Milton, ON — New face to the free-for-all pacing scene Best Chip asserted total control in the $705,000 Grade 1 Canadian Pacing Derby final to equal the stake record with a 1:46.4 effort on Saturday night (Sept. 5) at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Driver Tim Tetrick planted into third with Best Chip as Prince Hal Hanover brushed by 4-5 favorite For Once Inmy Life to take the lead through a :26 first quarter. Tetrick then lifted Best Chip off the pegs and zipped to the top heading to a :53 half while For Once Inmy Life edged off the pegs for a first-up attack. Best Chip stayed on the muscle through the last turn to clock three-quarters in 1:19.4 and remained resolute on the lead in the stretch. Prince Hal Hanover attempted to pry through a seam at the inside but gave chase in second, beaten 1-3/4 lengths, with Oakwood Ardan IR rallying from well back for third and For Once Inmy Life settling for fourth.
“I knew he would [race better]; he was off three weeks,” said Tetrick, who piloted Best Chip to a runner-up finish behind For Once Inmy Life in his Canadian Pacing Derby elimination last week. “Training’s not like racing, especially the miles you got to go [in] [1:]46, [1:]47. You got to be race tight. I knew the horse could just carry it. Last week being off that long, I had to take it and kind of keep him in the race. But once I saw the half pop up [this week], I’m like, they’re going to have to catch me if they can. The horse paced strong all the way to the wire.”
Best Chip, who supplemented to the Canadian Pacing Derby final for $40,000, equaled the stake record of 1:46.4, set by Bulldog Hanover in 2022. The 4-year-old stallion by Heston Blue Chip-Place Your Best, purchased privately in late April by El Dorado Stables, has meteorically climbed the ranks for conditioner Joe Bongiorno, winning his first race with the trainer in a bottom-level pace at The Meadowlands in early May and then posting several victories up the condition sheet including two sub-1:47 wins leading to his Canadian Pacing Derby score.
“Honestly, it was just a couple of rigging changes that I found mostly with him,” Bongiorno said after the race. “We found that he had ulcers as well, and we took care of that. But I mean, he’s just a beautiful horse. Honestly, the fact that he was a cheap yearling [$7,000 purchase] was pretty amazing to me because he’s a beautiful horse. He’s got a great temperament, and we’re just thrilled to have him. He’s just a special horse, and he’s got a big set of lungs. Like I kept saying to Timmy, it just seems like he can keep going once you get him to that 26-second speed. It seems like he could do it four times. I think he’s got a bright future ahead.
“I’ve been saying it for a while, the Hambo Day [1:]46.1 was special, but when he went [1:]46.4 at The Meadowlands [on Meadowlands Pace night], it was special, ” Bongiorno also said. “Every time he stepped on the track, he’s been really good. The night at Scioto [in the #SendItIn Invitational], he was parked every step of the mile and barely got beat in that race. He matches up with these horses, and these are the best horses in the country. He’s still a young horse and he’s still developing. So, the sky’s the limit, in my opinion.”
Winning his eighth race from 14 starts this season and his 13th race from 52 starts in his career, Best Chip has amassed $606,286 in earnings. Sent the second choice in the betting, he paid $9.10 to win.