By Mike Farrell, for the Meadowlands
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The heated rivalry between
Huntsville and Downbytheseaside reached a fever pitch in the $738,550 Crawford
Farms Meadowlands Pace on Saturday night at the Meadowlands.
Huntsville held on by a head, gaining a 4-3 advantage in
their eight showdowns. The only time neither got the victory was last month in
the North America Cup – won by Fear The Dragon – where Huntsville was second
and Downbytheseashore third.
Fear The Dragon was not nominated to The Pace, leaving
Huntsville and Downbytheseaside to battle it out.
And battle they did.
Huntsville got away fourth in the early stages before
charging past Blood Line to grab the lead down the backstretch.
The 1-5 favorite appeared comfortably in charge on the
final turn as Downbytheseaside tipped outside for a long, grinding challenge.
Huntsville flashed past the three-quarter pole in 1:20 3/5 and the torrid pace started taking a toll.
In a display of guts and determination, Huntsville dug deep
while Downbytheseaside relentlessly ate into his lead.
The finish line arrived just in time for last season’s
2-year-old champion to earn his first major win of this campaign.
It was the fifth Pace victory for driver Tim Tetrick,
trailing only the recently retired Hall of Famer John Campbell, who had seven
wins in the Meadowlands Racetrack’s signature event for 3-year-olds.
Trainer Ray Schnittker improved his Pace record to 2 for 2.
He combined with Tetrick to win in 2010 with One More Laugh.
Huntsville continued his remarkable consistency with a 12th win
in 18 starts. He has never finished worse than second.
“My horse was tired late,” Tetrick said. “He kept
pushing all the way to the wire.”
The time for the mile was a lifetime best 1:47 4/5 for the son of Somebeachsomewhere, who
earned $369,275 for the ownership team of Schnittker, Ted Gewertz and Steven
Arnold.
Huntsville paid $2.40, $2.10 and $2.10.
Downbytheseaside returned $2.80 and $2.40 as the 4-1 second
choice.
Classic Pro paid $6 to show.
PAIR OF FIVES: Not
only did Tetrick win his fifth Meadowlands Pace, but he registered five winners
on the Meadowlands Pace Night program.
SOLID WAGERING: Attendance
for the card was 10,111. ... All-source wagering totaled $3,823,629, which was
less than last year's $4.2 million, but that card included $747,891 in new
money for a huge Jackpot Super Hi-5, which had a big carryover. On-track
betting was $557,018, up almost $50,000 from 2016. ... Racing resumes at the
Meadowlands Friday at 7:15 p.m.
