by Dan Conway, USTA Web Newsroom Correspondant
It’s always fun to watch a young horse coming into his own. Honor The Cash earned just over $18,000 last season as a three-year-old and now 12 victories into his four-year-old season his lifetime bankroll is over $83,000 and he is beating the big boys at Hazel Park Raceway.
Last week he captured the Invitational Trot in 1:563 and he was the favorite in the five horse Friday night feature, which offered a purse of $11,400.
His main competition looked to come from the eight-year-old Arnie’s Shadow, and the five-year-old Discipline Sahbra, who cut most of the mile last week and finished second.
The track was listed as fast as the five horse field left the gate and Mark Webster took Discipline Sahbra to the front. In his recent starts this Striking Sahbra gelding gets himself to the lead usually before the half. Perfect Electricity and Michael Micallef were away second with Eric Goodell and the favorite, Honor The Cash, third.
The race was going according to form.
After a :294 first quarter, Discipline Sahbra took the field to the half in 1:00. After that the action really started. Following his regular strategy, Goodell had Honor The Cash trotting up on the outside down the backstretch, followed by Henry Wilson and Arnie’s Shadow. Wilson’s powerful gelding missed last week’s Invitational, but before that he was three for three against the best Hazel Park had to offer.
At the 1:283 three-quarters, Discipline Sahbra was still trotting strong with Honor The Cash sitting second, a length and three-quarters off the pace.
Coming out of the turn and into the stretch, Discipline Sahbra broke stride, causing interference with Pure Electricity and Classic Commotion, driven by Vince Copeland.
Down the lane, Discipline Sahbra was still on a break with Honor The Cash ready to take advantage of his opportunity.
Heading for the wire, Honor The Cash trotted powerfully with Arnie’s Shadow trying to make up ground. Discipline Sahbra continue to gallop and fell back to last.
Honor The Cash hit the wire in 1:574, a length and a half in front of Arnie’s Shadow. Pure Electricity finished third.
Honor The Cash is by Armbro Laser, out of Honor Code. He now is 13 for 29 this season with lifetime earnings of $88,755 for owner Dawn Del Montier. Sherif Cunmulaj trains.