Headed in mid-stretch, Bettors Up dug gamely and put her nose in front at the wire in $68,300 Keystone Classic at The Meadows on Saturday, September 30. Terrortina pulled off a 6-1 upset of Freakonomics in the other division of the event for 3-year-old filly pacers.
Bettors Up entered the Keystone Classic off an impressive win in the Simcoe that persuaded punters to hammer her down to 1-9. But she needed every ounce of her grit and speed to reclaim the lead late from the first-over Sweetest Emotion and edge her in 1:52.2 for Brian Zendt. Pittstop Danika rallied for show.
“She’s little but she’s tough, and Brian gave her the perfect drive for what we wanted,” said Stacey Currie, caretaker for the daughter of Bettor’s Delight-Fresh Idea. “She just wants to fight them off every race. If they come at her, she just digs right in. She doesn’t want to give up.”
Bettors Up, who is ticketed for the Courageous Lady at Northfield, has earned $552,129 for trainer Scott McEneny and owners Bradley Grant, Teresa Davidson and Michelle McEneny.
Freakonomics carried a five-race winning streak into the Keystone Classic. But she was facing an improving filly in Terrortina, who was fifth in the Jugette final.
“At Delaware, she had a lot of pace and nowhere to go — we thought she could have been third,” said winning trainer Norm Parker. “She came out of it good. It looks like she liked the two heats.”
Tony Hall sent Terrortina after Freakonomics first up from fourth, and the daughter of Western Terror-Alladorable wore down the 1-5 favourite by a half length in a career-best 1:53. Perplexed finished third.
Rob Key bred and owns Terrortina, who extended her lifetime bankroll to $131,904. Parker indicated Terrortina is eligible to a number of late-season stakes but that her immediate schedule is undetermined.
In the $20,000 Winners Over $10,000 Life/Preferred Handicap Trot, Call For Justice overcame post eight to score in 1:54.4 for Dan Rawlings, trainer Ron Burke and owners Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. The five-year-old son of Justice Hall-Mike’s Mazurka now boasts $418,167 in career earnings.
Elsewhere on the card, Dapper Dude was sharp off a six-week layoff, moving three-wide down the backside to prevail in 1:51.1 in the $18,000 Winners Over $10,000 Life Handicap Pace and pad his bulging bankroll to $1,136,880. Dick Stillings piloted the eight-year-old son of The Panderosa-Dress To Suggest for trainer Bill Bercury and owner Renee Bercury.
(With files from The Meadows)