Three-wide move helps take down Open Trot

BERLIN, MD — After suffering interference last week, Pamela Wagner’s homebred K J Todd (Trixton) came roaring back to the Ocean Down’s winner’s enclosure with a last-to-first 1:56.2 harness racing win in Wednesday’s (June 12) $10,000 Open Handicap Trot, his second such win in three tries at the current Ocean meet.

Sensing a contested early tempo, Fern Paquet Jr. took K J Todd to last in the six-horse field as Coventry Hall (driven by Trae Porter) blasted clear of Crossfit Mouse (Corey Braden) and two other leavers to control a :28.2 first quarter. K J Todd then began his ascent with nine-sixteenths to go after flushing cover from Black Hope (Cole Olsen) and working out of last just past a :58.1 half mile.

With five-sixteenths to go, Black Hope stalled in the breeze, prompting Paquet to point K J Todd three-wide, and the 4-year-old gelding switched gears at once to circle stalled cover past three-quarters in 1:27.1 before engaging Coventry Hall on the home turn. K J Todd faced resistance from the pacesetter turning for home but ground to the lead in the final 50 yards and edged to a half-length win. Coventry Hall was a game second; Crossfit Mouse finished third.

John Wagner trains 13-time winner K J Todd, who now has won eight of 18 starts this season and who paid $4.20 to win.

Johnathan Ahle and William Carter drove three winners apiece on the 12-race program.

Racing returns to Ocean Downs on Thursday (June 13); first post for the 12-race program is 7:05 p.m. EDT.

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting results.

From Ocean Downs Media