A new lifetime mark

Marvin Hagler, driven by Brett MacDonald, set a new lifetime mark as he secured victory in the Preferred-2 Trot at Grand River Raceway on Monday (Jul. 8). The five-year-old gelding surged from third to take the lead on the backstretch, opening up a three-length lead at the top of the stretch before crossing the finish line two lengths ahead in 1:56. Insanity finished second with Heavy Dude E in third place.

This win marked Marvin Hagler's first victory at the Preferred level this year and his second overall. Trained by Mark MacQuarrie, Marvin Hagler has now won five races out of 17 starts this season. He has a total of 21 wins out of 74 career starts, earning $162,392 for co-owners MacQuarrie and Mary Pedden. His previous best time of 1:57.1 was set in June.

In another race, Boston Bound claimed his first victory of the year in the Horses and Geldings Preferred-2 Pace. Piloted by Jason Ryan, the stallion led from start to finish, crossing the line two-and-a-quarter lengths ahead in 1:52. Arties Ideal finished second in a close four-way battle, with Sportsline coming in third.

Trained by Marie Helene Dupont, Boston Bound has nine starts in 2024 with four second-place finishes. The four-year-old has 10 wins in 40 career races, earning $170,180. Dupont co-owns the horse with Ecurie CSL.

The Prospect Series for two-year-old pacers kicked off on the same card, with Dancininthefire, Grin And Win, and Up Front Bb winning the colt-and-gelding divisions, while Tj Bliss, Eternal Delight, and Bb Ballykeel took the fillies' divisions. All six horses were making their debut.