Driver Brian Sears has pulled off some amazing feats over the course of his career, but on Saturday afternoon he pulled a rabbit out of his hat – or helmet if you prefer – when he rallied Zenith Stride to a startling upset in the $319,000 Peter Haughton Memorial.
Sent off at odds of 85-1, Zenith Stride tucked in fourth while Moonstone S marched to the lead for Tim Tetrick and produced an opening quarter clocked in :28. Type A was on the move in the backstretch for Yannick Gingras, and in a matter of strides those two had swept to gain the position of command.
Type A came under attack from a pumped up Moonstone S at the mid-way point in :57, with the latter charging up to reclaim the lead. When Moonstone S swept back to the top Type A rolled into a break. Moonstone S was still in command at the three-quarter pole in 1:25.3, but Sears revved up the engine on Zenith Stride at the head of the lane and the Mark Harder trainee sprinted to the lead and drew clear to win in 1:55.1 over Moonstone S and Venerate, in rein to Andy Miller.
"I liked this colt the first time I sat behind him," said driver Brian Sears. "He had a few issues, made a few breaks but I never lost confidence in him and I knew once he matured a little bit he'd come around and be the horse we thought he was."
Zenith Stride, who failed to hit the board in his first three assignments, races for owners Emilio and Maria Rosati of Luddenham, SC. The lion’s share of the purse bumped the youngster’s bankroll to $159,500.
The Peter Haughton 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.