Oak Grove, KY — Wayne Oke pupil Muskateer Hanover grabbed the front again and made it to the finish first in the $33,000 Open Handicap Pace at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel on Sunday (May 25) to score a repeat win at the top class.
Leaving from post 6, Muskateer Hanover (driven by Tony Hall) cleared control from Saulsbrook Victor (Brett MacDonald) past the first quarter in :26.2. The top two peeled clear of the field moving for a :54.2 half while Coach Stefanos (Marcus Miller) flushed first over to recoup ground on the loose duo.
Coach Stefanos pushed forward up the backstretch to challenge Muskateer Hanover for the lead. The two locked in battle to three-quarters in 1:23.1 while Saulsbrook Victor stayed steady from the pocket. Muskateer Hanover easily rebuffed Coach Stefanos’s push spinning for home and reached for the line while MacDonald angled outside with Saulsbrook Victor to take one last lunge for the lead. He had to settle for second, beaten a neck, in a 1:50.2 mile while Coach Stefanos held third from Rush In (Marvin Luna) in fourth.
A 5-year-old gelding by Sweet Lou, Muskateer Hanover has now won 16 races from 60 starts and earned $393,993. He races for owners Mulligan Stables and Calcutta Stables LLC. For the second week in a row, Muskateer Hanover paid double digits for the win, but this time only returned $21.60 for the victory.
Lyin’ Eyes (Joey Putnam) uncorked a perfectly timed rally to land in front of the $33,000 Fillies and Mares Open Handicap Pace earlier in the card. Putnam settled into last while Dandy’s Mercy (Marcus Miller) grabbed the front to a :26.1 first quarter and attempted to rate through the middle half while Yankee B Something (Tony Hall) pushed first over. Lyin’ Eyes found cover to race third over after a :55.1 half and readied for a wide charge on the move to three-quarters in 1:23.1.
Dandy’s Mercy spun for home on the ropes as Putnam sent his mare to the wide side of the field to gather momentum and blast forward in the stretch to win by a head in 1:52.4. Yankee B Something dug in from the uncovered grind for second while Pressure Cooker (Marvin Luna) rallied from a pocket trip to take third via placing and Dandy’s Mercy faded for fourth. Hunting Hula (Mike Simons), the third-place finisher, was disqualified to seventh for interference to 5-2 favorite High Flyin’ Filly (Trace Tetrick) moving to the half.
Racing continues at Oak Grove on Monday (May 26) with a 13-race card including several $50,000 opening preliminary divisions of Kentucky Sire Stakes action for 4-year-olds. Monday’s card also features an $809.85 carryover in the $1 Pick 4, which starts in Race 9. First-race post time at Oak Grove is 1:25 p.m. (CDT). For more information on Oak Grove, visit oakgrovegaming.com.