by Harness Racing Communications, a division of the USTA
DuQUOIN, Ill. — In a replay of the first heat, Tom Ridge went to the front off the gate and never looked back en route to an all-age world record 1:50.2 to win Saturday’s $530,000 World Trotting Derby at the DuQuoin State Fair.
Cantab Hall was second and Coventry third, the same order of finish as the opening heat.
“I’ve had a lot of big wins, but this is definitely up there,” said trainer Jimmy Takter. “I’m so proud of the horse. Fifty and two, that’s amazing.”
Driver Ron Pierce, named to Harness Racing’s Living Hall of Fame on Tuesday, guided Tom Ridge to the front in a 26.4-second opening quarter mile. Trailed by Cantab Hall, they reached the half in 54.3 seconds and three-quarters in 1:22.
“I had to go a little more to get the front and get ahead of [Cantab Hall],” Pierce said. “I’m taking none of the credit, Jimmy did all the work. I never took the whip off my shoulder. I was just a passenger.”
Tom Ridge won the first heat in 1:51, the fastest trotting mile ever for a three-year-old, breaking the mark of 1:51.3 shared by Self Possessed and Andover Hall. His time in the second heat bettered the all-age mark of 1:50.4 set by Victory Tilly in 2002.