If I Can Dream, Vintage Master take Tattersalls

Heavily-favored Well Said fared no better than fourth in the second of two divisions of the $585,000 Tattersalls Pace for 3-year-old colt and gelding pacers Saturday afternoon at The Red Mile, as If I Can Dream sprung the 13-1 upset. Vintage Master led wire to wire to win the first Tattersalls split.

 

Ron Pierce got away fifth with Well Said, winner earlier this year of both the Meadowlands Pace and North America Cup, but moved his charge to the lead with a quick rush at the three-eighths pole. Well Said cleared at the :55.1 half from the pacesetting If I Can Dream, opening up a two-length lead heading into the final turn. Well Said reached three quarters in 1:22.2 and turned for home still on top.

 

Midway down the stretch horses began to converge on the leader, but it was Tim Tetrick who found room along the inside with If I Can Dream as Well Said drifted right. If I Can Dream rushed through and paced home to the 1:51 victory. Dial Or No Dial, who needed a last-minute shoe replacement that delayed the race for about five minutes, finished a close second for Brian Sears, with Sheer Desire and Dave Palone third. 

 

"I kept following and following...I thought if I could tailgate the rest of the way I'd be happy," said Tetrick afterward of his back-half two-hole trip behind Well Said. "He just got through at the end."

 

If I Can Dream's eighth win of the year ended Well Said's four-race win streak. Trained by Tracy Brainard, If I Can Dream's 2009 earnings catapulted past the $1 million mark with the victory. The son of Western Hanover is owned by Bulletproof Enterprises.

 

Daniel Dube sent Vintage Master to the front from the outside post seven in the first division and never looked back en route to a 1:51.2 victory.

 

Vintage Master set fractions of :27.4, :56 and 1:24 before closing out the mile with a final quarter of :27.2. Tim Tetrick had ranged up first-over around the final turn for Tim Tetrick but Vintage Master put than one away despite the game effort. Doubleshotascotch rallied late off a pylon trip to get second for Jim Morrill Jr., with Clear Vision splitting horses for David Miller to take third.

 

Vintage Master, the winner of this year's Cane Pace and Adios, is trained by Jimmy Takter for owners Brittany Farms and Brian Monieson Revtrust. The son of Western Ideal has won five times this year in 19 starts, and was coming off a win in a Bluegrass division last week at The Red Mile. Vintage Master's seasonal earnings now stand at more than $1.2 million.