by Evan Pattak, for The Meadows
Meadow Lands, PA — On a night when The Meadows showcased the finest Pennsylvania-bred sophomore trotters and pacers, You Rock positively sparkled, streaking to a stake record 1:501 on Saturday in the $100,000 Pennsylvania Sires Stake Championship for three-year-old colt and gelding pacers.
Santastic’s Pan hogged some of You Rock’s spotlight, setting a world record for age, gait and track size of 1:493 in the consolation heat of the three-year-old-colt division. Riyadh held the previous world record, also established at The Meadows, of 1:501.
The Meadows awarded more than $600,000 in purses for the 15 race card that also featured three additional $100,000 Pennsylvania Sires Stake Championships for three-year-olds. Victorious in those events were Dream Photo Kosmos, Ice Sculpture and Blossom Seelster.
You Rock, who captured a division of the Cleveland Classic at Northfield Park in his most recent start, took the field wire-to-wire, scoring by one and three-quarter lengths over My Panmar. Up Front Brad was well back in third.
A key to the win was the decision by driver Brian Zendt to resist the first-over charge of Marchand and Dave Palone.
“He’s real sharp right now,” Zendt said. “I wanted to give him a good shot. I didn’t know if I’d be left alone on the lead, but it worked out well that way. He loves to be on the lead. Dave’s horse was kind of floundering around, and he wasn’t making his way to the front anyway, and my horse was real strong at that time.”
A son of The Panderosa trained by Brian’s father Bill Zendt, You Rock pushed his seasonal bankroll past $151,000. He shattered the old stake record of 1:514 established by Kilowatt and Palone in 2002. Bill Zendt owns You Rock with Robert Huntsinger and James Webb, Jr.
100,000 Championship for Three-Year-Old Colt Trotters
Dream Photo Kosmos and Palone equaled the stake record of 1:554 set by ENS Snapshot (and Palone) in 2002, but they had to sweat out a judge’s inquiry involving action around the final turn.
Dream Photo Kosmos was four-wide and driving when contact rolled through the field from the inside out.
The gelded son of S J’s Photo survived the review and now boasts a streak of three consecutive wins– all in stakes. Leslie Zendt trains and, with husband Bill, co-owns Dream Photo Kosmos, who has banked more than $142,000.
Early leader ENS Crescendo was a neck back in second, a whisker better than Amesbury in third.
“He’s very versatile,” Palone said of the winner. “He’s done it on the lead and from well back. A lot of times in these finals we get to over-driving. But I loved our draw tonight because I knew I could follow live cover.”
$100,000 Championship for Three-Year-Old Filly Pacers
Ice Sculpture was part of a three-horse Jim Campbell-trained entry, and she got some help from Kerosene Artist and Fie Foe Fire — her stable mates — who led her to a half in :532.
Ice Sculpture and Palone blew past her pals and stretched the lead to six lengths at the wire. Her time of 1:523 was a tick off the stake record set by Always Cam and Brian Zendt in 2002.
“This was survival of the fittest,” Palone said. “When I cleared, I didn’t really want to wait on anybody. We got a little tired late, but I think stretching her out was probably the right move. I figured off those fractions, no one would be loaded with pace late.”
Modern Hanover was second, while Day After Day was 12 and a half lengths back in third.
Ice Sculpture and her entry-mates are owned by Arlene and Jules Siegel.
The win gave Palone six straight championships among Pennsylvania three-year-olds, as he swept the four contested last year at Pocono Downs. His streak would end later in the card, but it’s an achievement that may last awhile.
$100,000 Championship for Three-Year-Old Filly Trotters
Blossom Seelster, a daughter of Tagliabue, went wire-to-wire for trainer/driver Mark Etsell, though that wasn’t necessarily the way Etsell planned it.
“I didn’t mind being on the front, but I didn’t expect it,” Etsell said. “When I looked around, I didn’t see anyone leaving.”
Tag A Victory, sitting third down the back side, came after Blossom Seelster at the three-quarter pole, but Blossom Seelster was able to keep her nose in front at the wire. Whitesville Tara was a closing third.
Blossom Seelster’s time of 1:56 equaled the stake record established by Kosmo Girl and Berndt Lindstedt in 1998.
Etsell owns Blossom Seelster with Larry Clements, Chuan Chin Tan and Robert Newton.
Consolations
Trainer Dan Altmeyer and driver Mike Wilder finally got the mile they’d been expecting, though not in the optimum spot, from Santastic’s Pan.
His pillar-to-post victory equaled the all-age track record held jointly by Riyadh, Timesareachanging and Georgia Pacific.
A winner of eight races at two, Santastic’s Pan has triumphed only twice this year. Altmeyer declined to characterize his season as disappointing.
“If you knew all the inside scoop on him, you’d consider it a pretty good year,” Altmeyer said. “I told Mike to aim for 1:50 tonight and see what happens. I figured tonight was the night to give him the record, and he did it. Actually, he went better than I thought he would.”
Other winners in $10,000 consolations were Budlightning (three-year-old colt trot) and Claire Volant (three-year-old filly trot). There was no consolation for three-year-old filly pacers.
Allamerican Inca sets track record
Allamerican Inca, in only his third career start, set a track record of 1:512 — and narrowly missed the world record — in a division of the $150,173 Pennsylvania Sires Stakes for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings.
Other divisions of the two-year-old stake, known as the Tyler B, went to Kansas City Spur, Voracious Hanover and P-Forty-Seven.
A son of Western Hanover trained by Brendan Johnson for Adam Victor and Son Stable, Allamerican Inca sat in the pocket behind early leader Tidewater, then burst to the lead at Dave Palone’s urging at the three-quarter pole, going on to win by three and three-quarter lengths over Kublai Pan. Tidewater saved show.
His time lowered the track record of 1:52 set earlier this year by Runover Feeling and was just a tick off the world record of Artsplace. It also crushed the stake record of 1:532 set in 2002 by HR’s Mr Kelly and Roger Hammer.
“It might be the most perfect night to race with all this humidity, the flagpole laying flat, the track lightning with some moisture in it,” Palone said. “The conditions are ideal. But he did it well within himself, wrapped up. He’s an awfully good colt.”
Runover Feeling not only saw his mark fall, but he fell as well to 11-1 upset winner Kansas City Spur. A son of Western Hanover, Kansas City Spur was third at the quarter when driver Dick Stillings sent him after Runover Feeling and Western Saloon — horses that were a combined nine-for-nine entering the race.
“I didn’t even think about that,” Stillings said. “The speed was slowing down and I would have been caught in a slow half. So I decided, I might as well move him to the front if I can. This is his seventh start, and he’s beaten 1:55 five times. That tells you something about this colt.”
Runover Feeling came on again late but fell a neck short, while Western Saloon was a clear third.
Kansas City Spur, trained by Buddy Stillings for Roy D. Davis, covered the mile in 1:52.
Trainer/driver Ben Stafford, Jr. hadn’t won a stake at The Meadows since the Tyler B of 1997, when he triumphed with Hawaiian Fireman. The Tyler B again was to Stafford’s liking, as he and Voracious Hanover cruised to victory in 1:53 over Anthony’s Bliss and Roddy’s Bags Again.
“He has good gate speed,” Stafford said, “and I wanted to roll out of there and, if not make the front, at least get behind the two favorites so I didn’t have to be first up.”
Kathleen Stafford and John Heckler own Voracious Hanover, a son of Dragon Again who sold for $22,000 as a yearling.