Driver John Campbell teamed up with trainer Scott Andrews to pull off a sweep of a pair of American National Stakes for two-year-old trotters on Wednesday night
at Balmoral Park.
Campbell clicked with elimination winner Southwind Moni in the first $70,000 final for fillies. The heavily favoured daughter of Andover Hall-Miss Goal left from Post 7 and swept three-wide around Canadian Justice (Eric Carlson) as she worked her way to the lead ahead of Fox Valley Velvet (Marcus Miller) through a :29.2 opening quarter. She cleared to the top during the second panel and was faced with pressure from pursuer Canadian Justice. That duel continued through the half in :58.4 and three-quarters in 1:28.3 before Southwind Moni edged away in the stretch. She opened up two and three-quarter lengths en route to the 1:58 truimph, shaving two-fifths of a second off her lifetime mark set last week. Fox Valley Velvet came in second at the rail with Canadian Justice fading to third.
Southwind Moni paid $2.40 to win for the second time in five career starts. Now a winner of $56,387 lifetime, the $30,000 Lexington Select Sale purchase is trained by Scott Andrews for owners Melvin Hartman of Ottawa, Ont., Chuck Sylvester and Neal Goldman of New Jersey, and Rodney Andrews of Massachusetts.
Campbell also reined home the winner of the $67,400 colt division for Andrews, owner Hartman and partners, Perretti Racing Stable LLC and SGS Partners of New Jersey and Connecticut's K R Breeding LLC.
That winner was One In A Million, a son of Donato Hanover-Moms Millionaire, who wore down pacesetter Big Chocolate in a career-best 1:56.2.
Big Chocolate (Homer Hochstetler) cleared the lead at the :29.3 opening quarter mark ahead of inside starter Duluth (D.R. Ackerman), and the 3-2 second choice proceeded to the half in :58.4 and three-quarters in 1:27.4. Meanwhile, Campbell sent favourite One In A Million first up from fourth at the half-mile marker and was just a length back as they entered the stretch. The popular colt went to work on the leader and got up in deep stretch to prevail by half a length. Big Chocolate was followed by Duluth, who trailed four and a quarter lengths behind in third.
One In A Million paid $3.80 to win. The victory was the $200,000 Lexington Select Sale purchase's third in four starts and lifted his bankroll to $50,516.