But since then, only the word ‘extraordinary’ can be used when describing this red-hot gelding.
On November 11, Pinny Tiger A won the first of four in a row at Yonkers Raceway. With the Westchester half-mile oval on a four-week break, the switch from four to two turns made no difference for the 8-year-old son of Mach Three-Tigress Franco, who extended his winning streak to five when he took the $30,000 recommended Open Handicap pace at The Meadowlands on Saturday evening.
He may not have been racing on a small track, but he was treated in a way as if he were. Driver Brett Beckwith had ‘Pinny’ flying away from the fence from post seven in the nine-horse field, and was three wide around the first turn when Ammo and Odds On Wildfire took off under him.
Pinny Tiger A continued to dig and was in the lead while parked in the quarter at 27, and was then able to take care of business.
“I spoke to Jason [Bartlett, who drove the horse in all four of his wins] actually before the race and asked him what he thought of the horse and he really seemed to like him so that gave me a lot of confidence,” said Beckwith. “He comes from a good team so it was all good.”
After reducing the second fraction to a lukewarm :29.2, Pinny Tiger A had things completely under control. It didn’t hurt that 3-2 favorite Go Go Grasshopper got a tough trip stuck along the rail, but it didn’t seem like it would have mattered in the end.
Beckwith and Pinny reached three-quarters in 1:24.2 and from then on there was never another anxious moment as he rode on cruise control the entire way, reaching the finish as an easy three-quarters winner in a best-ever time of 1:51. Odds On Wildfire, which upset the apple cart in last week’s feature, came in second, with Ammo third. Go Go Grasshopper found some space to race in the stretch and finished fourth.
PINNY TIGER A REPEAT
“He’s every catch driver’s dream, that horse,” Beckwith said. ‘He leaves a thousand behind [miles an hour] and can go :29 like it’s nothing, right on a loose line. He was a blast to drive. It makes my job very easy when horses enjoy their work so much. They relax, and then you show them the whip and they move on.”
After increasing his lifetime tally to 25 wins from 65 starts, Pinny Tiger A increased his bankroll to $319,491 for owners Elite Harness Racing LLC. As the third choice at 3-1, he returned $8 to win.
*NO MORE:*No winning tickets were sold for the 20-cent Pick-6, creating a carryover of $3,928 when racing resumed. The winner’s odds for the series were 3-2, 3-5, 3-1, 7-1, 8-1 and 4-1. Those with five correct selections earned $95.38. …Beckwith’s three-bagger led the driver colony. After winning 11 sprints in the race weeks of December 4-6 and December 11-13, Beckwith scored 10 times this week, giving him 32 victories in the last nine race programs. … Jake Leamon led the trainers with two walks in victory lane. … All bets on the 14-race card totaled $2,689,707. … Racing resumes Friday at 6:20 p.m., the day after Christmas.
For full race results, click here: American trotting results
Through Dave Kleinfor The Meadowlands
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