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Two-Year-Olds Trot Up a Storm at Saratoga

by Frank Carulli

August 22, 2017

Records might be made to be broken, just not as quickly as it happened last Wednesday at Saratoga Raceway.

In a span of 2 hours, the track record for 2-year-old trotters was shattered three times in divisions of the $54,000 New York Sire Stakes.

First, Perlucky ($24.20) broke his maiden in 1:57.1 for trainer-driver Trond Smedshammer. The $15,000 yearling purchase covered the final half-mile in :56.2 to win by 2 lengths.

Then, Fourth Dimenstion (Brian Sears) kept his unbeaten record intact with a front-end victory in 1:57 as the 1-to-9 favorite. Fourth Dimension improved to 4-for-4 and already had track record performances at Monticello and Yonkers on his resume.

Finally, My Lindy Winner ($8,20, Jim Morrill Jr.) worked out a cover trip and got up late to win in 1:56.4, shaving another fifth of a second off the record.

SVANSTEDT SWEEP IN ZWEIG FINALS

Fresh off Perfect Spirit's victory in the Hambletonian, trainer Ake Svanstedt continued hot when Yes Mickey sprung a 34-1 upset in the $320,000 Dr. Harry Zweig Memorial at Vernon Downs last Friday, shortly after he sent out Evelyn ($16) to win in the $135,000 Zweig final for fillies.

Svanstedt drove Yes Mickey, who slipped through on the pylons to edge pace-setting favorite Ariana G by a neck in 1:51.2 ."He's a very nice trotter, but it has been hard for him to win races -- he always finishes second," said Svanstedt. "He was very good the whole race and when I (got) free on the inside, he did it easy."

Andy Miller was in the bike when Evelyn rode the pocket before splitting first-over, runner-up Sunshine Delight and leader Feed Your Head in mid-stretch to win by a length in 1:54.

"I felt really good except I was a little claustrophobic looking for a little room," Miller said. "She felt really good, I was just kind of waiting, biding my time to get a little room there, and when she got room, she took off."

IN THE XPRESSLANE: Ronnie Wrenn Jr., a four-time driving champion at Northfield Park, won the 4,00th race of his career on Sultan of Cash in a $40,000 Ohio Sire Stakes race August 7. ... John De Long guided conditioned pacer Easy Ace to victory August 16 at Hoosier Park for his 2,000th win. ... Millionaire stablemates Fear The Dragon and Downbytheseaside headed the Top 10 list of Little Brown Jug contenders when it was unveiled last week. Downbytheseaside defeated the Adios winner in the Carl Milstein Memorial at Northfield Park before the rankings came out. Classic Pro finished behind the top pair to jump from seventh to third in the poll. ... Lindsay Hagemeyer, Sarah Birkhold, Maja Bown, Jack Bumann, Jessica Hallett and Ray Cotolo will share $17,000 in awards as winner of the Harold Snyder Memorial Scholarships. Harness Tracks of America and International Sound Corporation present the awards annually to offspring of harness racing participants who are actively involved in the sport.