Sand Vic scores in Cutler

Last year Sand Vic was second best, but this year he was the easy winner of the $175,000 Arthur J. Cutler Memorial, defeating Hellava Hush and Vivid Photo in 1:53 Saturday night at the Meadowlands.

Sand Vic [$6.20, $4.40, $2.60], with Brian Sears in the sulky, rallied to take the lead from 4-5 favorite Vivid Photo with an eighth of a mile to go. He drew off to a two-length victory in a lifetime best clocking.

Vivid Photo [$2.20], the 2005 Hambletonian winner, had won his first two starts of the year and driver-trainer Roger Hammer sent him to the lead before the half, but he faded in the stretch and finished three lengths back in third.


It was the first win for Sand Vic, a 5-year-old son of Mr. Vic, since July 3, 2004. He finished second to eventual Trotter of the Year Mr Muscleman in the 2005 edition of the Cutler.

“I was pleased with the way the horse raced last week and felt confident in the horse,” said Sears, who drove the Trond Smedshammer trainee for owner August Miedel of Pompano Beach, Fla. “He came into it perfectly. When they started racing around the last turn, my horse felt so good I felt confident.”

Sand Vic now has 12 wins,, 13 seconds and eight thirds from 46 career starts and earnings of $844.822.

“He’s much more mentally ready to face the best in the country,” Smedshammer said of Sand Vic. “He had a good season and made almost $500,000 [in 2005]. He came off a mediocre 3-year-old season. He lacked the confidence, and he wasn’t mentally ready to face the best ones. I told everybody all spring and all winter this horse was a different horse, and told Brian [Sears] for the last couple of weeks not to worry about those races because I think he’s got a chance to be the best in the class. That’s how much I think of this horse. That’s how much better he is this year than last.” (Meadowlands press release)

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