by Joshua Potts, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Springfield, IL — For the past three editions of the Hambletonian Oaks, things have really fallen into ‘place’ for driver Brian Sears and trainer Trond Smedshammer — literally.

In last year’s Hambletonian Oaks, Emantee, who was driven by Sears and trained by Smedshammer, finished second. In the 2005 running of the Oaks, the duo teamed up with the distaffer Blur. She also finished second. In the 2004 edition of the Hambletonian Oaks, Sears and Smedshammer combined efforts with the talented Housethatruthbuilt. She too finished second. The pair teamed up with the filly Stroke Play in 2003, but she finished sixth.

USTA/Ken Weingartner photo

Falls For You gets ready for her Oaks elimination with her groom, Riikka Eskonniemi.

Sears and Smedshammer are at it again in the 2007 Oaks with yet another talented sophomore filly trotter. Her name is Falls For You, and she is by Yankee Glide, out of the Balanced Image mare Armbro Niagara. She won her elimination last Saturday, July 28, in 1:54.4, improving her career record to 19-5-2-3. A $35,000 purchase at the 2005 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale, Falls For You boosted her career earnings to $402,335.

Breaking from post position six as the even-money favorite in her Oaks elimination, she was 10 lengths off the pace when Oh Oh Its Magic hit the quarter pole in :28.4. When Granny Gui hit the halfway station in :57 flat, Falls For You and Sears were still last, 8-1/4 lengths back. Having passed just one filly by the three-quarter marker, Falls For You surged past an off-stride 2-1 second choice, Maryanne K, and the four remaining rivals with a :28.2 closing kick that resulted in her one length victory over Danae. Resortful was third.

Smedshammer thinks Falls For You’s trip will be a little different in Saturday’s Hambletonian Oaks final.

“She’ll be up closer this time, that’s for sure,” he said.

“I don’t tell (Brian Sears) what to do,” Smedshammer explained. “But obviously, he listens if I say something. We have the same way of thinking and that’s one of the reasons we have such a good driver/trainer relationship.”

As far as preparations for this Saturday’s final, the veteran conditioner is not planning anything out of the ordinary.

“(Falls For You) is pretty standard and good mannered,” he commented. “Everything will be the same, nothing special.”

Lisa Photo

Falls For You was a 1:54.4 winner in her Oaks elimination.

The winner of last Saturday’s other Hambletonian Oaks elimination, Possess The Magic, is currently the 9-5 favorite on the morning line for this Saturday’s final, and will start from post position two. Falls For You is currently the 5-2 second choice, and will start just to the outside of her main rival in post position three.

Will Falls For You fall into the place position? Or will the Trond-trained trotter find the cure for her driver and trainer’s bad case of Oaks Seconditis?

Carded as race 10 at The Meadowlands this Saturday afternoon, the approximate post time for the $750,000 Hambletonian Oaks will be at 3:38 p.m. (EDT). It will be a part of NBC’s hour-long coverage of the 82nd edition of The Hambletonian, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.