Rattle And Rock can pace on all kinds of tracks, but on a half-miler he rolls.
Illinois-breds have had their best year ever at harness racing’s top venues, and Rattle And Rock collected arguably the biggest win of all, a 2 3/4-length upset of pacing superstar Real Desire in the $300,000 Windy City Pace at Maywood Park.
The lone Illinois-bred in Friday night’s seven-horse field used his affinity for the two-lap track and his start from the two-hole to make the winning move.
He broke his own sophomore gelding mark set at Maywood Oct. 19. He holds the 2-year-old half-miler world record.
Rattle And Rock took the lead early, forcing 3-10 favorite Real Desire into the two path around the first turn.
Real Desire made the lead soon after, but the early exertion took its toll later in the race.
Hall of Fame driver John Campbell tried a bit of gamesmanship later in the race to entice his opponent to go back to the lead, but 20-year-old winning driver Ryan Anderson would have none of it.
“He gave me an opportunity to go to the front and whack it out, but I opted not to,” he said.
The winner earned $162,500 in the win and raised his career earnings to $900,734 for trainer and part owner Joe Anderson. John Leahy and John Koliopoulos are part of the ownership team.
Rattle And Rock became the second Illinois-bred to win the Windy City, joining Incredible Finale, who accomplished the feat in 1986.
The final time of 1:51 4/5 equalled the stakes record set last year.
