by John Pawlak, the U.S. Trotting Association

Delaware, OH — Flex The Muscle and Cassis gave trainer Ray Schnittker a sweep of the $147,000 Old Oaken Bucket divisions on Thursday (Sept. 23) at Delaware.

One half of the six-horse field in the first division of the race for 3-year-old trotting colts made breaks during the mile, but the winner, Flex The Muscle, who wears a blinker hood, never saw them go off-stride.

USTA/Mark Hall photo

Flex The Muscle went gate-to-wire, in 1:54.4, to become the fastest of his age, gait and sex on a half-mile track this year.

But he never saw them — not because the hood restricts his vision — but because the Ray Schnittker, Arden Homestead Stable and Jerry Silva standard-bearer jumped to an early lead and went gate-to-wire, in 1:54.4, to become the fastest of his age, gait and sex on a half-mile track this year.

Driver David Miller was little more than along for the drive in the Old Oaken Bucket, as the son of Muscles Yankee, bred by Silver Linden Farms, won for the seventh time in 15 starts this year. He has banked $321,129 this year, and has recorded five consecutive victories.

“He’s been performing on a half (-mile track) and he was eligible to the New Jersey Sire Stakes, so we raced him there,” co-owner Peter Gerry, a member of Arden Homestead Stable, said. “It built him a lot of confidence and he came out with it today. You know I said, ‘Ray, I don’t know whether it’s a good idea to keep racing him on a half-mile track. He might sore up.’

“He said, ‘You know you won’t get anything into him if you don’t race him on a half-mile track.’

“He’s a good horse and he’s sharp. He showed today he is the horse we think he is. I think he will probably go to the Breeders Crown next week, and then on to Lexington. Then we will play it by ear and look forward to next year.”

USTA/Mark Hall photo

Cassis prevailed over Sing Jesse Sing in the second division of the Old Oaken Bucket in a 1:55.2 mile.

Cassis and Sing Jesse Sing, racing at 1-2 and 3-2 on the tote board, respectively, bumped wheels during a stirring stretch drive in the second division of the Old Oaken Bucket, before Cassis prevailed by a narrow margin in a 1:55.2 mile.

Cassis, owned by driver and trainer Ray Schnittker, in partnership with Kelk’s Inc., Arden Homestead Stable and Jerry Silva, went right to the top and cut all the fractions before Sing Jesse Sing came out as the field left the three-quarter grounds. Sing Jesse Sing seemed to bear left in the stretch, the horse’s sulky wheels making casual contact with 100 yards to go and again at the wire — but not enough to cause the judges to delay posting the “official” sign.

Defend The Rock (Dave Magee) who had raced third throughout the mile, had a good view of the battle, and finished third when all was said and done.

Cassis won for the ninth time in 14 starts, and has now won $339,918 in his 3-year-old form. He was bred in New York by Little E LLC.

“He’s not the same horse he was since the Hambo,” co-owner Jerry Silva said. “He was used too hard that half and hasn’t come back. Against this competition he was able to get it done.

“I hope so, but I don’t really know,” he said when asked whether today’s win was a confidence-builder. “He’s a good horse, he’s not a great horse.

“He’s not in the top 10. We thought he was going to make the step after he won the Hambo elim, but when he didn’t make that step I think he was used too hard and got burnt. That was in August, and now he’s coming back in September, so maybe we will have something to come back to.

“I don’t know (where he goes next). I have to talk to Ray and the other partners and see what we will do.”

— Kim French also contributed to this report