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Upsets Galore In ‘Beach’ Stakes




Up The Credit kicked past heavy favourite Big Jim in late stretch to win the first of three $100,000 Somebeachsomewhere Stakes divisions for three-year-old pacing colts in a 1:49 stakes record clocking on Saturday at Mohawk Racetrack.




Prodigal Seelster (Randy Waples) took control of the field off the gate with Powerful Mist (Tim Tetrick) firing from Post 7 and tucking into the pocket ahead of 1-9 favourite Big Jim (Phil Hudon).




As Prodigal Seelster raced to the opening quarter in :26.1, Big Jim swept to command and led the way past the half in :54 and three-quarters in 1:21.3 with Rock To Glory (Dave Miller) advancing first up from fifth and Up The Credit and driver Jody Jamieson following cover after sitting sixth in the early going.




As the field rounded the final turn, Powerful Mist had tipped out from third and Up The Credit rolled wide in the stretch. The son of Western Terror-Cantbuymehappiness kicked into high gear and powered past Big Jim with a :26-second final frame to score in a career-best 1:49 flat by one and quarter length. Big Jim settled for second and Powerful Mist finished third.




Up The Credit, who last raced in The Diplomat on May 14, winning in 1:52.1, paid $23.90 for tonight’s 10-1 upset.




“It’s better to have a sound horse and a fresh horse than a lame one that’s hurting a bit and can’t go so I just didn’t bother racing him [since The Diplomat], gave him three weeks off, trained him a couple of slow trips and he showed up tonight,” said trainer Carl Jamieson, who co-owns the winning colt with Thomas Kyron of Toronto, Ont., Joanne Morrison of Beeton, Ont. and Brian Paquet of Quebec.




Last year, Up The Credit won two of five races -- defeating Big Jim in a leg of the Dream Maker Pacing Series -- and earned $42,690. At three, he has now won three of four races, finishing second by a nose in his other start. The lion's share of the purse pushes his 2011 bankroll to $105,750.




"We are putting him in the North America Cup," confirmed Jamieson. "That's where we're headed for. He's New York eligible and you won't likely see him in New York stakes this year because we are planning for all the big ones this year if things go right and he stays sound. He's a real good horse. He was good last year, but he had some issues last year and we had to stop with him. He's back on his game right now and we've got our fingers crossed that he hangs on for the summer."




Up The Credit has been assessed at odds of 45-1 in Trot Magazine's 2011 Spring Book.




The second division of the Somebeachsomewhere Stakes produced another upset as Bestofbest Hanover unleashed a :26.4 final frame to prevail in 1:51.2.




Driver Jack Moiseyev settled the Western Hanover-Bunny Lake colt into fourth place off the gate while Rockabillie (Sylvain Filion) took control of the field and posted the first quarter in :27.2. However, pocket-sitter On The Radar (Tim Tetrick) brushed to command down the backstretch before hitting next marker in :56.1.




At the half, 5-2 favourite Drain Daddy (Rick Zeron) moved underway from fifth, but could not get close enough to the leader leaving room for Lookinforadventure (Brett Miller) to move out from third as they neared the third quarter mark in 1:23.4.




With Drain Daddy gapping the cover, Moiseyev maneuvered Bestofbest Hanover out around the turn and sent him wide down the stretch to come on for the 1:51.2 victory, one and three-quarter lengths over Rockabillie. Lookinforadventure (Brett Miller) finished third.




Bestofbest Hanover paid $17.00 to win for the 7-1 upset.




Despite finishing a distanced 10th in his last start at Mohawk on May 30, Bestofbest Hanover rebounded tonight thanks to some equipment adjustments.




“There were a couple of horses leaving on the inside chirping behind the gate and he just went wild and he flipped a palate in his throat,” explained Moiseyev, who drove the winning colt last year when he was at Mohawk. “They put pull out plugs and a mini bit on him tonight and it made a big difference.