by Ken Weingartner, USTA Media Relations Manager

Chester, PA — Will Take Charge used a sustained first-over drive to overtake leader Crazy Wow around the final turn and held off favorite Marion Marauder in the stretch to win Sunday’s (May 27) $150,000 Maxie Lee Memorial Invitational for older trotters in a world-record-equaling 1:50.3 at Harrah’s Philadelphia.

Marion Marauder finished second, one length back. Crazy Wow, the event’s defending champion, was third. The winning time equaled the world record for a gelded older trotter on a five-eighths-mile oval, set by Sevruga in 2013.

Will Take Charge held off favorite Marion Marauder in the stretch to win Sunday’s $150,000 Maxie Lee Memorial Invitational for older trotters in a world-record-equaling 1:50.3.

Will Take Charge, driven by Tim Tetrick, was in fourth place behind Crazy Wow, Tuonoblu Rex and I Know My Chip when the field hit the opening quarter in :26.4. Tetrick moved Will Take Charge to the outside prior to the halfway point, leading the outside flow with Warrawee Roo, Marion Marauder and Broadway Donna following his cover.

Crazy Wow remained in front at the half, in :54.4, and three-quarters, in 1:22.4, before yielding to Will Take Charge.

“I got away in a tough spot where I knew I was going to be first up,” Tetrick said. “If I’d just pushed a little harder I might have been in the two or three hole and then maybe moved back to the front. But my horse raced really good. When (Warrawee Roo) left I had to come kind of early, but I knew I’d kept Marion Marauder one horse back from me. My horse raced first up from the quarter-pole on in a record time, so it was pretty special.”

Will Take Charge, a son of Kadabra out of Celebrity Angel, is a 5-year-old gelding owned by Mac Nichol and trained by Jeff Gillis. The horse has won six of 11 races this year and earned $205,268.

Nichol purchased the horse in November. The gelding was previously trained by John Bax and was runner-up in the Ontario Sire Stakes championships at ages 2 and 3. For his career, Will Take Charge has won 18 of 61 races, going 9-for-15 with Gillis, and earned $636,169.

USTA/Ken Weingartner photos

Will Take Charge’s connections celebrate his victory in the winner’s circle.

Will Take Charge made a splash with his seasonal stakes debut on May 5 by finishing second to defending Horse of the Year Hannelore Hanover in the Cutler Memorial at the Meadowlands. In his start prior to the Maxie Lee, the gelding made a four-wide move around the final turn at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono to complete a last-to-first rally after a few missteps at the beginning of the race.

“My horse coming into (the Maxie Lee) in his last two was awesome,” Tetrick said. “His last race at Pocono, horses just don’t do that. He did it with the ear plugs in, so I knew he was going to give me a good race today.”

Tetrick has won the Maxie Lee on five occasions. Will Take Charge paid $7.40 to win as the 5-2 second choice.

Earlier on the card, defending Horse of the Year Hannelore Hanover won a leg of the Great Northeast Open Series for trotters by three lengths over Sutton in a track-record-equaling 1:52.2. Yannick Gingras guided Hannelore Hanover, the 1-9 favorite, to victory for trainer Ron Burke. The winning time matched Buck I St Pat’s track record for older female trotters, set in 2008.