Yes Mickey closed along the pylons to defeat the award-winning filly Ariana G at the finish line for a 34-1 upset in the $320,000 Dr. Harry M. Zweig Memorial Trot on Friday night (August 18) at Vernon Downs. Trainer Ake Svanstedt swept the Zweig stakes, with his stable's Evelyn and driver Andy Miller also winning the $135,000 filly division.
Svanstedt was in the bike behind Yes Mickey and left out from post three with Ariana G (Yannick Gingras) settling in behind while Long Tom (Brett Miller) advanced outside to take the lead into the first turn.
Long Tom clocked the opening quarter in :26.4 over a sloppy track before Ariana G swept to command down the backstretch, reaching the half in :55.1 and then three-quarters in 1:23.3.
In the stretch, Long Tom tipped out with Devious Man (Andy Miller) rallying out three-wide, but the leading lady's biggest threat was looming in behind. Yes Mickey closed inside of Ariana G and surged ahead as the wire approached to win by a quarter-length in 1:51.2. The time of the mile was just one-fifth of a second off the track record for three-year-old trotting geldings. Devious Man finished two and a half lengths behind in third.
A one-time starter as a freshman, Yes Mickey earned his second win to go along with six runner-up finishes in nine starts this year.
"He's a very nice trotter, but it has been hard for him to win races -- he always finishes second -- but today was the right race to win," said Svanstedt, who trains the Muscle Hill-My Favorite Chip gelding for owner Mellby Gard Inc. "He was very good the whole race and when I was free on the inside, he did it easy."
A $2 win ticket on Yes Mickey returned $71.
In the $135,000 Zweig filly division the race prior, Evelyn slipped out the pocket in the stretch and overtook the popular pacesetter Feed Your Head to win.
The Svanstedt-trained Evelyn and driver Andy Miller left from post three with 3-2 favourite Feed Your Head (Yannick Gingras) forging ahead through a :27 opener. The bettors' choice cleared to command past the first quarter mark with Sunshine Delight (Brett Miller) parked from post eight and Celebrity Ruth (Jason Bartlett) tipping out on cover towards the half.
Feed Your Head remained clear on top through middle splits of :57 and 1:25.4 while Evelyn bided her time in the pocket spot before finding room to split horses in the stretch and trot by Feed Your Head for the 1:54.1 victory. Sunshine Delight finished second closing to her outside a length back while Feed Your Head settled for third.
"I felt really good except I was a little claustrophobic looking for a little room," said Miller after the race. "She felt really good, I was just kind of waiting, biding my time to get a little room there, and when she got room, she took off."
Fresh off her first victory of the season in the Duenna Stakes, Evelyn paid $16 to win.
The Muscle Hill-Viva Las Lindy filly is owned by Ake Svanstedt Inc., Little E LLC, Borje Nasstrom and Silva Stable 45.
Trainer Frank Antonacci and driver Scott Zeron swept the Zweig Consolations with Fred Monteleone Stable's Ostrich Blue Chip going wire-to-wire in the $28,220 filly event in 1:55.1 and Lindy The Great prevailing in the $70,000 open division in 1:52.2 by half a length over Fly On for owner/breeder K R Breeding LLC.
Friday's undercard included a trio of $37,266 New York Sire Stakes divisions for two-year-old pacing colts which were won by: the Chris Oakes-trained Hitman Hill (American Ideal-Fox Valley Shaker) and Brett Miller in a career-best 1:50.4; the Linda Toscano stable's Casual Cool (American Ideal-Sight To See) and Jason Bartlett in a new lifetime mark of 1:52.2; and Mr Profeta (Roll With Joe-Simply Liz) in 1:54 with Scott Zeron driving for trainer Roland Mallar.