Keystone Classic for 2 Year Olds at The Meadows
By Evan Pattak For The Meadows Standardbred Owners Association
WASHINGTON, PA — Dribbling Bi followed the cover of heavy favorite Parola Hanover, then blew by him in the lane to pull off a 13-1 upset in Wednesday’s $62,750 Keystone Classic for freshman colt and gelding trotters at The Meadows.
Parola Hanover was hammered down to even money but suffered a demanding trip — out the entire first quarter and then first up. Dribbling Bi and trainer/driver Jeff Gregory took maximum advantage by riding the favorite’s bumper and defeating him by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:58.3. Big Ben Hanover earned show.
“It worked out like a dream to have us towed into the race,” Gregory said. “We benefited from a real good trip, but my horse beat the favorite. He deserved the win. We go to the Liberty Bell next, then maybe Lexington. We’re on the fence about that. We’ll see next week.”
Jesmeral Stable campaigns Dribbling Bi, a Cantab Hall-Dream Child Gelding.
$66,900 Keystone Classic — 2-Year-Old Filly Pace
Entering the day, Lyons Serenity had won five of six starts lifetime — including the PA Stallion Series championship — while Somesweetsomewhere was winless in five outings. Their careers seemed to be heading in different directions, yet each captured a division of Tuesday’s co-feature.
Lyons Serenity triumphed as easily as expected, quarter-poling to the top for Tim Tetrick and scoring in 1:52.4. Yes And Yes was second, 1-1/4 lengths back, with Aintthesamewithoutu third.
Jim King, Jr., who conditions the daughter of Sweet Lou Southwind Serenity for Threelyonsracing, indicated he doesn’t regret keeping Lyons Serenity in the stallion series rather than the richer sires stakes but may look to move her up.
“I think it’s been a lot better for her,” King said. “We haven’t stretched her out, although she’s had to race pretty much on the front end all the time. She gets on the front and waits on horses, then takes off again. She’s eligible to a couple big races, including the Breeders Crown. That’s a large step, and it’s yet to be seen whether she can go with them.”
Somesweetsomewhere’s 0-5 record was somewhat deceptive, as she was competitive in sires stakes and finished a closing third in the $253,000 final. But she again was facing Pennsylvania’s champion, Captain Cowgirl, who was sent off at 1-9. Even winning driver Corey Callahan thought he would grab the early lead, then chase Captain Cowgirl around the track.
That all changed when Captain Cowgirl made an early break, the first such miscue of her career.
“My intention was to follow the 1-9 shot around,” Callahan said. “When I went by the board going to the half, I was looking for her. I’m like, ‘Where’s she at?’ So I kept coasting and figured we were good from there. I felt pretty confident in her.”
Somesweetsomewhere prevailed in 1:53.4, 1-1/4 lengths better than Galleria Hanover. No Foolin completed the ticket. Linda Toscano trains the winner for Purple Haze Stables and Conrad Zurich.
When Lou’s Sassin surged late to capture a $63,750 Keystone Classic for freshman colt and gelding pacers Wedbesday at The Meadows, it was more than another step forward in the ongoing improvement of the Sweet Lou-Sassa Hanover gelding.
First, it topped a 1-2-3 sweep in the event for trainer Ron Burke.
Perhaps more importantly, it lifted winning driver Dave Palone above $150 million in career purses.
“It’s cool for a lot of reasons,” Palone said. “The horse is by my favorite horse on the planet. He’s owned by the Burkes and Weaver-Bruscemi, my biggest supporters throughout my career. And my future son-in-law Sage was in the paddock taking care of him. So it was an awesome, awesome win.”
Lou’s Sassin won his last start in 1:51.2, but in the Keystone Classic, he trailed stablemate Birthday by 2 lengths in the stretch. Palone was confident he could get by.
“Ronnie’s spot on about most of his horses, and he said this guy warmed up great and is starting to figure it out,” he said. “At the sixteenth pole, my horse still had gas.”
Lous Sassin downed Birthday by a head, with Good Deal third. Panhellenic Stable also participates on the winner’s ownership team.
$68,100 Keystone Classic — 2-Year-Old Filly Trot
Dreamonhigh is the fastest 2-year-old trotter ever at The Meadows and the Pennsylvania champion to boot, but she has been unruly at times behind the gate. That made driver Ronnie Wrenn’s mission in the Keystone Classic clear.
“I kind of let her do what she wanted to do,” Wrenn said. “I sat in the two path through the first turn and let her get comfortable. She’s plenty fast, and she definitely laid over the field. She got really comfortable, and I wasn’t worried at all about her running.”
Dreamonhigh got away third but was out before the quarter to grab the lead. The daughter of Andover Hall-RC’s Dream cruised to the expected victory by 7-1/2 lengths in 1:55.4, with Miss Principle and Woman of Power completing the ticket. Jennifer Bongiorno conditions Dreamonhigh for KAT Stables.
In the stake’s other division, the chart will tell you that Phannys Matter scored a front-end victory in a career-best 1:58.. But it won’t reveal that winning driver Aaron Merriman reluctantly held the point only because 2-5 favorite Gumdrop Hanover broke while trying for the lead.
“Heavens no, I didn’t want the lead,” Merriman said. “I was hoping Mike (Wilder, with Gumdrop Hanover) would keep going. But my horse is well traveled, been to the fairs, so I knew she would be okay.”
Gumdrop Hanover recovered and threatened Phannys Matter late, but the daughter of Explosive Matter-Phanny’s Photo held firm to defeat her by a length for trainer Linda Schadel, who owns the homebred with Tony Schadel. Gingerzzz earned show.
