EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ — Amigo Hall scored a tremendous upset in the $1 million Hambletonian Trot this afternoon, becoming the second Ontario-sired colt to capture the historic event this decade.
The Balanced Image son received a brilliant steer from Michel Lachance to score the 1:54 victory over Sugar Trader and Mac’s Crown K.
Leaving from Post 6, Lachance fired Amigo Hall to the front. Reaching the opening quarter in a sedate :28.2 the pair yielded to heavy favourite Power To Charm who pushed the pace to the :55.4 half. Easing off on the pace through the 1:25 three-quarters Power To Charm came under heavy pressure on the outside by Sugar Trader while Amigo Hall sat comfortably in the pocket behind him. As Power To Charm faded through the stretch Lachance was able to carve out an opening and Amigo Hall powered off to the victory.
“I wasn’t going to leave with him, but the horse was good scoring down. He was right on the gate and sharp, so I let him trot out of there and the rest is history,” said Lachance after the race.
Milton resident Blair Burgess trains Amigo Hall for his wife Karin Olsson Burgess, his father Bob Burgess of Campbellville and breeders Walnut Hall Limited of Lexington, KY.
“Bebop making the mistake helped us. I think that’s why Mike decided to leave to get position,” said Burgess, adding that trotters are not usually his cup of tea. “The horse has good gate speed and I told Mike he could use it if he wanted to and he had to make that decision at the last minute.”
Prior to finishing third in his Hambletonian elimination at The Meadowlands on July 26, Amigo Hall was the third-place finisher in a July 6 Gold Final at Windsor Raceway, causing co-owner Bob Burgess to lament the fact that some of the colt’s peers had not tried their hand in the rich event.
“I have no idea why other people who have Ontario-sired horses don’t nominate them to races like the Hambletonian,” he said. “If they did more of that we’d get more recognition for the Ontario-sired animal.”
Yankee Paco, also a son of Balanced Image, was the first Ontario-sired trotter to win the Hambletonian, scoring a 1:53.2 victory in the 2000 edition.
Amigo Hall, who boosted his lifetime earnings from $125,349 to $625,349 with the win, could make his next Gold Series start on Aug. 9 at Flamboro Downs.