Flanagan Memory stormed home off cover to defeat heavy favourite Resolve in the $500,000 Open Trot for his Canadian connections.
Newly minted Hall of Famer Brian Sears worked out the winning trip aboard the six-year-old millionaire son of Kadabra and Classy Stacy for trainer Rene Dion and co-owner Liette Flanagan of Repentigny, Que.
“We got a nice trip tonight with him; we got to follow Resolve second-over until halfway down the lane so it worked out really well,” said Sears. “The horse has been racing really good and Rene and Susie [Kerwood], they really deserve it, they’ve done a great job with the horse so it’s great to get it done for them and Liette also.”
While Windsun Revenge (Scott Zeron) led the field through fractions of :27, :55.3 and 1:23.2, Sears moved Flanagan Memory underway from sixth and flushed out cover in the form of International Trot champion Resolve (Ake Svandstedt), the 1-5 favourite, near the half-mile mark. Resolve began to close in on Windsun Revenge down the stretch with Crazy Wow (Yannick Gingras) rallying inside and JL Cruze (John Campbell) coming through between horses, but it was Flanagan Memory who stole the glory, flying home on the far outside to prevail in 1:52.1 by one length. Resolve edged out JL Cruze in a photo finish to earn his second straight runner-up finish in the Breeders Crown, while Windsun Revenge was fourth over Crazy Wow.
Flanagan Memory paid $10.60 to win as the 4-1 second choice in the wagering.
He has now earned 11 top-three finishes from 14 starts this year, including six wins, to add $663,728 to his bankroll.
After the race, Sears commented on Flanagan Memory’s current form as the trotter matched his lifetime mark of 1:51.2 in winning the Allerage at The Red Mile earlier this month and finished a game third in the International Trot on October 15 prior to his Breeders Crown victory.
“It was a really big effort in the International Trot a few weeks ago and I’m just really happy with that,” said Sears. “He came out of it good, but to finish third with the overland trip that he got that day and kept coming at the wire, you know, this horse, he just likes to pick them off late.
“He’s a solid horse,” he added. “He’s always a contender. He’s always going forward at the wire.”
Sears will look to add to his own Breeders Crown win count, which now stands at 27, as the championships continue on Saturday night.
“We’ve got a big night tomorrow night,” he said. “I’ve got a few that I like a lot and some just trying to get some pieces.”
The remaining eight Breeders Crown championships for two and three-year-olds will be contested on Saturday night at Meadowlands Racetrack. Post time for the first race on Saturday will be 6:35 p.m.
(Standardbred Canada)
