After sweeping from last to first against conditioned company at Hiawatha last week, Heza Handy Man ($5.30) made the most of his trek up the coast of Lake Huron on Sunday (July 25), scoring as the 8-5 favourite in Clinton Raceway's $5,500 Preferred 3 Pace.
Trainer-driver Michael Horner rated the four-year-old son of Big Jim behind an early duel between Deadly Action (Marc St. Louis Jr.) and Easy Flyer before angling off the pegs just beyond a :28.4 first quarter. Upon entering the second turn, Heza Handy Man surged from third to first before pulling the half back to :58.2 and bracing for a stern first-over challenge from Maximus Power (Travis Henry) with three furlongs to go.
Maximus Power poked his head in front briefly on the backstretch, but Heza Handy Man did well to hold his ground, reclaiming control past three-quarters in 1:27.2 and using a :28.3 final split to repel the game Maximus Power by three-quarters of a length in 1:56. Deadly Action, another 6-3/4 lengths behind, finished third.
Owner Mark Horner bred Heza Handy Man, now a 12-time winner, in partnership with Stephanie Horner.
To view Sunday's full results, click the following link: Sunday Results – Clinton Raceway.