When Blake North and Closing Statement met at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Aug. 11, Closing Statement was favoured, set the pace, but was caught in the stretch by pocket-sitting Blake North.
And when the two clashed again in Wednesday afternoon's (Sept. 11) $14,500 featured pace at the same venue, Closing Statement was again favoured, again set the pace – and again was caught in the lane out of the two-hole by Blake North, this time in 1:50.1.
Blake North left from post six in the field of eight for driver Tim Tetrick and looped the field, hitting the quarter in :27.2. Closing Statement proceeded forward and took the lead at the three-eighths and controlled middle splits of :55.3 and 1:22.4. But in the stretch, the victorious altered son of Dragon Again had enough to gain into a :27.2 final stanza, winning by three-quarters of a length over the chalk.
The win was a teaming of leading driver Tetrick and top trainer Gilbert Garcia-Owen. Blake North, a winner of $230,364, is owned by Gilbert Garcia-Herrera.
Trainer Marcus Melander unveiled yet another promising young trotter on the card in the Muscle Hill-Hall Of Face freshman filly Hall Of Am S, who won her debut in 1:56.3 despite the outside post eight. Coming off a 1:57.4 qualifier in preparation for her debut, Hall Of Am S posted a 7-3/4 length win in line to Tetrick for Courant Inc.
(PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)