A set of two-year-old tilts – one for pacers and one for trotters – went postward Thursday evening at Mohawk Racetrack, and fans got the best of both worlds from a pari-mutuel perspective.
Longshot players rejoiced when Machnhope lit up the board in Race 2 over her pacing counterparts, and the lovers of low-priced horses had something to smile about when trotter Fordham Road went down the road to beat his trotting counterparts as the second choice on the board.
Machnhope, who was fourth in last week’s pari-mutuel debut, came back to post a neck decision over heavily favoured Lady Ella in a $14,000 event for two-year-old filly pacers.
Randy Waples treated the homebred to a ground-saving trip while Book The Bet and the 1-9 favourite, Lady Ella, took turns on the lead through fractions of :27.3, :56.3 and 1:25.1. Lady Ella came up short in the late stages of the mile, and that allowed Machnhope to use her :28.4 final quarter to win by a neck over Lady Ella in 1:54.3. Book The Bet tagged along to finish third.
Machnhope, who was sent off at odds of 31-1 for trainer Bill Robinson, is a homebred daughter of Mach Three-Hope For Life. CMR Farms, David Serwatuk, BC Reicheld Stable and Cyndi Lundrigan share ownership on the talented lass.
Fordham Road went to the front and didn’t look back en route to posting a facile victory in his $14,000 contest for two-year-old trotters.
Rick Beinhauer, who co-owns and trains the colt, got away second with his charge before marching him to the top in the backstretch. Joey Bats cut the opening quarter in :29.4, but Fordham Road forged past him in the backstretch and proceeded to chop out middle fractions of 1:00.3 and 1:30.1. He then used a :29-second closing quarter to win by 2-3/4 lengths over race favourite Courtney Hall in 1:59.1. Joey Bats held on to finish third.
Bred by the T L P Stable, which co-owns the son of Holiday Road-Half Ours with Rick and Regina Beinhauer, Fordham Road was victorious in his first start. He entered Thursday’s debut performance with a pair of sharp-looking qualifiers under his belt.
(Standardbred Canada)
