Trailing by 11 lengths at the half, Biggie stormed past the weary leader and broke his maiden in a stake-record 1:51.4 in Monday’s Pennsylvania Stallion Series event at The Meadows.
The event for two-year-old colt and gelding pacers was conducted over five divisions, with Toddler Tantrum, Nimble And Quick, Beach Ogre and Arts Dragon taking the other splits. Aaron Merriman fashioned a stake double with Toddler Tantrum and Nimble And Quick.
Biggie was 0-for-4 entering the stake and off his worst race, which was marred by an early break. But when the front-ending Tailgunner Hanover tired after a swift 1:22.1 three-quarters, Biggie blitzed by him for Tony Hall and kept on rolling, lowering by three ticks the previous stake mark of Somewhere In LA. Arthur Pendragon shook loose for second, 11-1/2 lengths back, with On The Gogh third.
“I figured we’d be following, and if everything worked out we’d be top three,” Hall said. “But when the fractions got mixed up like that, I figured that would definitely help him. I really didn’t expect him to have that much left. I don’t think he’s seen numbers like that.”
Ron Burke trains Biggie, a Somebeachsomewhere-Wenditions gelding, for J And T Silva Stables, TLP Stable and Deo Volente Farms. It was one of five wins for Hall on the 15-race card.
Toddler Tantrum lost a disagreement with Merriman in the stretch, yet it helped him score a half-length victory over Playlist Hanover in a career-best 1:53, with Cheapskate Hanover third.
“I wore a Murphy blind on him all year but took it off after the last start,” explained Tim Twaddle, who trains the son of Western Terror-Ubetterthink Think for Don Tiger and Birnam Wood Farms. “It looked to me like he wouldn’t come off that line — he wanted to go inside — but once Aaron got him out, he was perfect.”
Nimble And Quick captured his third straight stallion series win — he was second a neck in the opening leg — with a front-end jaunt in 1:53.1, fastest in the career of the Western Ideal-Cam Swifty gelding. The pocket-sitting Owen Hanover was second, 3-1/4 lengths back, while Twinspeak Hanover earned show.
“He was very little, and he was a little behind the other colts early,” said winning trainer Richard Ringler. ”So we accomplished a lot more with him than we thought we would three or four months ago. He’s turned into quite a little racehorse, so he’ll probably have a little more on his plate next year.”
Pat Lachance and M&M Harness Racing own Nimble And Quick.
In the $15,000 Winners Over $10,000 Life Trot, Monte Cristo Spur quarter-poled to the lead for trainer/driver Dick Stillings and sailed home in 1:53 – the fastest ever by a four-year-old trotting horse at the Meadows. The time eclipsed the previous mark of 1:53.2 held by Chips And Wings. Call To Post was 3-3/4 lengths back in second, with Summer Indian third.
Richard Davis owns the son of Cantab Hall-Sweet-Gabriella.
Tuesday’s program at The Meadows features the Tyler B, a $212,142 PASS for freshman colt and gelding pacers. First post is 12:55 p.m.
(The Meadows)