Googoo Gaagaa beats Market Share in 1:52.1

Googoo Gaagaa showed he can beat any 3-year-old trotting colt when he won the $500,000 Colonial at Harrah's Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon, edging Hambletonian champ Market Share in 1:52.1. The time is a stakes and track record.

 

"My plan was just to let Goo do what he wanted,” winning driver Corey Callahan told Harness Racing Communications. "He was just kind of taking his time there early; I felt Yannick was going to leave out of there and try to control the race. I was perfectly content getting away where I did and not really rushing him. I didn't really have to move until the second turn, so that helped a lot.

"I thought I was kind of in the clear (in the stretch) and then Tetrick came with a pretty good move. I gave Goo a couple extra taps and away he went. I think he thought he had it won too because he had his chest puffed out like, yeah I got this.”

Callahan was unconcerned about Googoo Gaagaa spending time parked first-over.

"Goo has such a long stride and he does it so effortlessly that, to be honest, I really didn't want anybody to be in my way,” Callahan said. "I just wanted to be able to let him trot and do his thing. It worked out good today.”

 

Little Brown Fox, who missed the Hambo because he broke stride in his elimination for that race, was put on the point by Yannick Gingras while Tim Tetrick put Market Share, who started from post 1, in the pocket and Googoo Gaagaa was settled third by Corey Callahan.

 

Little Brown Fox hit the quarter in :28.1 and the halfway mark in :56.3 before Callahan made the first move. Googoo Gaagaa responded and pulled alongside Little Brown Fox in the middle of the backstretch, then trotted on by before breaking the beam in 1:24.2 at the three-quarter marker.

 

Googoo Gaagaa drifted out into the middle of the track and Market Share rallied up the inside, but Googoo Gaagaa held on for a slim win. Little Brown Fox held on for third while Beer Summit was fourth, My MVP (third-place finisher in Hambletonian) was fifth and Uncle Peter ended sixth.

 

Googoo Gaagaa has won seven of 10 starts this year for Richard Hans, his breeder, trainer and owner. The colt by the pacing sire Cam's Rocket is not eligible to the Canadian Trotting Classic, Kentucky Futurity or Breeders Crown, and Callahan said he doubted he would be supplemented. He is, however, eligible to the Matron later this year.