 16 races, the colt now stamps himself as the favourite for the upcoming spate of big-stakes trots coming up. He is not Hambletonian eligible.
(Pocono Downs)