by Evan Pattak for The Meadows

Meadow Lands, PA — Green Dot faced a deficit of more than seven lengths as well as a sloppy track, but he was up to the task, surging through the lane to take the fastest division of the $87,966 Arden Downs Stake for two-year-old trotting colts and geldings on Thursday night at The Meadows. Green Dot’s time of 1:58⁴ was a national season’s mark for his age, gait and track size.

The stake, known as The Henry Oliver, was part of Adios Week at The Meadows, five consecutive days of Grand Circuit action topped by the $500,500 Coors Delvin Miller Adios on Saturday. A total of 27 colts and geldings — a record field — will contest the “Pace for the Orchids.”

Other Henry Oliver split winners were Magic Swan, Grit Your Teeth, Muscle Shoals, Bare It All and Rollover Beethovan.

Chris Gooden Photo

Green Dot and Dave Palone rallied in the lane to win their Arden Downs division.

Green Dot, a son of S J’s Photo, typically is sluggish from the gate, and driver Dave Palone didn’t ask him to do anything differently.

“You will sacrifice some ground early with him,” Palone said, “but he’ll come on later in the mile.”

Trainer Steve Bush was equally unconcerned with the large deficit.

“He’s always been able to get home,” Bush said. “The lead didn’t really worry me because the fractions were kind of fast. I thought the leaders would come back to us.”

Green Dot’s extended brush erased most of the lead by mid-stretch; he passed S J’s Cebulla in the shadow of the wire. Miracle Yankee, sporting hopples for the first time, finished third.

Have a Dream Stable owns Green Dot, a $26,000 yearling purchase at Harrisburg.

Magic Swan, second in the July 21 final of the New Jersey Sires Stakes, won for the fourth time in five starts with a comfortable three and a quarter length victory over Smooth Muscles and Mr Dream OM. The son of Enjoy Lavec and driver Mike Simons were looped out of the gate, but Simons eased Magic Swan to the lead and cruised thereafter.

“He’s very handy,” Simons said. “I could have taken him back tonight, but in the mud and you’re 2-5, you don’t want to take any chances.”

Jeffrey Long trains and co-owns Magic Swan, but that’s not the whole story. It was actually Simons who purchased the youngster at auction for $7,500, trained him down, made the decision to geld him, then sold him to the current ownership group.

“I had two Enjoy Lavec colts, and they were both getting out of hand,” Simons said. “That’s the best way I can put it. We cut them both the same day, and they’re both happy for it.”

As for the decision to sell Magic Swan, now a winner of more than $72,000, Simons joked: “I’d give them back their money right now.”

Chris Gooden Photo

Brian Sears piloted Muscle Shoals to an Arden Downs victory.

Brian Sears rolled to the front with Muscle Shoals, a Muscles Yankee colt trained by Bob McIntosh, opting to press for the lead from post position seven rather than slip into a spot at the rail.

“I thought my horse was the best,” Sears said, “and I just wanted to keep easing him forward. Bob was worried about him being a little aggressive. They’ve been real quiet with him, but they said it was okay to go forward with him tonight. I tried not to let him get into a big gear.”

Sears wrapped up early on Muscle Shoals, who still managed to win by two and a half lengths over Armbro Columbus, with the late-trotting R Sharp Photo in third. McIntosh co-owns Muscle Shoals with CSX Stable and Arden Homestead Stable.

Grit Your Teeth and Palone fashioned a pocket trip, then eased by favorite Southwind Utica in the “Lightning Lane.” Trainer Mickey Peterson said the Enjoy Lavec youngster appears fully recovered from complications related to his gelding.

Said Peterson: “John Campbell qualified him at the Meadowlands and said he wasn’t paying attention and tried to kick at him during the race. He felt that the only shot the horse had at being successful was to geld him. John was dead on. So we gelded him about a month ago. But then he developed some infection problems. Tonight was the first time the horse was actually 100 percent.”

Southwind Utica was a neck back in second, with Texico an even third.

Peterson and Debron Stables own Grit Your Teeth, a $5,000 yearling acquisition at Harrisburg.

Friday’s Adios Week feature is the $153,202 Adioo Volo for three-year-old filly pacers, to be contested over three divisions. Post time for Friday’s card is 4:00 p.m.

The lightly raced Hayworth Hanover looked like a seasoned veteran and posted a determined, 1:57 score in just her fourth lifetime start on Thursday night in the Arden Downs at the Meadows. With a total purse of $86,911, the 3-year-old trotting fillies raced in three divisions of the stakes also known as the Ned McCarr.

Hayworth Hanover ($22.40), a daughter of Lindy Lane and out of the Super Bowl mare Hilma Hanover, didn’t race as a 2-year-old. She notched her first career win last week in 1:57¹.

“I told (trainer) John Sokol last week that she could have won in :56 as easy as she did in :57,” said driver Mike Wilder. “But for her to win like she did tonight over a heavy, tiring track. The favorite sat on our back, and when she got to my wheel, this filly kept her at bay. I was really impressed at how she dug-in for me. There were some very good fillies in this field.”

Sokol, a former assistant to trainer Ron Gurfein, said he’d had Hayworth Hanover for a few weeks. “Buzzy Sholty had her,” Sokol said. “She got sore in her knees at two, and they did the right thing and quit with her. They thought all along that she had talent. Mike was pretty confident in her after that win last week.”

Hayworth Hanover, owned by JML Stables and the Three Ring Circus Stable, has a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes next on her schedule and then will be shipped to Lexington, Sokol said. Favored Win B finished three-quarters of a length back in second, and Merit Badge, who has lifetime earnings over $200,000, finished third.

Patience was rewarded for owner, trainer, and driver Rick Beinhauer of Venetia, Penn. when his Harmony Springs pulled off a mild upset in the first division.

Harmony Springs ($12.40), a daughter of S J’s Photo who is out of the Nearly Perfect mare Perfect Chip, took the lead before the half-mile pole and then drew-off to a three and one-half length victory in a lifetime best of 1:57³. Also unraced at age two, she notched her third lifetime win in eight starts.

“She had EPM as a 2-year-old, and she was pretty bad,” said Beinhauer, who said his wife, Regina, had a lot to do with him not giving up on her. “And she’s out of a tremendous family. Her sister, Spring Melody, won $400,000, legs of the Classic Series and other stakes. We bred and raced her, and the same with their mother. This is the third generation of that family that we’ve had.”

Godess of Chaos ($12.80) and Mike Simons captured the final leg in 1:58³, and won by three-quarter lengths over Lavec Dream and Lady Sierra K. Godess of Chaos, owned by Trillium Racing Stable and John Gale Racing Stable, is trained by Jim Raymer. The daughter of S J’s Photo, out of the Super Bowl mare Gironde, Hanover now has three wins on the year.

— Anne Doolin contributed to this report