by Paul Ramlow, USTA Internet News Manager
Delaware, OH — Beer Summit set a stakes record of 1:56.1 in capturing the $38,316 opening division of the Standardbred for 2-year-old colt and gelding trotters on Thursday (September 22) at the Delaware County Fair.
USTA/Mark Hall photo
Beer Summit set a stakes record of 1:56.1 in the first division of the Standardbred for 2-year-old colt & gelding trotters.
With George Brennan in the bike for trainer Noel Daley, the son of Cantab Hall-Prime Mistress left alertly from the rail and led every step of the mile, cutting fractions of :28.3, :58.2 and 1:27.2 before hitting the wire first in 1:56.1.
Frost Bites K finished second and Fusion Man was third. Favored Prayer Session made a break off the gate, but recovered to finish fourth.
Owned by Sharlene Vanderkemp and Mark Bogucki, Beer Summit ($5.40) broke his maiden with the Standardbred score, in his eighth lifetime start.
“He’s been a bit unlucky and should have more than $100,000 on his card instead of just over $30,000,” said Noel Daley. “He was only beaten a neck by the horse that won the Peter Haughton (Weingartner) in his first lifetime start.
“He’s jumped it off a couple times and the horse to beat (Prayer Session) making a break today certainly helped us. Also the track is playing rather quick.
“He’s a nice horse. He’s going to Lexington straight from here and he’s going to the International Stallion Stakes, the Bluegrass and has one more stake before we put him away for the rest of the year.”
USTA/Mark Hall photo
Avenue Of Dreams won the other division of the Standardbred in a lifetime best 1:58 for Yannick Gingras.
In the other $38,316 Standardbred division for freshman male trotters, Roger Hammer’s Avenue Of Dreams ($15.40) trotted to a lifetime best 1:58 clocking in rein to Yannick Gingras.
The son of Broadway Hall-Finalcrown Hanover went to the lead from post position two and was never caught through fractions of :28.3, :58.4, 1:28.3 and 1:58. Awsome Valley chased the winner home to finish second while Brussel Sprout was third.
The victory was the fourth in 13 lifetime starts for the Roger Hammer trainee and lifted his lifetime banrkoll to $30,674.
“It was actually really easy,” said driver Yannick Gingras. “I know he didn’t show much in the program but Roger said he was ready to go and he was. We got right out there to the lead and the horse was ready to go. I let him do it on his own and he took it from there.
“It was surprising really because Chip Noble’s horse (Go Tapaigh, who made a break on the final turn and finished fifth) is a good horse, but when we came off the third turn onto the backside it seemed like he didn’t want to go and it was very easy from there.”
— Kimberly French also contributed to this report