Fort Washington, MD – After rallying from far back to narrowly miss last week, Layton Hanover sustained an extended first-over grind through the final lap of Monday’s (Feb. 9) $12,000 Open Handicap Pace to score a narrow 1:52.3 victory.
In line to Roger Plante Jr., Layton Hanover landed in fourth early as 1-2 favorite Spring Blake (driven by Russell Foster) pushed clear of Leonard’s Legacy (Tim Deaton) at the end of a :27 quarter. Layton Hanover angled first-over with a lap to go and steadily ground forward to press middle fractions of :55.4 and 1:23.3. The pair dueled through the far turn and into the stretch, with Layton Hanover putting Spring Blake away with 40 yards to go and winning by a half-length.
Sheer Terror (Jonathan Roberts) lifted off live second-over cover to finish in a dead heat for second with Spring Blake.
Andrew Fulton trains 25-time winner Layton Hanover, who paid $5 to win as the 3-2 second choice, for Tribbett Racing.
Plante led all drivers with three wins on the 13-race card, also winning with Levi At Play (1:54.3, $13.80) and Gandalf The Bay (1:53.4, $10.20).
Live harness racing returns to Rosecroft on Thursday (Feb. 12) with a 13-race program and a Jackpot Hi-5 carryover of $12,972.22. First post is 7:15 p.m. (EST).