Fort Washington, MD — Following his clean sweep of the summer Maryland Sire Stakes series for 2-year-old male pacers at Ocean Downs, Shootout kicked off the fall Maryland Sire Stakes series for the same division at Rosecroft Raceway with a career-best 1:56.1 victory in his $10,000 first-round preliminary on Thursday (Sept. 24).
In line to Roger Plante Jr. for trainer Steve LeBlanc, Shootout brushed from third to take the lead from early pacesetter Octavian (driven by Russell Foster) after a :28.1 first quarter. The Wearinmysixshooter-The New Americana colt rated middle splits of :58.1 and 1:28.1 before Octavian emerged from the pocket to test him the length of the homestretch. Shootout rose to the test and prevailed by a half length. Medhurst (Justin Walters) finished third, another 4-1/2 lengths behind.
Trainer Steve LeBlanc’s LeBlanc Racing shares ownership in six-time winner Shootout with breeder Glenn Dyke and James Stuart. As the 1-20 favorite, Shootout paid $2.10 to win.
Both 2-year-old trotting sections, conducted as non-wagering events, likewise saw summer series champs kick off their respective fall series in victorious fashion.
Richard Hans trainee Nobody Knows It maintained her undefeated record with a 1-3/4-length, 1:57 win over stablemate That’s It For You in the filly trot. Corey Callahan drove the Betting Gangster S-Goo Luck Charm filly, whom Hans also owns, to the sixth win of her career in as many starts.
In The Worst Way lowered his lifetime mark to 2:02.3 with a 1-1/2-length victory over My Mago in the male trot. Corey Braden drove the Il Mago-Greatestofease gelding for trainer Herman Hagerman and owner Hagerman Racing.
The other first-round divisional winners were:
• Major Dapper ($46), a Dapper Dude-See Major colt driven by Shane Griffith to a 1:57 win for owner/trainer Ronald Short
• Paddy The Baddy ($10.80), a Nuclear Breeze-Tom’s Twinkle filly driven by Tim Deaton to a 1:57 win for owner/trainer Howard Birney
• If I Win Uwin ($3.60), a Dapper Dude-Aubergine Hanover filly driven by Brandon Givens to a 1:57.3 win for trainer Les Givens and owner J M B Ventures
The Maryland Sire Stakes fall series continues Monday (Sept. 28) with second-round preliminary action for 3-year-olds. All eight series will culminate Sunday, Oct. 11, with $100,000 finals on Rosecroft’s Maryland Showcase of Champions program.
Racing at Rosecroft resumes Monday with three non-wagering Maryland Sire Stakes preliminaries beginning at 6 p.m. (EDT) and a 14-race pari-mutuel card beginning at 7:15 p.m. The Jackpot Hi-5, offered in the final race, will have a carryover of $5,439.46.
For more information on harness racing at Rosecroft, including free past performance pages, the Players’ Guide tip sheet, and live and archived video, visit www.rosecroftraceway.com.