McCLURE GUIDES HAMBO HOPEFUL TO WIN AT BIG M

Lisa Photo

By Dave Little, Meadowlands Media Relations

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – With the COVID-19 shutdown crippling racing in Ontario, there will be many horses and horsemen from that Canadian province racing in America over the next month or so, as live action may not return to Woodbine at Mohawk Park and other tracks in the region until early June.

One of the new names that will be seen in the program at The Meadowlands will be Bob McClure’s, the 30-year-old driver who guided Forbidden Trade to Hambletonian glory in 2019 for trainer Luc Blais and owner Serge Godin’s Determination Stable.

Those connections might have another big-time Hambletonian contender on their hands this August 7 as Mycrownmykingdom, a 3-year-old son of Muscle Hill-Beehive, looked ultra-impressive in thoroughly dominating a field of sophomore colts and geldings Friday night at The Meadowlands in his seasonal debut.

Mycrownmykingdom recorded his first career victory in just his third lifetime start by cutting out fractions of :28.3 to the quarter and :58.3 to the half. He encountered a challenge from Swan Hill at three-quarters (1:28) but easily put that one away off the far turn before trotting an electric final quarter of :27.2 to stop the clock in 1:55.2. It was six lengths back to Ritson in second. Ethics was third.

A full brother to Bee A Magician, who won all 17 of her starts on the way to being named 2013 Horse of the Year, Mycrownmykingdom returned $6.80 to win as the 2-1 favorite.

“I was going to go wherever they went,” said McClure of Determination’s decision to race some of their stock at The Meadowlands and surrounding tracks. “They are great to drive for.”

“He had a lot of ability at 2,” said McClure of Mycrownmykingdom. “But he was underdeveloped. They were patient with him and it looks like he is going to pay them back for it.”