On the heels of a 1:58.2 first-round win, Richard Hans' homebred And Just Like That became the fastest ever two-year-old trotting filly in the history of Rosecroft Raceway with a devastating 1:55 victory in her $13,889 second-round Maryland Sire Stakes preliminary event on Monday, Sept. 29.
In line to Johnathan Ahle, And Just Like That led runner-up Progressivekathy (Russell Foster) by open lengths through splits of :28.4, :57.3 and 1:25.4 before a :29.1 final sectional left her 12-1/4 lengths clear of Progressivekathy for her fifth win from six career starts. The final time of 1:55 took one and one-fifth of a second off the previous divisional track record, set by U.S. Hall of Famer CR Kay Suzie in 1994.
Yhe Betting Gangster S-Gooreatness filly went over $100,000 in career earnings and she carries a five-race win streak into next week's Maryland Sire Stakes fall championship.
Better Gon ran his career undefeated record to six-for-six with a 1:56.3 win in the first split for two-year-old male pacers. Russell Foster rated the More The Better N-Graygon gelding through splits of :28.3, :58.2 and 1:27.2 before steadily pulling clear in the home straight to defeat Michelles Kyle (Jared Moyer) by 5-3/4 lengths. Adrain Wisher Jr. trains the earner of $111,712 for Frederick Weitz Jr.
Inca Social and Roger Plante Jr. stalked patiently from third before emerging in the stretch to take the other male pacing split, edging pocket rival Dapperfly by three-quarters of a length in 1:56.3. Howard Birney owns and trains the Nuclear Breeze-Toms Twinkle gelding, who also swept his preliminary divisions.
Thatsloveto became a repeat winner in the two-year-old pacing filly bracket by way of a front-end 1:56.4 score over Im Feeling Spicy. Ahle drove the Dapper Dude-I Cant Stoplovinu filly to her third career win for owner, trainer and breeder Dominik Miga.
Miss Vals Way captured the other filly pace, stalking fast fractions before emerging in the stretch to win in 1:56 over More Than Better. Plante drove the More The Better N-Miss Valerie filly to her second career win for trainer Steve LeBlanc and the partnership of LeBlanc Racing, William Lutz Jr. and Count De Money Stable.
Flyin Wizard and Corey Braden rounded out the sextet of Sire Stakes winners on the program, holding off a late charge from 1-20 favourite Booger Bear by a neck for a maiden-breaking 1:58.4 victory. Ron Millman trains the Il Mago-Parker Fly gelding for owner Scott Woogen.
The Maryland Sire Stakes fall championships for two-year-olds, which will go for an estimated $95,000 USD per division, are scheduled for next Monday, Oct. 6.
Live harness racing returns to Rosecroft on Thursday, Oct. 2 with a $3,392.71 carryover in the Jackpot Hi-5, offered in race 10. First post for the 13-race card is 7:15 p.m.
(Rosecroft Raceway)