When the photo finish camera snapped Get Chipped
who was rallying from sixth at the top of the stretch zoomed by his
opponents just 50 yards from the finish to score a 2:02.3 victory
for driver Jimmy Taggart Jr. The next four finishers were separated by
noses with My Cool Breeze and Mike Merton taking down the place money and
pacesetter Samsawinner finishing a very close third for Jimmy Marohn. SF Sure
Thing and Rick Harp were another nose in the rears in fourth place while My Buddy
Chimo (Jimmy Marohn, Jr.) was another nose back in fifth place.
As the race got underway Jimmy Marohn, Jr., with
My Buddy Chimo, parked his dad Jimmy, Sr. and Samsawinner to the quarter
pole before letting him go. And when he did Samsawinner cut soft
fractions (for this caliber trotters) and when the field reached
the third stanza a blanket could have been thrown over the competitors.
Samsawinner came off the final turn in front but traffic was coming
and five horses rushed to the finish line with Get Chipped getting
up in the final strides. But a camera was needed for the other placings.
Although beaten by just a length and a half for all the money, Crestwood
Patriot in rein to Chris McCracken finished sixth.
Get Chipped
is trained by Gary Messenger for owners Dr. Scott Leaf and Kenneth Weckstein of
Great falls, Va. He paid 7.20 for win.
The
co-featured trot went to Eric Prevost’s, The Windsurfer A and driver
Larry Stallbaum when they turned back Elvis Blue Chip and Drew
Campbell in a time of 2:02.2.
Content to
sit back off the pace in fourth position Stallbaum waited until the final turn
to mover The Windsurfer A and when he did the trotter streaked to the
lead and coasted home a one-length winner.
It was one
of three wins on the card for Stallbaum who also scored behind his own trotter
Gotta Be Perfect in 2:00.2 and with Seth Rosenberg and Noah Daiell’s
pacer, Quiet Hero in a 2:01 clocking.
