MILTON, June 2, 2018 – The second leg of the Graduate Series for four-year-old pacers and trotters also took place on Saturday’s card. A group of 15 pacers were split into two $63,500 divisions, while an overflow field of 12 trotters met in a single $95,250 division. Miso Fast returned to Mohawk Park for the first-time since last year’s Pepsi North America Cup and walked away a Graduate Series pacing division winner. The Virgil Morgan Jr. trainee and driver Tim Tetrick made a third-quarter first-up bid from fourth to confront and rush by race-favourite Lawrencetown Beach. Miso Fast finished off his mile with a :26.3 last-quarter to win by a length and a half in 1:50.2. Lawrencetown Beach was second, while Photobombr Hanover was fourth placed third after Bags To Riches was disqualified from third for causing interference. “I thought there was going to be a little more speed than there was really and there wasn’t and I was kind of stuck first up,” said Tetrick post-race. “Going around the last turn I was watching Burke’s horse (Lawrencetown Beach) on the front and he always slobs a little bit in the turn and I thought maybe my horse with his quick foot could get around him and he did.” Racing for Winchester Baye Acres LLC, Miso Fast is now two for six with $44,755 earned this season. His Graduate division triumph gives him nine wins in his career and bumps his lifetime earnings to nearly $700,000. Miso Fast paid $8 to win. The second pacing division was another victory for Tetrick, as he shot up the rail to win with Maroma Beach. The Ron Burke trainee was sent to the lead by Tetrick and posted a :26.3 opener. Blood Line, the race-favourite, quickly moved third to first entering the backstretch and led through panels of :55.1 and 1:22.3. In the stretch, Blood Line battled with Beckhams Z Tam, who had been grinding away first-up. Maroma Beach and Tetrick got an open lane up the inside to make it a three-horse battle and prevailed by a neck in 1:50.1. Blood Line held for second over Beckhams Z Tam. Maroma Beach’s victory was a big rebound effort after a rough-mile in the Confederation Cup on May 20. “Burke is good at that, they can get beat up one week and the next week they turn the page real quick,” said Tetrick. “He’s got a very good knack to getting them back on racing form and this horse he doesn’t remember anything from last week and bounced back very good.” Maroma Beach is now three for eight this season with over $60,000 earned for the ownership group of Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, JandT Silva Purnel & Libb and Howard Taylor. His victory Saturday gives him eight for his career and pushes him over the $100,000 earnings mark. Maroma Beach paid $29.10 to win. The Graduate Series trotting division saw a talented-field of 12 squaring off. Dunbar Hall and driver Jody Jamieson rallied by rivals to win in 1:53 despite sitting 11th at the half. Ariana G made a second-quarter move to the lead and posted fractions of :55.1 and 1:25 to lead her male counterparts into the lane. The superstar trotting mare didn’t have her best on Saturday and was swallowed up by rivals in the lane. Dunbar Hall, who was eighth and fourth-over turning for home, unleashed a :26.4 final-quarter to grab his fifth win of the season. Achilles Duharas finished second, while Top Flight Angel was third and Bills Man fourth. Trained by Stephanie Jamieson, Dunbar Hall turned the tables in the second leg of the Graduate after finish second in the opening leg on May 19 at The Meadowlands. Jody Jamieson was confident about Saturday’s start after the close call in the series opener. “Just the turn of foot he had (at The Meadowlands), I think it was really evident on the replay and even for people at home watching him,” said Jody Jamieson following the race. “I got a lot of texts and comments about how explosive his turn of foot was and I thought if I got any kind of clean trip I had a shot. “Obviously I was a long way back and everything had to work out for him to win tonight, but he was very strong and hopefully he just continues on.” Owned by Carl Jamieson and George Harrison, Dunbar Hall is five for nine this season and has surpassed $100,000 in earnings. His career numbers now sit at 10 wins and $232,679 earned. A $2 win ticket on Dunbar Hall returned $18. Live racing resumes Monday evening at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Post time is 7:30 p.m. Share This:Share
