Driver Brian Sears showed an incredible amount of patience and trust in piloting Gimpanzee to a stakes record-equalling performance in the $291,350 John Cashman Memorial.
Something else Sears did was catapult his own lifetime earnings past $200 million with the come-from-behind triumph in the rich trotting affair.
Gimpanzee got away seventh in the 10-horse affair while Guardian Angel AS and driver Tim Tetrick battled with Atlanta and reinsman Yannick Gingras to the opening quarter in :26.3. Atlanta eventually muscled her way to the lead and went on to post middle fractions of :54.1 and 1:22.1.
Lindy The Great and driver Andy Miller prompted Atlanta to the three-quarter pole while racing first over, but the battle took its toll on the pair of them. Sears, who was positioned third over turning for home, fed Gimpanzee racetrack as the field moved into the stretch, and after being put to a driver Gimpanzee motored to the lead and froze the teletimer in 1:50. Lindy The Great wound up second, while Soul Strong and teamster Dexter Dunn came on late to finish third.
It was the fifth consecutive win for the Marcus Melander trainee, who races for Courant Inc and SRF Stable. The four-year-old son of Chapter Seven-Steamy Windows is a 22-time winner with earnings in excess of $2.3 million.
The John Cashman Memorial is one of many stakes contested on the Hambletonian Day card at The Meadowlands. Read about the rest of the action in the Hambletonian Day News Centre.