by Mike Paradise, publicity director, Maywood Park
Melrose Park, IL — Perfectly rated by Hall of Fame driver Dave Magee, Michael Polansky’s Dr Hanniball was a wire-to-wire winner in Maywood Park’s $22,000 Free For All Pace on Friday night.
The night started out with a dry and fast surface through the first six events, before a steady rain turned the seventh race feature into a sloppy track. However, the one constant throughout the evening was that it was a “dead front-end” track, so Magee made sure Dr Hanniball ($10.00), with the advantageous one slot, was going to be the horse to catch.
![](http://ustrottingnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/5680-041002my.jpg)
Maywood Park Photo
Dr Hanniball held off a fast closing Camtown Pacer to win Maywood Park’s $22,000 Free For All Pace on Friday night.
The five-year-old son of Presidential Ball zipped to the front as the five horse field dropped into line and was never headed. Dr Hanniball cut first half fractions of :28.1 and :57.4 before the 9-5 co-favorite Abouttolosecontrol (Mike Oosting) came first up. The leader needed a :28 third panel in the slop to keep the lead, and he had enough left to hold off a fast closing Camtown Pacer (Tony Morgan) by a neck at the end of the 1:54 flat mile. Abouttolosecontrol held on for third, beaten one and one-half lengths and a quarter of a length ahead of the fourth place finisher Fresh Ingredient. The 9-5 co-favorite Largeandincharge went off stride after the half and ended up fifth, beaten six-plus lengths. Number five Themistokles was a judge’s scratch.
“I thought with the rail tonight that I had a good shot to get control of the race early and I was a little surprised that no once challenged me earlier,” Magee said. “My horse held on well for the wire. The front was the only place to be tonight because no one was really closing well from off the pace.”
The Tom Harmer-trained winner posted his fourth season’s triumph in 31 outings, while the $11,000 winner’s share boosted Dr Hanniball’s earnings to $66,797 for his Loudonville, Kentucky owner.