UPSETS ABOUND IN WILLIAM HAUGHTON MEMORIAL
Oakwood Ardan IR and Maximus Miki posted double-digit upsets in their respective $147,500 divisions of the William Haughton Memorial, for older pacers, on Saturday (July 12) at the Meadowlands, winning at 32-1 and 14-1, respectively ...
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ -- July 12, 2025 -- Oakwood Ardan IR and Maximus Miki posted double-digit upsets in their respective $147,500 divisions of the William Haughton Memorial, for older pacers, on Saturday (July 12) at the Meadowlands, winning at 32-1 and 14-1, respectively.
Oakwood Ardan IR fanned four-wide off the home turn and cascaded to a lifetime-best 1:47.3 win over Dave Brower Memorial winner Coach Stefanos and Graduate winner Sabonis in the first division.
Driver Jordan Stratton kept Oakwood Ardan IR reserved off a five-horse skirmish that saw Voukefalas (driven by Joe Bongiorno) vault from post 10 to lead at the end of a :26 first quarter before yielding to double millionaire Abuckabett Hanover (Yannick Gingras) upon reaching the backstretch. As Sabonis (Dexter Dunn) employed a fourth-to-first brush to seize control shortly thereafter, Stratton and Oakwood Ardan IR were content to sit two-wide in the slipstream of Coach Stefanos (James MacDonald), who flushed 6-5 favorite Captain Albano (Todd McCarthy) out from fifth at the :53.2 half-mile split.
Captain Albano took aim at Sabonis on the far turn, towing Coach Stefanos and Oakwood Ardan IR into striking range at three-quarters in 1:21.2, at which point both horses fanned wide for the stretch drive. Coach Stefanos persistently wore down pacesetter Sabonis, but Oakwood Ardan IR — on the power of a ferocious :25.2 final quarter — eclipsed eventual runner-up Coach Stefanos in the final strides to prevail by a neck. Sabonis finished a game third over the hard-working Captain Albano.
"I wanted to have him as close as I could at the head of the stretch," said Stratton. "He felt great when I moved him. I probably moved him a little early, but I was just so confident in my horse, and he charged right to the wire."
Not only is the Haughton win the biggest of Oakwood Ardan IR's career to date, but it marks his 11th victory in 14 starts over the Big M oval.
"This feels like a dream come true," said trainer Robert Cleary. "For this horse to do what he's done, where he's come from, nobody could even dream that it's possible.
"He felt amazing when I trained him, but I never dreamed you could come through the classes like that. I thought I had a really nice racehorse, but I never dreamed we could be here today."
Oakwood Ardan IR, a 6-year-old Sweet Lou-Trend Setter gelding, races for Royal Wire Products Inc. Now a 22-time winner from 51 starts, Oakwood Ardan IR has amassed $301,367 in career earnings. He paid $67.80 to win.
In the second division, Maximus Miki skimmed the pegs in the stretch to engulf titans Bythemissal and Ken Hanover en route to a lifetime best-equaling 1:48 score.
Out through the entirety of a :26.3 first quarter, Maximus Miki and driver Andy McCarthy forged to the front midway up the far side before yielding to 4-5 favorite Ken Hanover (David Miller) just past the :54.2 half and being shuffled back a couple more positions as Bythemissal (Gingras) continued uncovered to take the lead with three-eighths to go. Bythemissal threw down a :26.3 third sectional, prompting Miller to vacate the pocket with Ken Hanover off the home turn and opening the door for Maximus Miki to take the short path to victory as the pace ultimately collapsed.
"Once I saw David pull, I said, 'I'm just going to wait here for a second and see what Bythemissal does,'" explained McCarthy. "Once he straightened up, he started to drift a little bit, so I figured I was going to get room up the inside. I waited, got the earplugs out, and away he went."
Maximus Miki darted through a seam at the pegs to secure a clear lead with 150 yards to go, and he evaded a hard-closing Timeisonmyside (Dunn) to win by a diminishing three-quarters of a length. Funtime Bayama (James MacDonald) rallied from deep off the pace to finish third.
"He's shown in the past that he's got the strength and speed, and he's finally starting to prove it now," McCarthy added.
Tom Cancelliere trains Maximus Miki, a 6-year-old Always B Miki-Beach Gal gelding with 24 career wins and $420,636 in earnings from 52 starts, for owner John Cancelliere. He paid $31.20 to win.
To watch the replays of the William Haughton Memorial, click the following links:
• Oakwood Ardan IR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lyzb3aHoRAw
• Maximus Miki: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtQL6XDha5o
