Red Mile: Pebble Beach tallies in Tattersalls Pace

Pebble Beach found his winning form for the first time since back in early August and picked a fine time to do it, taking the $363,500 Tattersalls for 3-year-old colt and gelding pacers on Sunday afternoon at The Red Mile. The final time was 1:48 3/5, a lifetime-best.

Driver Todd McCarthy left from post seven with the North America Cup champion and went by Birthday (Chris Page) for the lead coming to the 27 second opening quarter. Mad Max Hanover (Tim Tetrick) was out and on the move two-wide, though, and he would work his way past Pebble Beach to take charge beyond that station.

Mad Max Hanover kept the top spot through a 54 1/5 half and a 1:22 three-quarters with Pebble Beach still stalking from the pocket. Fourever Boy (Dexter Dunn) led the outer tier after pulling first-over from fourth, but he stalled out on the final bend, sending a second-over I Did It Myway (Andy McCarthy) three-wide.

In the stretch Mad Max Hanover drifted off the pylons, which gave Pebble Beach ample room to slip through, and Pebble Beach surged into lead. Pebble Beach looked like he was home-free inside the final eighth, but then he began to run out in the closing strides, which allowed Mad Max Hanover to come back on and reduce Pebble Beach's margin of victory to a head at the wire. I Did It Myway closed well and wound up third. Energetic Hanover (Joe Bongiorno) and Fourever Boy rounded out the top five.

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"He's been good every week but sort of hasn't really been putting in at the end of his mile. I didn't want Toddy to keep driving him in front, and then we kept ending up first-over. I think he's best off a helmet, but it worked out," offered winning trainer Noel Daley. "Todd said 'what do you think today?' and I said 'I think they're all expecting you to go back, maybe go forward,' and he did. We followed a good horse and he dashed up the rail. He said he was looking to get goofy, run out down the lane, but he got the job done. He's a very quick horse."

Daley added that Pebble Beach will be in the Breeders Crown but plans after that are not set.

"We haven't decided about next year with him, but he's a very sound horse," he remarked. "He's been a lot of fun to have."