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By BEVERLEY SMITH

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Home » Blog » Angels Sing at the Maple Leaf Trot

Angels Sing at the Maple Leaf Trot

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Guardian Angel As

 

Guardian Angel As swooped in from the United States and flew away with the $600,000 Maple Leaf Trot at Mohawk Raceway, became a millionaire and set all sorts of records. Apocryphal.

Last year, as a 4-year-old, he had just managed to qualify for the Maple Leaf Trot final by finishing fourth in the elimination, and then trotted home ninth in the final. What a difference a year makes.

But this year, Guardian Angel As has won seven of 10 starts. It’s hard to defeat this ebony-coated trotter this season, it seems.

Guardian Angel As in the post parade with Tim Tetrick

 

Guardian Angel As warming up.

 

Guardian Angel As floats to the win while Atlanta stretches to the utmost to get to him.

Guardian Angel As was facing a stacked field in this year’s event, with four talented mares (Dream Together, Manchego, Emoticon Hanover, and Atlanta) and two Hambletonian winners (Marion Marauder in 2016 and Atlanta in 2018.) And don’t forget that Crystal Fashion trotter trained by Canadian-born Jim Campbell. Crystal Fashion has won $1,774,859 in his career and went off as the favourite in this year’s Maple Leaf Trot.

Manchego warming up. Manchego was a top filly at 2, undefeated in 12 starts. Then she won the Hambletonian Oaks and a Breeders Crown.

 

Manchego was to have been retired after finishing seventh in the Breeders Crown last year, but she looked so good this spring, she has returned. It has taken her a few starts to get together. But she won the Dr. John R. Steel Memorial at The Meadowlands in a stakes record of 1:50. She finished fourth in her Maple Leaf Trot elimination and just qualified.

 

Emoticon Hanover getting frisky in her warmup mile. She went off at odds of 98 to 1 and finished eighth.

 

Atlanta warming up. She was the 4 to 1 third choice in the Maple Leaf and finished second.

 

The very wealthy Marion Marauder ablur in warmup.

 

Marion Marauder

Guardian Angel As made it simple. He went to the front before the half-mile mark for driver Tim Tetrick and was never seriously challenged, until Atlanta (4 to 1)  made a rush in the stretch, and Marion Marauder (5-1) hot-footed it down the centre of the track to finish third.

Guardian Angel As went off at almost 2 to 1 after winning his elimination last week. Crystal Fashion, winner of the Canadian Trotting Classic last year, was the 9-5 favourite after winning the slower elimination.

And just so that you know what you were watching, the field in total had earnings of more than $15.5-million. Six of the 10 horses had won more than $1.5-million each. Guardian Angel As is now approaching that group with his Maple Leaf Trot win. Marion Marauder, a local-bloomed 6-year-old trotter, was the richest in the field with earnings of $3,343,602.

Guardian Angel As slipped around the Mohawk track in 1:50 4/5, a stakes, track and Canadian record for his Swedish connections. He’s trained by Anette Lorentzon, who, without doubt, is feeling heavenly today.

Tim Tetrick with the Maple Leaf Trophy.

 

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Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Atlanta, Crystal Fashion, Guardian Angel As, Hambletonianwk, Manchego, Maple Leaf Trot, Marion Marauder, Woodbine Mohawk Park

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