Windsong Espoir sets 2YO track mark at Mohawk

The parade of track records continued on Sunday night at Mohawk as Windsong Espoir equaled the standard for rookie trotting colts with a 1:55.3 victory in one of four $30,000 eliminations for this year’s William Wellwood Memorial Stakes.

Despite being parked past the half in :58, the strapping son of Kadabra-Diamond Image cruised to an open lengths win over Intimidator and Deliberate. The clocking matched the track record which was set by Glidemaster in August of 2005.

“He’s just getting tighter and stronger as he goes along,” said winning driver Steve Condren. “He’s still kind of greenish and learning what it’s all about, but he’s coming along just the way you’d like to see him come.

“I keep tapping him along because he feels like he’s coming a quarter in :30 seconds. He just covers the ground effortlessly.”

Sunday night’s win was the third straight for the Brad Maxwell trainee who also scored in the Bridger Final and last week’s Champlain Stakes. He is owned by the partnership of Peter Heffering, Jerry Vanboekel, William Hope and the Hope Stable of Ontario.

The heavily favored B Strike Three rebounded from his loss last time in the Champlain Stakes to capture Sunday night’s first split for Rick Zeron in 1:57. The son of Striking Sahbra-B Floto, who got picked off on the front end last time, changed up tactics on Sunday night with a strong off-the-pace rally to upend Credit AS and Celebrity Rocky.

Trained by Raz MacKenzie, B Strike Three improved his record to four wins in six starts this season for owner Ben Robards III of Shepherdsville, Ky., and increased his bankroll to just over $125,000.

The second elimination was won in dominant fashion by Di Manggio, who manhandled his rivals with a 1:56.1 tally for driver George Brennan. The gelded son of Yankee Glide-Keysers Cousin took charge early and the outcome was never in doubt as he easily disposed of Taco Spur and McCarron.

The Larry Rathbone trainee now shows two wins in seven starts this season for owners M And L Of Delaware Inc. of Wilmington, Del.

In the third division, favorite Surtees Hanover prevailed with a sharp 1:57 victory for driver David Miller. After yielding to Keystone Titan at the halfway point, the son of Andover Hall-Sharise Seelster pulled the pocket well before the top of the stretch and then glided to the easy victory. Stand Guard edged out Keystone Titan for the show spot.

“I just wasn’t going to take the chance and get locked in,” said Miller afterwards. “Having to be first or second put a little more pressure on us. I really wanted to win the race so we could pick our spot. He can race any way you want to and is very manageable. He is just a real handy horse.”

Sunday night’s win improved the seasonal summary to six wins in seven starts for Surtees Hanover, who is trained by Jonas Czernyson. The lion’s share of the purse sent him well over $200,000 in seasonal earnings for the Robert Rosenheim Stables Ltd. of Sharon, Conn.

Here is a look at the complete field for next Sunday’s C$533,700 William Wellwood Memorial Final:

1. B Strike Three
2. Surtees Hanover
3. Windsong Espoir
4. Di Manggio
5. Celebrity Rocky
6. Credit AS
7. Taco Spur
8. Intimidator
9. Deliberate
10. Stand Guard

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