Balmoral Park

Contact: Tom Kelley
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ANTHONYSKYWALKER DEMOLISHES RIVALS IN SPEEDY RODNEY STAKE

Anthonyskywalker and driver Dean Magee left their rivals in their dust as they cruised to a 9 length victory in Sunday's $9,000 Speedy Rodney Stake at Balmoral Park. The final time of 1:55.3 shaved almost three seconds off the gelding's lifetime mark.

What a difference a year can make! After going 0 for 10 during his freshman season, South Of The Tracks Racing’s Anthonyskywalker has looked like a completely different horse in 2011. The transformation continued on Sunday night as he completely overwhelmed five other Illinois conceived and foaled three-year-old trotting colts in the $9,000 Speedy Rodney Stake.

Employing the same tactics he used in his eight-length triumph to open his second season, the gelded son of Powerful Emotion-Queen Jamie was sent right to the front by driver Dean Magee. After cruising through leisurely splits of 29.2, 59.0 and 1:28.1, the Homer Hochstetler trainee then proceeded to uncork a wicked 27.2 final split leaving his rivals in his dust as he reported home with a nine-length victory in a career best of 1:55.3.

Fox Valley Arrow (Dale Hiteman) followed the winner’s every move but was no match for him in the late going and was forced to settle for the runner-up role, while Skyline Lover (Marcus Miller), who had won his career debut at Chester, finished a distant third 10 ¾ lengths behind the winner.

Failing to muster anything better than four third-place finishes in 10 starts last year, Anthonyskywalker is now a perfect two for two this season and has pushed his career earnings up to $31,075.