With Brian Sears at the reins, Arch Madness posted a stakes record with his eye-catching victory in the $728,600 Maple Leaf Trot at Mohawk Racetrack.
The four-year-old son of Balanced Image sat in the four-hole as Enough Talk (Luc Ouellette) posted brisk fractions of :26.2 and :54.4. At the half, Sears tipped his charge out and found cover in the form of Corleone Kosmos (John Campbell) as they approached the third quarter mark in 1:23.
Sears and Arch Madness rolled off a sweet second-over ride in the stretch for the win in 1:52 by two and a half lengths. Enough Talk finished second and Armbro Chronicle (Mike Saftic) got up for third.
The time lowered the stakes record previously held by Mr Muscleman.
Arch Madness - Maple Leaf Trot
"I loved the way things were shaping up (race-wise)," said Sears in a post race interview. "This horse, the way he scored down tonight, he felt tremendous. I look forward to racing him again next year. I think he's going to be a lot of fun."
Arch Madness now sports a record of three wins and five seconds in 10 starts this year. He was the runner-up in the Breeders Crown, Nat Ray, a Classic Series final, and the Titan Cup.
The bay gelding, who is trained by Trond Smedshammer and owned by Marc Goldberg of Woodmere and Willow Pond LLC of Hewlett, New York, increased his bankroll to $1,651,101.
To view Saturday's results, click here.