In 2016, Trotter of the Year Marion Marauder won the Triple Crown by about three feet, a head and two noses. He’s not a horse to go to the lead before he has to, and he doesn’t win in spectacular fashion. But nobody is more determined to get past every horse in front of him, and nobody digs in harder late, than Marion Marauder, the son of Muscle Hill. Spellbound Hanover who won by an uncharacteristically large margin, a half-length in the Hambletonian Maturity, covering 1 1/8 miles in 2:05.2. The mare CelebrityEventsy was always swiftly, then yielded to Warrawee Roo, whose connections went game and supplemented him for $50,000 after finishing a hard-charging second in the Graduate Final.The fractions were :27.1, :56,1:24.1,and 1:51.3 as Warrawee Roo and driver Dan Dube appeared to be doing everything right. Still having the lead in midstretch. But then,without much asking from driver Scott Zeron, Marion Marauder,who had been first-over before the far turn, reached down to the spot where champions find more and produced it,shifting to a higher gear and dashing the pacesetters hopes.The late-flying Cufflink Hanover,a 1:51.1 winner two starts back, was flying late to win a l-o-n-g photo over Warrawee Roo, whose connections (the Determination group that won with Emoticon Hanover) made money on the race; third was worth $55,050 against their $50,000 supplement fee. Marion Marauder, of course, made a bit more money. In fact, trainer Paula Wellwood and owners Jean Wellwood and Devin Keeling saw the Marauder become the richest Triple Crown winner ever, trot or pace,bumping his bankroll to $2,139,235. After the race, Zeron acted just like a kid in a candyshop. You can grind with him, because you know he won’t get weak on you at the end. He likes to race at a target in front of him.And if anything,he’s got more drive this year at four than last year.