Classic Photo lowers track and stakes record in CTC
September 25, 2005,from Woodbine Entertainment Group
CAMPBELLVILLE, September 24, 2005 – After going first-over from fourth and clearing to the lead before the half-mile indicator, Classic Photo ($2.80, $2.30, $2.10) and driver Ron Pierce captured the 30th edition of the C$1 million Canadian Trotting Classic for three-year-olds Saturday evening at Mohawk, lowering the track and stakes record with a 1:52.3 mile for trainer Erv Miller.
Racing third-over through the final turn and tipping four-wide through the lane, Strong Yankee ($4.40, $3.90), who left from post 10 with Brian Sears in the bike, finished second, 2½ lengths in arrears, completing the $10.60 exactor. Ken Warkentin ($4.30), who was driven by David Miller and was first-over for the back half of the mile, finished 5½ lengths back in third, bottoming out the $42.90 triactor.
Sir Perseverance (driven by Catello Manzi) and Great George Two (Jonathan Roberts) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
“This colt will do anything that you want him to do,” Pierce said of Classic Photo, an SJs Photo bay out of the American Winner mare Classic Winner. “He’ll race on the front, from the back or first-over on the outside, it doesn’t matter to him. He’s just extremely talented.”
“I didn’t really know what I was going to do, but I knew I didn’t want to be too far off the front because it seems that the speed has been holding up pretty well tonight,” said Pierce, who also won the 2003 Canadian Trotting Classic with Mr Muscleman. “Brian [Sears] was coming [in the homestretch], but I could’ve gone a little more if I wanted to.”
Classic Photo’s mile lowered the track and stakes record, recorded by Kadabra in the 2002, by one-fifth-of-a-second.
“To [beat] Kadabra’s record is an honor in itself because he was a great horse who lasted a long time that year,” said Miller, who has seen Classic Photo race to a 10-3-1 record from 14 starts this campaign. “To [Classic Photo’s] advantage, he’s a great-gaited horse who gets over the ground very easily.”
From 22 career starts, Classic Photo has made 11 trips to the winner’s circle.
“Like I told everybody, especially the owners, he wasn’t going to be much of a horse last year because he just wasn’t mature enough to handle it. So, we just had to give him the time and it’s paid off for him.”