by
Dave Little, Meadowlands Media Relations
EAST
RUTHERFORD, NJ – It
was like he never left.
Brian
Sears, the dominant driving force at the Meadowlands for the first decade of
the new millennium, returned to his old stomping grounds Saturday night and won
the $732,050 Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace for 3-year-olds at the Meadowlands
in 1:48.2 with Control The Moment, a horse he drove for the first time last
week in the Pace Elimination.
“It
was great to get a spin with him last week,” said Sears, who also won the 2005
Pace with Rocknroll Hanover. “And I was real happy with the post draw.”
After
winning a week ago from well off the pace, Sears had Control The Moment on the
go early from post 3 and was up in the early fray as Lyons Snyder hit the
quarter in :26.3. Racing Hill, the Tony Alagna trainee who opted to take a bye
into the final, surged to the lead at the three-eighths before yielding the top
to a headstrong Control The Moment, who had the lead at the half in :53.2 and
three-quarters in 1:21.2.
Control
The Moment looked home free after opening up a 2½-length edge at the head of
the stretch but got leg weary nearing the wire as Racing Hill came back for
more. In the final sixteenth, the 8-5 second choice was coming at the 3-5
favorite, but came up a nose short at the finish. Check Six was third.
“The
trip worked out perfect,” said Sears. “And I think the fractions were pretty
comfortable. But it was pretty exciting at the wire.”
Control
The Moment returned $3.40 to win for trainer Brad Maxwell and owners Control
The Moment Stable of Philadelphia, and has now won 11 of 16 lifetime starts,
good for earnings just shy of $900,000.
ALL
SYSTEMS HAM-GO: Southwind
Frank worked out an ideal second-over trip and rolled to an easy 1¼-length win
over Sutton in the first of two $153,250 divisions of the Stanley Dancer
Memorial, the final major prep for the Aug. 6 Hambletonian for 3-year-old
trotters.
The
Ron Burke-trained, Yannick Gingras-driven son of Muscle Hill returned $2.20 as
the 1-9 public choice and completed the 1 1/8-mile distance in 2:06.4
The
winner did nothing to weaker his stranglehold as the Hambo favorite, though
Burke commented in the winner’s cirlcle: “He was alright. He wasn’t excellent.”
Marion
Marauder ($4.00) won the other Dancer division by 2¾ lengths over Bar Hopping
on the front end in 2:08.1, changing tactics from his win from well off the
pace in a Big M Open on July 8.
“It
seemed like they were going to give him respect (racing on the front end) and
it worked out,” said Mike Keeling, who trains the horse with his wife, Paula
Wellwood.”We’ll find out in three weeks just how good he is.”
FAST
LASS: Lady
Shadow set a new world-record at a mile and an eighth when she won the $223,150
Golden Girls in 2:00.3. … All-source wagering totaled $4,205,981. … Racing
resumes at the Big M Friday at 7:15 p.m.
