Pocono: Betting Line wins ninth straight in Battle of the Brandywine

On paper it was supposed to be a three-horse race, but in actuality the $500,000 Battle of the Brandywine turned into a showcase for just one horse. Betting Line had the bettors' attention before the race and had everyone's during it. The son of Bettor's Delight broke the world record, drawing clear of his rivals in an epic 1:47 2/5 blowout in the prestigious event at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Saturday night.

Driver David Miller had a sense during the evening of where to be, and he wasted no time asserting himself in the fray as the three rivals all vaulted from the gate, with Racing Hill taking control midway on the opening turn and Control The Moment tucking second before the quarter. In third just briefly, Betting Line moved at the 26 1/5 first quarter and was in control before the field hit the second turn.

The half was a stinging 53 4/5, and the top three finishers in this year's North America Cup were in line with the rest of the field chasing and offering little power.

That's when Miller and Betting Line picked up the pace. The pair jetted down the backstretch and gained some separation from their rivals, hitting the three-quarters in 1:20 1/5 and surprisingly not slowing down. Racing Hill, a recent winner of the Adios, and Meadowlands and Cane Pace winner Control The Moment were gasping for air while Betting Line kept on chugging, finishing off a career-best mile by open lengths.

West Wins Stable, Christine Calhoun and Mac Nichol own the colt that has now won nine straight races in 10 starts this year.

"I knew he had it in him," said Casie Coleman, the winning trainer, after the race.

Racing Hill finished second with Control The Moment holding on to third, but the main story was Betting Line. Coleman confirmed that the horse would return to Ontario and likely skip a week before going back on the Ontario Sires Stakes circuit.

"Then we'll bring him back for the Jug," Coleman concluded.