Vernon: Hypnotic AM, Third Shift sharp in Saturday stakes victories
Defending New York Sire Stakes champions Hypnotic AM and Third Shift were among in the winners in Empire Breeders Classic events for 3-year-old trotters on Saturday afternoon at Vernon Downs.
The Empire Breeders Classics, which were scheduled to be held in May but postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, were raced in one $207,250 dash for the fillies and a pair of $97,750 flights for colts and geldings.
Hypnotic AM (Brian Sears) went off at 4-5 in the contest for fillies, and she pressed on to the lead in the second quarter from post nine, making front before the 56 1/5 half. She was able to use a parked-out Southwind Fern (Jim Morrill Jr.) as a pick on the last turn and backed down the pace to three-quarters to just 1:25 4/5, leaving her plenty in the tank to take the victory in 1:53 4/5. She beat second choice Love A Good Story (Andy Miller), who yielded for the pocket in the backstretch, by a length, with early leader No Mas Drama (Joe Bongiorno) third.
A daughter of Chapter Seven, Hypnotic AM is trained by Marcus Melander for owner/breeder Courant Inc. This was her ninth win from 11 career starts, and she has now banked $588,631. She paid $3.60 to win.
Third Shift (Ake Svanstedt) competed in the second of the two Empire Breeders Classic tests for males and got away third while Chaptiama (Trond Smedshammer) went to the lead and put up opening-half fractions of 27 2/5 and 57 1/5. Svanstedt then put Third Shift in a first-over position on the last turn, and he began to advance going to the 1:25 3/5 three-quarters.
In the stretch Third Shift blew past Chaptiama and set sail for the wire, and he would open up on the field, prevailing by 5 1/4 lengths in 1:52 4/5. Ballcapsnbluejeans (Corey Callahan) followed the winner's cover and was second, with Sir Cromwell (Jason Bartlett) placed from fourth to third as Berkery J (Scott Zeron), the original third-place finisher, crossed the wire on a break.
Svanstedt also trains and co-owns Hambletonian eligible Third Shift, a colt by Chapter Seven, with Mellby Gard Inc. Third Shift now sports a record of 5-3-0 from 10 lifetime starts, and he has earned $288,836. The 2-5 favorite, he returned $2.90 to win.
The other Empire Breeders Classic tilt for the boys went to 7-1 Hobbs (Bartlett) in 1:53 3/5. Hobbs fired out to the front and put the 27 2/5 opening quarter on the board, then yielded to public choice Barn Holden (Jim Morrill Jr.). Barn Holden got to the half in 56 3/5 and then hooked up in a duel with first-over Take The Credit (Svanstedt) on the far turn, and that clash would continue to the 1:24 3/5 three-quarters and into the lane.
Take The Credit put away Barn Holden in mid-stretch, but Hobbs had been angled out three-wide by Bartlett, and Hobbs had the momentum late, getting up to defeat Take The Credit by three-parts of a length. Barn Holden had to settle for third.
Hobbs is a Credit Winner gelding trained by Jim Campbell for owner/breeder Runthetable Stables. Hobbs made his second appearance in the winner's circle, pushed his bankroll to $162,368, and paid $17.20.
Two-year-old pacing fillies were also in action in two $53,100 New York Sire Stakes flights. Public choice Easy To Please, driven by Morrill Jr., captured the first split in 1:53 2/5 over Spicy Covina (Jim Marohn Jr.) and Rightfully Mine (Bartlett). The victorious daughter of Roll With Joe-Lorrie Please is now two-for-two for co-owner/trainer Michael Hall and co-owners Our Three Sons Stable LLC., Brad Grant, and Howard Taylor.
Marohn Jr. then bagged the other grouping with Test Of Faith on the front-end in 1:52 2/5. She got the jump on favored Albergita Hanover (Zeron) and held off her rally to prevail by a length and a quarter, with Special Olivia (Tyler Buter) third.
Test Of Faith, an Art Major-Cannae Cammie filly, is trained by Brett Pelling for owners Melvin Segal and Kentuckiana Racing Stable. She broke her maiden at first asking after qualifying twice at Magical Acres.
Both New York Sire Stakes winners were bred by Fred Hertrich III.