Wagner doubles in Maryland Sire Stakes rookie finals

BERLIN, Md. — Trainer John Wagner captured two of the four $87,500 Maryland Sire Stakes championship harness racing events for 2-year-olds on Wednesday (Sept. 4) at Ocean Downs, sending Brooksforreal (Rusty’s For Real) and K J The Thirteenth (Il Mago) to victory in their respective events.

Ragtime Red and Yall Keep Dreaming captured their divisional finals as well, resulting in clean sweeps of the series by all four champions.

Brooksforreal, who won at odds-on in both his preliminary legs, captured the Earl M. Wagner Memorial, for 2-year-old male pacers, as the 5-2 second choice, upending 2-5 favorite Rusty’s Lancelot heading to the final turn en route to a 6-1/4-length score.

Driver Corey Braden had Brooksforreal in motion out of third after Rusty’s Lancelot rated a :59 first half, and the Rusty’s For Real-Brooks Range gelding pushed to the lead past three-quarters in 1:29 before accelerating home in :28.1 for a lifetime-best 1:57.1 triumph.

Rusty’s Lancelot held second narrowly over Whosabrat.

Kelsey Wagner owns three-time winner Brooksforreal, who paid $7.80 to win.

Wagner drove his other victorious trainee, K J The Thirteenth, to a 2:02 victory over Yall Just Love Me in the Hubert Jackson Memorial, for 2-year-old trotting fillies. The Il Mago-My Kid Sister filly rolled unopposed through splits of :30.4, 1:01.4 and 1:33.1 before picking up the tempo through a :28.4 last quarter to stave off Yall Just Love Me by a nose. Y’all Know Me finished third.

K J The Thirteenth has now won four times in seven starts for owners Kelsey Wagner and Scott Woogen. She paid $3.00 to win.

Yall Keep Dremaing kept his undefeated career record intact with a 2:03.2 win in the W.W. “Pete” Shaw Memorial, for 2-year-old male trotters. Johnathan Ahle controlled the terms with Yall Keep Dreaming for owner-trainer Richard Hans, who also bred the Yall Beneath Me-Upside Blue Chip colt.

After rating splits of :30.1, 1:02.1 and 1:33, Yall Keep Dreaming strode clear of pocket rival Swervingmervin to win for the fourth time in as many lifetime starts by a widening 6-1/4 lengths and pay $2.10. Magoo Will Do overcame an early break to save third.

The Dale Massey Memorial, for 2-year-old pacing fillies, saw Ragtime Red and driver Trae Porter sprint clear of Lu’s Darling from post eight to control a :58 first half before widening her lead steadily up the backstretch. After leaving Lu’s Darling in her wake, Ragtime Red evaded runner-up Toys Little Tinker by 13 lengths to win in 1:56.2. Post Jolene finished third.

Now a four-time winner, Ragtime Red paid $2.20 as the overwhelming 1-9 favorite. Michael Hall trains the Getitoffyourchest-Red High Heels filly, who competes as a homebred for David Banks.

The 2024 Ocean Downs harness racing meet concludes Thursday (Sept. 5) with an 11-race program. First post is 7:05 p.m.

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

From Ocean Downs