Sun rises in the States as owners score amazing double with Dealer and Dream

American cousins Gordon Banks and Marc Hanover have enjoyed some big moments in harness racing over the years but none topped their winning double at Albion Park tonight when first American Dealer won the A$30,000 Rising Sun Consolation then Amazing Dream pipped Copy That in the A$250,000 Final.

“What a great night,” Banks said from his Miami home. “It’s been maybe the most exciting and fun night in our 40 years of owning racehorses.

“It’s right up there with winning the US Breeders’ Crown with Molly Can Do It when Tupelo Rose also ran a good third.

Gordon Banks … most exciting racenight in 40 years racing horses.Marc Hanover, with cousin Gordon Banks, is in a syndicate which bought Amazing Dream for big money.“But it’s been a long night with virtually no sleep,” Banks said after a watching binge which started with Majordan winning at Yonkers and Burnham Boy running second at Menangle.

But if Banks and Hanover were feeling tired, American Dealer’s tough triumph at 4.45am Miami time got the adrenalin running.

Things looked grim early for American Dealer when he was caught four wide round the first bend then had to work three wide to find the breeze.

And while he quickly got cover from an early three wide train, Butt was soon shuffled to four back on the outer.

“I thought I was in trouble when we got pushed back,” Butt said.

“The one I was following looked to be under pressure in the back straight so I had to make my run three wide from the 600.

“But he stuck to it really well and was big at the finish.

“I was surprised at his toughness as he did a bit of work early.

“He’s just a wee ripper of a horse and he’s got to be a chance in the derbies on that run. It won’t be easy against Krug but he’s on the rise.

“He’s getting better and better with every run and it wasn’t a bad field of older horses tonight.”

American Dealer got home by 1.3 metres over Captain Crusader and Ilikemebettor, sprinting his last half in 57.3 and quarter in 27.6.

His overall time for the 2138 metres was a swift 2:32, just two tenths of a second slower than Australian champion, former Lincoln Farms’ star King Of Swing, clocked one race later.

That represented a mile rate of 1:54.4, two seconds faster than he ran when second the previous week, confirming Butt’s prediction that he would be much better on a faster pace.

Banks paid tribute to Lincoln Farms’ trainer Ray Green for the win.

“Ray’s done a good job with him. The horse took a bit of time to get used to going the other way after so much racing at Auckland but it was a big performance tonight.

“He actually deserved to be in the major dance tonight - he can go with those top horses - but it’s worked out well. He would have had to run third to earn what he got for winning the consolation (A$17,955).”

Anthony Butt brings American Dealer back.Banks confirmed the plan to keep racing American Dealer in Australia for the rest of the year after the Queensland Derby on July 24.

“If he shows he deserves it then we’ll look at the Victoria Derby and Breeders Crown.”

That means American Dealer will either end up in the Sydney stable of Kevin Pizzuto or Victorian barn of Amazing Dream’s trainer Nathan Purdon.

“That’s always been the plan but we’ll take it week by week - at some stage he will need a break, he hasn’t had a decent one for a long time.

“He strikes me as a horse who would be very good in the States but we’ll take it step by step.

Amercan Dealer rallies bravely to beat Captain Crusader and Ilikemebettor.“We don’t really like bringing horses to the States if they excel over there. Even though they race for tremendous money at Yonkers now the costs are higher and you don’t know how they will acclimatise.

“It’s a nice quandary to have anyway.”

American Dealer’s eighth win tonight boosted his bankroll to $227,456 from just 26 starts.

He was backed in heavily to start a $3.40 favourite after the TAB offered odds of $7.50 earlier in the day.