On a night when $1 million in Pennsylvania Sires Stakes championship purses inspired a card full of young talent, world champion One More Laugh shined brightest if all, romping to a track record of 1:50.2 in the final for 2-year-old colt and gelding pacers Tuesday at The Meadows.
Each of the four PASS freshman championships carried a $200,000 purse, while a like number of consolations went for $50,000 apiece. Also winning championships were Fashion Feline, Pilgrims Taj and Dancinwiththestarz.
Tuesday’s race was the first for One More Laugh since his electrifying victory in 1:49.2 — fastest ever by a freshman pacing gelding on a 5/8-mile track — Sept. 20 at Harrah’s Chester.
If there were any doubts that he could turn in consecutive dominating performances, One More Laugh and Tim Tetrick erased them when they blew by the field with an uncovered bid to score in 1:50.2. Fashion Heart was 3 lengths back in second, with Nova Artist third. The time knocked a full second off the previous track record for 2-year-old gelding pacers established by Allamerican Inca in 2004.
“Tim’s been very patient with him,” said Ray Schnittker, who trains and owns the homebred son of McArdle-Fancy Creek Funny with Mathias Meinzinger and Jerry Silva. “It takes a pretty good horse to come the way he came — first over — and win. Down the lane, he knows how to kick in.“
One More Laugh has won eight of his nine career starts, with the sole blemish on his record a break in a Reynolds division. Schnittker said One More Laugh is scheduled to race twice more this season — at the Red Mile and at Vernon Downs in the Kindergarten — but isn’t Breeders Crown eligible.
“About the time the Breeders Crown payment was due, we were gelding him,” Schnittker said. “He was rotten. He’d try to strike you, kick you. But as soon as we cut him, he became a perfect horse.”
The action was just as riveting in the other championships, including:
Filly Trotters
Fashion Feline left alertly but found herself in the pocket behind Bone A Fide and Yannick Gingras and wondering if her rival would carry her to the “Lightning Lane.”
“I knew that Yannick has to baby-sit his horse through the turns,” said winning driver Dave Palone. “In the middle of the final turn, when he still had enough trot to hold off the first-over horse, I knew I would be good. She’s over-achieved all year. We started the year off well, and here we are in October and she’s still racing her best.”
Colt Trotters
Mike Lachance’s whip was stationed primarily on his shoulder as Pilgrims Taj effortlessly made up a 9-length deficit without cover and triumphed in 1:55.3, a tick off the track record he set in his last outing. Hard Livin was a closing second, 1-1/2 lengths in arrears, while Freedom Ridge earned show money.
“I did have to get after him at the wire,” Lachance said. “When he took the lead and there was no competition, I stopped driving him. But he’s a green horse, so I had to show him the whip, and he took off again. Can he beat colts (on the national level)? I don’t know. There are some very good colts, but they won’t get away from him. He can trot with anybody.”
Robert Bongiorno, R. Peter Heffering, Bix DiMeo and Val D’Or Farms own the Monte Gelrod-trained son of Broadway Hall-BWT Maija, who has finished first or second in all eight career starts and earned $425,127. He’s being pointed to the Breeders Crown.
Filly Pacers
Dancinwiththestarz opened a 2-1/2-length margin following a quarter-pole move, but she wasn’t exactly tripping the light fantastic when Native Doll closed in late. Dancinwiththestarz held on for a head victory over the game Native Doll in 1:52.4, a tick off Armbro Dancer’s track record. Bordeaux Nourrir was third.
“She was a little aggressive, wanting to stretch her legs a little bit,” winning driver Brian Sears said. “I didn’t want to fight her, so I let her pace on. I knew there was a decent filly on my back who would give her a run late, but I knew when I called on her, she’d give me a little bit more.”
John Stark, Jr. trains the Four Starzzz Shark-So Western filly for W Springtime Racing Stable and Shannon Brott.
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