Adrian Hanover thwarted the determined challenge of Big Top Hanover and went on to score in a career-best 1:49.4 in Saturday’s lucrative Pennsylvania Sires Stakes for three-year-old colt and gelding pacers at The Meadows.
The time matched the fastest this year by a three-year-old male pacer on a five-eighths-mile track. Another Daily Copy pulled off a 20-1 upset in the other division of the stake known as the Bye Bye Byrd.
Adrian Hanover quarter-poled to the lead for Dave Palone — just where Chris Oakes, who trains Adrian Hanover for John Craig, didn’t want him.
“I talked to Chris five minutes before the race,” Palone indicated, “and Chris said, ‘I wouldn’t put him on the lead.’ But I ended up getting away third, and I thought my best shot was to control it.”
When the well-meant Big Top Hanover and Yannick Gingras came after him, the son of Somebeachsomewhere-Artaffection turned him back and defeated him by three and a half lengths, with Manhattan Beach third.
“He really didn’t mind the pressure,” Palone said. “He’s lazy, and as soon as Yannick came to him, it helped my cause. He got back up in the bit and paced home real strong.”
Another Daily Copy, who had been racing almost exclusively on the front end of late, found the pocket trip Tony Hall gave him to his liking. He zipped by the leader, 4-5 favourite Check Six, in the stretch and downed him by a neck in 1:50, a lifetime mark. JK Will Power earned show. With the win, Another Daily Copy soared over $100,000 in career earnings.
“He had a little breather today,” said Nicholas DeVita, who conditions the homebred son of Somebeachsomewhere-Court Stenographer for owner/breeder Carl Sackheim. “Plus he had a nice horse doing all the hard work for him. At two, he had allergies and tying-up problems, but he got better as he matured. He’s staked to everything, so we’ll play it by ear.”
$100,000 PA Stallion Series - Three-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Pacers
In Saturday’s co-feature, Power Of A Cruiser equalled the stakes record of 1:50.3 with a front-end triumph from post eight. Also taking $20,000 splits were Fashion Bythebeach, Good Living, Don McWhite and Rip This Joint. Tim Tetrick (Power Of A Cruiser, Fashion Bythebeach, Good Living) and Hall (Don McWhite, Rip This Joint) swept the five divisions.
Despite the unfavourable post, Power Of A Cruiser, a Yankee Cruiser-Power Of Thunder gelding, opened a commanding lead for Tetrick, trainer Les Givens and owner/breeder Michael Horsey, defeating the first-over Duke Of Delray by four and a half lengths. McDave was third.
“He’s been showing speed,” Tetrick said. “When I got to cut it, he raced a really good mile.”
Fashion Bythebeach also scored on the front end, holding off JJ Flynn by a neck in 1:52. Hollyrock Heyden completed the ticket.
“He has extreme speed, but his head’s not where it should be,” said Vince Copeland, who trains the Somebeachsomewhere-Don’tknocktherock gelding, a $27,000 yearling acquisition, for David D. Miller. “He has a bit of an attitude. He wanted to kick Tim out of the bike during the post parade — he hadn’t tried that with me. If I can put a flip-up bridle where he can see horses coming at him, I think he’ll be a lot better.”
The Cancelliere brothers, John and Tom, have made big noise at many yearling auctions, but only once have they signed the ticket for a weanling, a Western Ideal-Artomatic brother to their millionaire performer Western Shore.
“We gave $14,500 for him,” Tom Cancelliere said. “We threw him out in the field for a year and started breaking him with the other ones last year. He’s very green. On the front end today, he was on and off the gas, on and off the gas. He doesn’t realize that he just has to go. He'll go to the sires stakes next.”
That youngster, named Good Living, justified the brothers’ patience Saturday when he scored on the lead in a career-fastest 1:51.1. Yankee Artillery was second, two lengths in arrears, with Blake North third.
Change of Plans for Foiled Again
Elsewhere on the program, the $18,000 Preferred Handicap Pace marked a homecoming for Foiled Again, harness racing’s all-time richest pacer with more than $7.3 million on his card. The gallant 12-year-old gelding hadn’t raced at The Meadows, the home track of his connections, in about three years. But his rivals spoiled the party, parking him for nearly three-eighths before he reached the front. Unlocked nosed out Dapper Dude for the win in 1:51.1, with Foiled Again a neck back in third.
Now winless in nine outings this year, Foiled Again had been targeting the Roll With Joe at Tioga Downs, but Saturday’s race caused trainer Ron Burke to modify those plans.
“I thought he was all right,” Burke said. “We may have to change his whole racing style. He might have to become a closer because he doesn’t have quite the quick speed he used to have, and he gets himself in bad spots...He’ll continue to race. I talked with my partners, and we’re leaning to keeping him here [at The Meadows] and race him here another start or two until I see if I can get him to pick it up a little bit.”
(With files from The Meadows)