After his recent upset victory over Greenshoe in the $500,000 final of the Earl Beal Jr. Memorial, Marseille has cracked the Top 10 in Week 7 of Ken Warkentin's ‘Road to the Hambletonian.’
Trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt hustled 57-1 shot Marseille to the lead from Post 7 in the Beal, and together they carved out fractions of :26.2, :57 and 1:24.4. Brian Sears, in the meantime, had Greenshoe tracking cover from third over around the final turn. Greenshoe stormed home in :27.1 despite suffering late interference from the breaking Osterc, but Marseille’s individual final quarter of :27.4 was enough to earn him the head decision over the 1-9 favourite Greenshoe in 1:52.3. Green Manalishi S was third.
“My chance to be second in this race was to leave fast and maybe come behind Greenshoe,” said Svanstedt. “But he never came, so then it was just to go to the front.”
Ake Svanstedt Inc., Order By Stable and Howard Taylor share ownership on the three-year-old son of Muscle Hill-Order By Wish. The colt won for the first time this season and for just the second time in his career. The lightly-raced sophomore saw his bankroll climb to $317,758 with the victory.
Regardless of his defeat, Greenshoe remains atop the Week 7 rankings.
The 2019 Hambletonian will be contested at the Meadowlands Racetrack on Saturday, August 3.
Week 7 of Ken Warkentin's Road to the Hambletonian appears below.