Joe F Comments On Recent Speed Records

VFTRG Guest Blogger Joe F writes about some of the impressive performances this past week at North American Racetracks:

The speed records fall so fast these days that it’s hard to keep up with them. Saturday night at The Meadows, Good Day Mate set a stakes record of 52.2 in the second division of the Albatross. In the following race, Economy Terror broke the track and stakes records in winning the first division of the Romola Hanover in 49.4, by three lengths. Not to be outdone by the Western Terror speedball, Big McDeal broke that one’s newly minted record by three ticks in winning the second division of the Romola Hanover, by the same margin.

Also on Saturday, up at Mohawk, Anndrovette sucked the eyeballs out of our heads with a 48.1 win in the Roses Are Red. This established new Canadian, track and stakes records. And in the following race Chapter Seven, who recently established a world record in the Titan, hit the three-quarter mark in 1:22.3, the fastest three-quarters ever at Mohawk for a trotter. Mister Herbie then took advantage of the fast pace as he won this year’s edition of the Maple Leaf in a stakes record 50.4. You get the point.

But last night at Saratoga it was nice to see the Artiscape colt, Framed Art, break the track record for two-year-old pacing colts, as he wired the field in 53.4 for Mark MacDonald. The latter hustled him away from his rail position and was up by six at the quarter (27). He was still up by two at the half (57), but the field caught up by the five eighths. Dealmaker hadn’t closed the gap because he was spent though, as he went that third quarter in 28.3 and drew off down the stretch, pacing his last quarter in 28.1 to win easily. And he paid $24.80.

In many of these record miles a closer comes along and benefits from the hard work of others, but that certainly wasn’t the case here. MacDonald did a good job holding him together. Maybe he’ll do that with Bolt The Duer, who also has the rail in the Adios on Saturday.

Framed Art’s dam only made $7,000, and his second dam, the Albatross mare Rare Trick, didn’t race at all. However, Rare Trick was half to the Armbro Nesbit mare, Roanoke, the dam of the $235,000 winner, Razzle Hanover. That one gave us Restive Hanover (The Panderosa), a $940,000 winner, who took the BC, Three Diamonds and Cape & Cutter, among others. Razzle Hanover also produced the $800,000 winner Rayson Hanover (Big Towner) and the $465,000 winner Radar Hanover (Tyler B).