by Jay Bergman,
Meadowlands Media
East Rutherford, NJ
— An extra eighth of a
mile can make the difference, and that seemed to be the case when 23-1 shot
Crystal Fashion drove by heavy favorite Atlanta nearing the wire to capture the
$450,000 Hambletonian Maturity for 4-year-olds at The Meadowlands on Saturday night
(July 13) for driver Tim Tetrick.
The outcome of the race
appeared to go through the 1-5 favorite Atlanta, as Yannick Gingras got her
away in third in the early stages while Crystal Fashion wrestled the lead from
Custom Cantab through a :26.1 opening quarter. Gingras hit the accelerator, and
Atlanta hustled to the front after the opening fraction. Atlanta appeared in
complete command through a half in :55 and three-quarters of a mile in 1:23.1,
with Manchego on the offensive but Gingras appearing relaxed and ready to
sprint home.
The fourth quarter had
Atlanta leading through a 1:50.2 mile, but the mare started to bear out,
enabling Tetrick and Crystal Fashion to find room along the pylons to go by the
favorite. Custom Cantab and David Miller flew to the finish and came up just a
nose off the winner, with Atlanta third past the finish line. However, a
judges' inquiry into the race revealed that Custom Cantab had in fact
interfered with three horses — Phaetosive, Fiftydallarbill and Six Pack — and was
placed behind them as a result. The revised order of finish elevated Atlanta to
second, with Six Pack placed third and Manchego fourth.
Crystal Fashion is a
4-year-old gelding by Cantab Hall trained by Jim Campbell for Fashion Farms LLC
of New Hope, Pa. Sent off at 23-1, Crystal Fashion returned $48.20 in his third
win of the season in seven starts.
"I wanted to be
forwardly placed," said Tetrick following the victory. "I followed
Atlanta last week and it didn't work out. I thought the extra distance would
help my horse."
Crystal Fashion
completed the mile and one-eighth distance in 2:04.3.
