Crystal Fashion rallies for 1:51.4 Beal triumph
June 30, 2018,by Ken Weingartner, USTA Media Relations Manager
Wilkes-Barre, PA — Crystal Fashion won Saturday’s (June 30) $500,000 Earl Beal Jr. Memorial for 3-year-old trotters, following a battle between Manchego and leader Six Pack before getting room in the stretch to power to a half-length victory over Six Pack in 1:51.4 at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. Lawmaker finished third.
Manchego, the lone filly in the race and 3-5 favorite, went off stride coming around the final turn and finished ninth. It was her first loss in 16 career starts.
USTA/Mark Hall photo
Crystal Fashion won Saturday’s $500,000 Earl Beal Jr. Memorial for 3-year-old trotters.
Six Pack was three-wide around the first turn, a head back in third place, as the field reached the first quarter in :26.2. He grabbed the lead soon thereafter and hit the half in :55.4. Manchego, who was on the outside from the start, worked her way first-over to alongside the leader by three-quarters in 1:23.1, but was unable to get in front.
Crystal Fashion was third coming around the final turn, but moved to the outside in the stretch after Manchego went off stride.
“I just wanted to get up close,” winning driver Tim Tetrick said. “My horse likes to leave the gate and sit close and get a good trip. If he gets room late, he likes to trot. He got by a good horse and we got the job done.”
Said winning trainer Jim Campbell, “Timmy gave him a perfect trip and he responded well and dug in when he had to.”
Crystal Fashion, a son of Cantab Hall out of Window Willow owned by Fashion Farms, has won three of six races this year and seven of 18 in his career. The gelding, who is eligible to August’s $1.2 million Hambletonian, has earned $471,537.
Sent off at odds of 9-2, Crystal Fashion paid $11.40 to win.
The Earl Beal Jr. Memorial honors the former president of the Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association, who was a driving force to bring casino gaming to the state’s racetracks.
The 2017 Breeders Crown winner, the Swan For All colt Fiftydallarbill, had suffered horrendous luck in his Beal elimination last week, so in the $75,000 Beal Consolation driver Brett Miller left little to chance. Letting the horse ride parked through the :28 opener and guiding him to the lead well before the :56.3 half, Miller got the winner of $553,997 to the three-quarters in 1:25, then the pair sprinted home in :27.1 to hold off pocket-sitter Moosonee by a half-length, with the 1:52.1 clocking a lifetime best.
Bill Crone is the trainer of the promising sophomore, who certainly has a rich Indiana campaign in front of him.
— PHHA/Pocono also contributed to this report
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