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Saturday, October 20, 2012

Wake Up Peter upsets in second frosh-colt pace elim

By Frank and Ray Cotolo

The Tony Alagna-trained Wake Up Peter tracked down all comers with a :26.4 final quarter to win the second two-year-old colt pacer Breeders Crown elim in 1:51.1. That made it an Alagna-barn sweep of the two frosh-elim events.

Scott Zeron kept Wake Up Peter mid pack as Apprentice Hanover worked to get to the lead and cut a :26.4 first quarter with Fool Me Once tracking him in the catbird seat and Urbanite Hanover in third.

Apprentice Hanover got to the half in :56 (:29.1) when Wake Up Peter went first over and flushed out Captive Audience. Apprentice Hanover was all out to hold through a 1:24 three-quarters (:28.2).

Fanning out in the stretch, Wake Up Peter soared away to win in 1:51.1 to pay $28.00. Apprentice Hanover held stubbornly for second and Captive Audience took the show spot.

Urbanite Hanover was fourth and Fool Me Once fifth to advance to next week’s final.

“We’ve been high on this colt all year,” said Alagna. “He had a breathing problem early in the season but we fixed that. He’s a little lazy but that’s okay with me. I told Scott [the colt] is as sharp as he could be tonight.”

Wake Up Peter is a Rocknroll Hanover colt out of the Die Laughing mare Lovely Lady. Alagna Racing, LLC and Eagles Soar Partners own the colt.

Elim winners may choose their post positions.