Winning Mister outduels Sir Caviar in $22,500 trot at The Meadows

Washington, PA — It was Goliath vs. Goliath in Wednesday’s $22,500 Preferred Handicap Trot at The Meadows, with Winning Mister slaying Sir Caviar in the season’s first match-up of the track’s top two older trotters.

Each entered the battle with impeccable credentials. Winning Mister had taken on elite competition at such tracks as Harrah’s Chester, Woodbine and Hoosier Park, winning seven of nine 2012 races, while Sir Caviar had captured 14 of his last 20 outings but was starting for only the second time this year.

Winning Mister quickly erased the disadvantage of post nine by vaulting to the front for Dave Palone, who was able to give the 6-year-old son of Angus Hall-Winning Missbrenda a :30 second-quarter breather. That was all he needed to thwart the late charge of Sir Caviar and defeat him by three-quarters of a length in 1:53.2.

Rich Gillock trains Winning Mister, who now boasts $895,544 in career earnings, for owner/breeder Bob Key.

In the second leg of the Action-Broadway Trot for 3-year-old fillies, Cocktail Attire made it two straight with a first-over victory in a career-best 1:57.2 for Tony Schadel and trainer Linda Schadel, who own the daughter of Broadway Hall-Doitwithclass. Taylor Jean was second, a half-length back, with Solo Flight K third.

Court Street and Ticket To Broadway also took $15,000 divisions in the series, which concludes with next Wednesday’s final.

Brett Miller drove three winners on the 15-race card.

— Evan Pattak

Saratoga Casino and Raceway
A trio of horses making their local debut out of the Melissa Beckwith stable all scored impressive wins on Wednesday night at Saratoga Casino and Raceway. Devil May Care (Badlands Hanover) moved out to the early lead in the $6,000 featured pace on Wednesday and never looked back. The 4-year-old held strong to score in an impressive 1:55.4 and set a lifetime mark. A Little Naughty (Mr Feelgood) prevailed in her Spa debut earlier in the evening, also going wire-to-wire for Mark Beckwith behind a career best effort, stopping the timer in 1:56.1. Trotter You’re Next (Yankee Paco) completed the hat trick, behind a front running score in 1:59.3 for conditioner Melissa Beckwith whose lead in the trainer standings grew with the trio of victories. Rich Le Cava owns all three of Wednesday’s winners from the Beckwith barn.

Monticello Raceway
Last year Typical New Yorker was one of the top 3-year-old trotting colts on the New York Sire Stakes circuit where he amassed $73,841 in 12 starts, earned a seasonal record of 1:59.1, and ended the year with purses totaling $85,948. When he made his Monticello Raceway debut on Wednesday afternoon from post position seven in the winner’s over trot he was dismissed by the betting public and sent off at odds of 70-1. Undeterred by the public’s lack of interest in his trotter’s ability, driver Fern Paquet, Jr. sent the altered son of Conway Hall immediately to the front and they had a two length command at the first stanza in a :29.4 clocking. From there Paquet kept the pedal to the metal and Typical New Yorker trotted each of the next two quarters in :29.4 and when he reached the third split they were still 1-1/2 lengths better than runner-up Sin To Win (Zeke Parker) as the timer tripped 1:29.2. As Paquet and company trotted the final turn and headed for paydirt the challenges were coming from everywhere. Still undaunted, Paquet high-lined and urged his trotter to the finish and when they reached the wire Typical New Yorker was a head victor over the veteran Samsawinner and driver Kevin Switzer, Jr. in a 2:00 clocking. Third place went to Imallottocatch for Mike Forte. However, when the mutuel prices were posted, Typical New Yorker’s payoffs were anything but typical. Across the board he paid $143.00 for win, $92.00 for place and $75.00 for show. The 7-3 exacta was worth $511 while the 7-3-5 trifecta returned $8402.00. The 7-3-5-1 superfecta ticket was worth a whopping $25,258.00. Trainer Michelle Hallett co-owns the 4-year-old trotter with Michelle Oglesby and Roger Doire.