World record set in $125,000 Potomac Pace

Ft. Washington, MD — Not 2-1/2 hours after winning the Matron Stakes with Pebble Beach, driver Todd McCarthy etched his name in harness racing’s record books on the opposite side of the Chesapeake Bay when he drove Allywag Hanover (Captaintreacherous) to a 1:46.4 victory — the fastest mile ever on a five-eighths-mile track — in the $125,000 Potomac Pace on Thursday (Nov. 10) at Rosecroft Raceway.

Allywag Hanover, who upset Bulldog Hanover with a 1:46 score in the Oct. 9 Allerage at the Red Mile, used almost identical tactics in the Potomac, stringing odds-on favorite Tattoo Artist (driven by Dexter Dunn) out through a :25.4 first quarter and perching in the pocket to draft behind middle fractions of :53.1 and 1:20. Todd McCarthy angled the 5-year-old gelding off the pegs at the eighth pole, and he lifted to beat Tattoo Artist by 1-1/4 lengths. This Is The Plan (Yannick Gingras) finished third after sustaining a long-uncovered bid for most of the mile.

Brett Pelling trains 24-time winner Allywag Hanover, who paid $4.00 to win as the even-money second choice, for the Allywag Stable. Allywag Hanover’s 1:46.4 mile was one-fifth of a second faster than the previous all-age pacing world record around three turns of 1:47, held jointly by Sweet Lou (2014) and Always B Miki (2016).

“I thought Tattoo was going to be pretty hard to beat tonight. Last year we got beat so it was pretty nice to get a victory here tonight,” McCarthy said.

“He loves that kind of trip,” McCarthy added. “He (Tattoo Artist) was the perfect horse to follow there. I just had to hope the speed was going to be solid enough early that we were going to have a little shot at the end, so it worked out tonight.

“It’s pretty cool…he’s had such a phenomenal season for what he got to race in. It’s probably worked out perfect for him. Brett has done a good job managing him. He’s a fun horse to drive and hopefully next year we got him in some main events.”

Wild Wild Western, with Yannick Gingras in the bike, won the $25,000 Maryland Preferred Invitational. The 6-year-old returned $3.20.

The evening began with driver Frank Milby winning the first three races of the 14-race program. Milby won race one with Dancing On A Star ($12), race two with Always B Magic ($2.40) and race three with Jericho Hanover ($3).

For complete race results, click here.

by James Witherite, for the USTA