Fear The Dragon captured his second straight Pennsylvania Sires Stakes win on Wednesday (July 20) at The Meadows when he scorched a mile in 1:50.3, matching the track record for freshman pacing colts.
The $190,272 event for two-year-old colt and gelding pacers, known as the Albatross, was contested over four divisions with Western Joe, Downbytheseaside and Normandy Beach taking the other splits. Yannick Gingras won a pair of divisions with Western Joe and Normandy Beach while David Miller and trainer Brian Brown teamed to take the other two splits.
Fear The Dragon dropped into the pocket from the gate, but Miller had him out and moving before the half. Emerald Highlands Farm’s son of Dragon Again-Armbro Cinnamon had little trouble defeating the rallying Boogie Shuffle by two lengths, with RJP third.
“I could have sat in the two-hole,” Miller said, “but he was the heavy favourite, and I thought I’d go ahead and move him back to the front in case somebody came at us real hard. He gets over the ground real easy.”
The time matched Im Some Graduate’s track record established last year and shattered the stakes mark of 1:51.1 set last year by Manhattan Beach. It’s the fastest mile this year by a two-year-old colt pacer on a five-eighths-mile track.
Miller and Brown were at it again with Downbytheseaside, who zipped to the lead from post six and triumphed in 1:51, one and a half lengths better than Huntsville. Bettors Pick completed the ticket.
“He was a little keyed up behind the gate,” Miller reported. “He was hitting the bike a little bit behind the gate; that made it worse. He relaxed once he got to the lead.”
Country Club Acres, Joe Sbrocco and Richard Lombardo campaign Downbytheseaside, a son of Somebeachsomewhere-Sprig Hanover.
Western Joe quarter-poled to the top and drew off to prevail by four lengths in 1:53 for trainer Christopher Choate and owner Anthony Ruggeri. Emptythetill was second while Southwind Jenson earned show.
“I wanted to control it with easy fractions,” Gingras said of the son of Western Ideal-Ante Fay. “I figured I’d take my chances from there. He was really strong finishing. In the last eighth, he really exploded home.”
In the $20,000 Winners Over 10,000 Life/Preferred Handicap Trot, Tall Cotton parried the first-over bid of his stablemate, See The Wind, and defeated him by one and a quarter lengths in 1:53.1. Tamarind was third. Gingras drove for trainer Ron Burke and owners Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Edwin Gold and Howard Taylor. The 10-year-old Revenue S-B Cor Peatra gelding pushed his career bankroll to $763,770.
(With files from The Meadows)