Vernon: Melander trainees sweep Dr. Harry M. Zweig Memorials
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American Power and Setyoursightshigh gave trainer Marcus Melander victories in both the $300,000 Dr. Harry M. Zweig Memorial for colts and geldings and the $139,0000 filly companion event on Sunday night at Vernon Downs. The Grade 2 events for 3-year-old trotters headlined a 14-race all-stakes program.
In the main event for the boys, Nix Nacken (Dexter Dunn) made the lead with little dispute from post eight and led Diabolic Hill (Todd McCarthy) and fellow Melander trainee American Power (James MacDonald) to the quarter in 26 3/5 and the half in 55 3/5. American Power would then move first-over on the last turn and got side-by-side with his stablemate at the 1:23 1/5 three-quarters while McCarthy waited to tip Diabolic Hill until after that marker.
American Power forged his way by Nix Nacken in the upper part of the stretch, and although Diabolic Hill had every chance to catch American Power down the lengthy Vernon Downs stretch, he was unable to, as American Power held sway at the wire by a length in a track record clocking of 1:50 flat. Nix Nacken wound up third and it was several lengths back to Practical Man (Jordan Stratton) and Neighver Punt (Scott Zeron) in fourth and fifth.
The victorious Walner colt is owned by M Biasuzzi Stable and Inc. and was bred by Marvin Katz and Al Libfeld. He's got a summary of 7-2-4 from 18 career starts, has earned $328,799 and paid $7.18 to win as the 5-2 second choice.
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Back in the Zweig for the fillies, Setyoursightshigh and Dunn pushed on two-wide and took the top spot away from Leading Lady (Matt Kakaley) beyond the 26 4/5 quarter. Setyoursightshigh, the defending Dan Patch Award winner for this division, then backed down the tempo to the half in 55 4/5 and kept it reasonable to three-quarters in 1:24 3/5 despite favorite Madam Cheval (Tim Tetrick) advancing first-over out of the fifth spot.
Off those sensible fractions the sprint was on in the final quarter, and Setyoursightshigh got home in 27 1/5 to fend off an inside attack from Leading Lady, defeating her by a neck in a 1:51 4/5 mile. Madam Cheval wound up third over an Ake Svanstedt-trained entry in Busy Miss Lissy S (Svanstedt drove) and All Time Trot S (Yannick Gingras).
Setyoursightshigh, a Kentuckiana Farms-bred daughter of In Range, competes for Heights Stable, Mantorp LLC., Amg Stable Inc. and K Kjellgren Livs Ab Inc. She has nine wins and six seconds from 16 appearances, has pocketed $795,029 and returned $10.62 to win as the 4-1 third choice.