Miami Valley: Caviar Gold trots to Hackett Memorial title

The combination of trainer Chris Beaver, sire Triumphant Caviar and driver Aaron Merriman has done it again. Caviar Gold (Merriman) captured the $50,000 championship of the James K. Hackett Memorial for Ohio-sired sophomore trotting colts and geldings in 1:53 4/5, a new lifetime mark.

Although he was the even-money favorite in last year's $300,000 Ohio Sires Stakes final, Caviar Gold was dispatched at 8-1 odds in the Hackett. After winning three of his first four Ohio Sires Stakes preliminary legs in 2021, the son of Triumphant Caviar made breaks in the O.S.S. final, as well as the Ohio Breeders Championship two weeks later. He finished his freshman season with a sixth-place finish in a $72,000 2-year-old stake at The Red Mile.

After a fall and winter respite, Caviar Gold returned to training at Beaver's Florida headquarters and seemed over whatever was ailing him at the end of his first campaign. After two solid qualifiers, one in Florida and one at Miami Valley, the gelding cut the mile in his sophomore debut - a Hackett elimination - before finishing second by a nose. That lead up encouraged Beaver and Merriman to race aggressively in the final, leading at every marker in the 27 4/5, 56 2/5, 1:24 4/5 and 1:53 4/5 mile.

Motto (Tyler Smith) was the runner-up, with Rose Run Xtra (Josh Sutton) closing well to finish third. Rose Run Xander (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) and Up Blueberry Hill (Chris Page) earned the final two paydays in the nine-horse field.

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Beaver actually bred Caviar Gold, sending his Holiday Road mare Gee O'Keeffe to his go-to sire Triumphant Caviar. Bill Manes, Leo Fleming and Steve Zeehandelar, longtime patrons of the powerful Beaver barn, have since been added as co-owners. Now with four wins and two seconds in eight lifetime starts, their prize possession's earnings have grown to $119,000 with this triumph.

--press release (Miami Valley)--