by John Manzi, publicity director, Monticello Raceway

Monticello, NY — He was sold as a yearling for $30,000 under the name of Be First Hanover, then subsequently renamed Ideal Shuttle. Now after his stunning 1:54.2 victory in a $9,000 Winners Over Pace at Monticello Raceway on April 11, the three-quarter brother of Badlands Hanover owns the track record for four-year-old pacing geldings.

Ideal Shuttle and Stephane Bouchard finish off their track record performance on Tuesday.

Stephane Bouchard was in the sulky for trainer Ed Hart when the altered son of Western Ideal romped to an easy three length victory over Morocco (Billy Parker, Jr.) in just his second start of the 2006 racing season. Third place went to Braeden’s Drive, who was driven by Jimmy Marohn.

After Bouchard hustled Ideal Shuttle to the lead from post position five, they made every pole a winning one, pacing through fractions of :28.1, :57.4, and 1:25.4 before finishing in a time of 1:54.2, which erased the former mark of 1:54.3 for his age, sex and gait — set during the summer of 2004 by Talon Seelster.

Ideal Shuttle came into this race after a disappointing eighth place finish at the Meadowlands on March 31 where he was beaten by nearly 25 lengths in a conditioned pace and was individually timed in 1:55.3. Although his previous season’s credentials were inviting — nine wins in 24 starts and a record of 1:52.3 at Pocono Downs — the betting public wasn’t quick to jump on his bandwagon and sent the pacer off at odds of over 10-1. Owned by Robert Heimstra of Estero, Florida, Ideal Shuttle paid $23.80 to win.

In the weekly $10,800 Open Pace, which was contested earlier on the card, Greg Merton guided Safe Sex to a 1:56.2, one length victory over a game Hi Cee Tee R, who was driven by Bruce Aldrich, Jr. Another length back in third place was Cannae Hammer (Alain Robillard).

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Safe Sex was a narrow winner in the $10,800 Open Pace.

After a slow start where he was in sixth place at the quarter pole in a :29.2 clocking, Merton moved his pacer first up as the field passed the three-eighths pole and Safe Sex finally cleared the pace-setter, Fox Valley Luxor (Larry Stalbaum), after the half-mile time flashed :59. Once on top Merton put the pedal to the metal and passed the three-quarters in 1:27.1, but he had to keep after his charge in the lane as a stubborn Hi Cee Tee R kept the pressure on. At the finish Safe Sex was a three-quarter length winner over Hi Cee Tee R for the Cole Muffler gelding’s third victory of the season.

Owned and trained by Joseph Omboni, Jr., Safe Sex, like Ideal Shuttle, was overlooked by the betting public and returned a $21.60 win mutuel.