Before the $45,000 Balanced Image Trot final at Hanover Raceway on Saturday, Aug. 24, driver Bob McClure explained the rationale behind his choice of Mark Etsell-trained elimination winners Sound N Vision and Shutter Green.
Given the race was taking place on a half-mile oval, and given the choice between a rail starter (Sound N Vision) and post five entrant (Shutter Green) with nearly identical resumes and records, statistics would lean that choice to the inside starter.
McClure went against the grain.
"He's got the five hole, the rail's not an easy spot, and I just think he's the better horse.," McClure told COSA TV's Greg Blanchard before the race. "He didn't go as fast last week, but he did it so easy. The other colt did it easy too, but from feeling them it just felt like mine was a bit stronger and a little handier."
The betting public threw their support behind Sound N Vision from the rail, but McClure's rationale proved prophetic.
Shutter Green got away in fourth from post five in the Balanced Image Trot but that quickly became third when fellow elim winner The Governor (Mike Whelan) got steppy and rolled offstride heading into the first turn. Sensing a slowing pace, McClure right-lined Shutter Green from third to confront Captain Suzuki (Doug McNair) on the lead and wrestle control through a :29.3 opening quarter.
First Class Rule (Todd Ratchford) started a first-over bid from the 1:00.4 half, but only get to the leader's wheel as Shutter Green stayed strong on top through a 1:31.1 third station. Down the stretch, Captain Suzuki had room up the rail to challenge but Shutter Green had enough left to hold off that bid by a half-length with the mile timed in 2:00.4. First Class Rule survived an inquiry to complete the triactor.
Mark Etsell trains and co-owns Shutter Green (Green Manalishi S - Perfect Summer K) along with Ontario-based Grant Turner of Georgetown, Peter Porter of Port Dover and Graham Hopkins of Chesley, Ont. The colt now sports a summary of 3-1-1 from five starts with $57,492 in earnings.
The Balanced Image card also featured a number of notable dashes on the undercard. Two of those were $20,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots races, the fourth leg for three-year-old pacing fillies. Greatest Pleasure ($2.50) was a wire-to-wire winner in 1:56, while Collusion Hanover ($2.30) prevailed in 1:56.2 by a half-length after a first-over grind. The winning fillies are both owned by Determination of Montreal, Que., are trained by Luc Blais, and were driven by Louis-Philippe Roy.
Hanover Raceway also hosted a pair of $10,000 invitational races in tribute of local connections with strong ties to the harness racing industry.
Gias Surreal ($3.70) delivered as the favourite in the $10,000 Gail Murray Invitational Pace, holding off a determined Sportsline (Ratchford) in a 1:55.1 mile that just missed the divisional track record by one fifth of a second.
Bob McClure engineered the winning effort for the millionaire pacing mare, who is trained by Don Lindsey for New York-based owners James Graham of Hamburg-Edward Peron of Syracuse and Lee Winters of Medina, N.Y.
Charmbo Prince ($9.70) made every call a winning one in the Walker Memorial Invitational Trot, teaming with driver J Harris for a confident 1:59.1 score to best The Great Reset (Lorne House) by a length.
After missing nearly all of 2023, Charmbo Prince picked up the fifth win of his seven-year-old campaign and 22nd lifetime tally to lift his career earnings just shy of $200,000 lifetime. Pam Forgie trains and co-owns the Royalty For Life gelding with David Wilkinson of Goderich, Ont.
The presentation of the Balanced Image card from COSA TV is available below.
For the results from Saturday's card of harness racing at Hanover Raceway, click the following link: Saturday Results - Hanover Raceway.
(Standardbred Canada)