Front-stepper Part Shark held on by a neck to win Hiawatha Horse Park’s featured $13,500 Preferred Pace with Gene Piroski aboard on Saturday night
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Part Shark used the inside post position to his advantage firing to the lead and putting up a :26.2 opener before taking a breather. The 5-2 favourite was at the half in :56.1 and faced heavy pressure from Greystone Cash (Mike Sumner) past the three-quarters mark in 1:23.2. Part Shark dug in and regained a one-length lead but a quick-closing Prince Val (Brad Forward) narrowed his margin of victory at the wire. Part Shark won for the fourth time in 18 starts this year in a season’s best 1:52.3. Greystone Cash finished a half-length behind in third.
Wayne Preszcator trains the winner of nine races and $152,910 for the Secret Weapon Stables of Waterloo, ON.
One race prior in the $10,000 Preferred 2 Pace, The Comedian rallied from off the pace to give Hiawatha's leading driver, Brad Forward, one of his five wins on the 12-race card.
S F Midas (Kevin Wallis) gave way to favourite Grand Bend Turbo (Mark Pezzarello) past the :26.4 opening quarter while The Comedian watched the action from sixth. After a :55.2 half, Forward had the five-year-old son of Real Desire-Hilarious on the move and was up to third at the 1:24 third quarter mark. He continued to close in on the leader and take over using a :28.4 final frame. The Comedian won for the second time this season in six outings by 2-1/4 lengths in 1:53 over S F Midas and Grand Bend Turbo.
Travis Alexander trains the winner of 13 races, who went over the $100,000 mark in lifetime earnings, for co-owners Mary Kratz of Manchester, Michigan and Kurt Kratz of Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
Forward also won with Leafs And Wings (1:55) for trainer Mike Rogers, Good Long Life (1:56.2) for Sandra Spencer, St Lads Rave (1:56.1) for Chris Haskell and Blue Martini (1:57.1) for Ashley Nostadt.
To view Saturday's results, click here.