"I saw the 3/4 split and I gave him his head then and he responded," Brennan said. I took a shot and I was going for a record. It’s just amazing, totally amazing that horses can come home in 26 seconds off of those fractions, but I know this horse is really good and I know what he’s capable of. He’s a great horse."
7-10 favorite Ponder brushed to the lead past the half and held off late bids by 7-1 Maltese Artist and 18-1 Casimir Camotion to win the first of the two $195,000 U.S. Pacing Championship divisions. Driven by John Campbell and trained by Robert McIntosh, Ponder settled in fourth early, soared to the top in a :53 half and dug in gamely for a neck victory in 1:48.1. It was his fifth win in 13 starts this season. The five-year-old son of The Panderosa boosted his career earnings to $1,369,670 for McIntosh, CSX Stables and John Fielding.
