Field assembled for $100,000 Connors Memorial final

Production, who won his elimination for the William Connors Memorial for 3-year-old trotters last Friday night at Hazel Park in 1:57.1, has drawn post one for this Friday’s $100,000 final, with second-elim winner Keykeeper landing post seven.

Driver Peter Wrenn was able to find room up the passing lane with Production to rally past First Pleasurelane to earn the victory. The son of Broadway Hall was coming off a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes win at Harrah’s Chester in identical clocking, with those two straight victories giving him nine in 15 career attempts. Kelly O’Donnell trains and shares ownership as KO Racing Stables in partnership with Jack Tramonte.

Keykeeper was just a tick slower than Production in winning his Connors elim as he crossed the wire first in 1:57.2 for trainer-driver Mike Micallef. The start was the first of the year for the son of Lockkeeper who won the $118,630 Michigan Sire Stakes final last fall at Hazel Park. Keykeeper, who has now won 10 of his 11 career starts, is owned by Micallef’s wife, Anita, in partnership with Anthony Formosa and Ameer Najor.

This year’s Connors marks the return for the race named for the late Hall of Fame race secretary after last being contested in 2004. The 2004 Connors was won by Coventry, trained by Hall of Famer Doug Ackerman and driven by his son, D.R. Ackerman.

Here is the field for the William Connors Memorial Trot final, LISTED IN POST POSITION ORDER, with named driver:

PP Horse (driver)

1 Production (Peter Wrenn)

2 Like A Dream (Mark Webster)

3 Smoking Gun (Art McIlmurray)

4 Shaman Hall (Billy Dobson)

5 Twin B Caviar (Vince Copeland)

6 SF Aceinthehole (Brad Kramer)

7 Keykeeper (Mike Micallef)

8 First Pleasurelane (Charlie Norris)

9 Foggy Lane K (Charlie Norris)

10 Finix Hanover (Wally McIlmurray Jr.)

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