First Hambletonian Elimination Heat 
8- Royalty For Life Brian Sears George Ducharme 
2-Smilin Eli Tim Tetrick David M. Smith 
4-High Bridge Yannick Gingras Jimmy Takter 
7-El Rocket Jim Morrill, Jr. Ronnie Burke 
:26.4 :54.3 1:23.1 1:52 

Race Synopsis: Royalty For Life grabbed the lead and never looked back, winning impressively in 1:52 for Brian Sears. The used a :29 final brush to prevail by two lengths over Smilin Eli. 

“He was a little aggressive but not terrible. I’ve seen him a lot worse. He’s getting some more starts in him, and some more confidence, and he’s getting to know what we’re trying to do out there so he’s a little more comfortable, I think," said Sears. 

“He was really two fingers calm and i was really happy about the way he handled, that’s for sure. He was better than he was in the Stanley Dancer, he was a little more excitable than, but like I said the more races he has under his belt, the more confident he’s going to be and I look forward to him being even better in the second heat.” 

“I just kept the bit in his mouth and just let him roll along but I think he had a little more in the tank,” Sears noted. 

“I don’t think we’ll do anything different for the final, we’ll go in and see how he comes out of it but the way he was that trip I think we’ll leave everything about the same, ” offered trainer George Ducharme. “I’m always going to be apprehensive, but I really believe that now that he has in a regular schedule racing every week then we’re ahead of the curve a little. I’ve always said he was a speed horse/can be rated/can dominate all along, I know no one agrees with me. But the way he’s trained he’s been behind horses, he’s not just a dead front runner and we’ll be able to do whatever brian would like to.” 

“I don’t think he has to be in the lead (around the first turn) obviously that is what he showed all year so that is what everybody has to go off of,” he continued. “ I feel if he sat up close, he can’t come from last, if he sat up close he doesn’t have to be in the lead to be competitive. I leave everything up to brian (in regards of how to run the elim) he’s one of the best in the country. “ 

Second Hambletonian Elimination Heat 
8-Creatine Mike Lachance Robert Stewart 
1-Wheeling N Dealin Sylvain Filion R. Dustin Jones 
2-Aperfectyankee Jim Oscarsson Jim Oscarsson 
7-Dontyouforgetit Yannick Gingras Jimmy Takter 
:27 :55 1:23.4 1:52.4 

Race Synopsis: Creatine won his Hambletonian elimination heat in determined, wire-to-wire style for Hall of Famer Mike Lachance, burshing home in :28.4 by one and three-quarter lengths over last season's 2-year-old champion Wheeling N Dealin. 

“He’s racing very, very good. Just about perfect; the last couple and at Chester he was at his best and today he looked even better than Chester," confirmed winning driver Mike Lachance. “I didn’t think I had gone too fast because he’s a very talented horse and that doesn’t bother him one bit, he’s a physical horse. Just to be in the Hambletonian is something very special, it’s a dream for a young driver and for an old driver it’s an even bigger dream.” 

“[Winning this year] would make up for that day [past Hambletonian], It was a tough day, so maybe we could actually forget about that day," said trainer Bob Stewart. “It’s hard to compare horses with 15 or 16 years in between but they were at the top of their class and I think CREATINE is at the top of his class as well. “I don’t think any changes in the final; we’ll stick with Mike Lachance.” 

Third Hambletonian Elimination Heat 
6-Spider Blue Chip Ron Pierce Chuck Sylvester 
5-Corky David Miller Jimmy Takter 
7-Lauderdale Corey Callahan Jonas Czernyson 
1-Possessed Fashion John Campbell Tom Fanning 
27.1; 56.2; 1:25.2; 1:53.4 

Race Synopsis: Spider Blue Chip also won his Hambletonian elimination heat in wire-to-wire fashion with Ron Pierce in the sulky. The colt used a :28.2 final panel to win by half a length over the hard-trying Corky. 

" I was just sitting there, the horse relaxed real nice so I just sat there and let him do his thing," said Pierce. "So far it seems that the front is where you would want to be, but I don’t think you have to be there.I think the post will help him quite a bit. He just trained just now, I didn’t ask him to go go much at all. He had plenty left in his tank just now.” 

“After the winner of the first heat went in 52 I said oh my we got our work cut out for us," said trainer Chuck Sylvester. "One thing that I told Ron was ‘try to bring us a horse back for the second heat’ and he sure did. The first two heat winners were very impressive; they impressed me more than anybody. He’s a nice horse. He gets better every start, and he fits now. Bob Stewart’s horse I knew would come back after being off a little while, so he won a big mile too. The Hambletonian always means as now as it did then, look at these people here, if you can’t ready for this race you won’t get ready for any.”