by John Pawlak, the U.S. Trotting Association

Delaware, OH — Few horses could win on a half-mile track on the front-end off a three-quarter time of 1:21.3, but Thomas Hill’s Lucky Man is a member of that small fraternity.

USTA/Mark Hall photo

Mark MacDonald drove Lucky Man to a world record 1:49.2 victory in the $46,250 Winbak Pace.

Mark MacDonald drove the 5-year-old gelding by Camluck to a world record, 1:49.2 victory in the $46,250 Winbak Pace on Thursday (Sept. 23) at Delaware.

MacDonald was able to take advantage of the rail post and a speed-favoring track, and sped through early fractions of :26 and :54.4 without being challenged. Nob Hill High (Daniel Dube) raced third much of the way before coming on to finish second, ahead of Benns Superman (Brian Sears).

Lucky Man, trained by Casie Coleman, who teamed with MacDonald and owner Tom Hill to win Wednesday’s Jugette with Western Silk, has won five races and $165,324 this year. The 1:49.2 effort broke Maltese Artist’s prior world record by two-fifths of a second.

“I think it is because if you can get away on the horses you can carry speed on this track,” Mark MacDonald said. “Horses can go a long way on the front here. I think having post one and being able to go to the front was a big advantage. That’s for sure.”

— Kim French also contributed to this report