Shouldaknownbetter Wins Lakeshore Cup

Shouldaknownbetter captured the Lakeshore Cup during Leamington Raceway's season-closing card on Sunday, Nov. 3.

In the afternoon's featured $8,000 Invitational for the meet's top money-earning Preferred trotters, Shouldaknownbetter, the 4-5 favourite, emerged between a pair of leaving rivals with the lead for driver Lorne House while Duke Deo (Nick Steward) took the pocket position leaving from the inside and Workinitonbroadway (Donnie Rankin Jr.) broke stride to the outside.

Once on top, there was no catching Shouldaknownbetter as he carved out fractions of :28.4, 1:00 and 1:30.1 and spun for home with a clear lead, widening his margin to four lengths at the end of the two-minute mile. Duke Deo followed in second and Royal Leaf (Garrett Rooney) completed the top three finish order.

Mike Hamlin owns and trains the Deep Chip-Lexis Electra gelding, who has earned half of his 20 career wins during his current six-year-old campaign. Shouldaknownbetter earned five of those wins at the 2024 Leamington meet.

Top honours at the meet went to driver Garrett Rooney, with 32 wins, and trainer Cameron McQueen, with 11 wins. Robert Doyle was the runner-up in both the driver and trainer standings with 19 winning drives and nine winning starters from his own stable at the Leamington meet. Lorne House and Nick Steward each made 18 visits to the winner's circle to tie for third-place in the driver standings while George Robinson, David Bain and Patrick Bissett tied for third in the trainer rankings with seven wins each. 

(Standardbred Canada)