Monumental Upset In The $50,000 He's My Man Classic
*Xtenshun After Winning the $50,000 Classic*
Imagine you are a young rookie just called up for the World Series and your manager asks you to start Game 7 to win the big one for your Team. Or a backup quarterback who suddenly is slated to start in the Super Bowl while the entire sport is watching. Unbelievable right? That's how new head trainer Brianna Burkhart must have felt when the 36th running of the $50,000 He's Man Classic Tournament started at Palm Beach earlier this month.
Burkhart who just took over North Shore Kennel's head trainer job on January 4th, watched like all of us as her new superstar Xtenshun at 16-1 odds took home one of the biggest prizes in greyhound racing Saturday. The 29.70 secs box to wire sprint victory was one of the largest upsets in Stakes Final history and a monumental score for North Shore. The Talbon-Skul puppy from owner Billy O'Donnell was now a worldwide sensation.
"The rush and excitement of winning a race in which you are the underdog is immeasurable!" Burkhart says.
Indeed. In what turned out to be one of the more wide open Tournaments any of us have ever seen, North Shore kicked off the Tourney madness with huge upset wins from Xtenshun and teammate Kiowa Brazil in the first round. Even after, did Burkhart and her Team have visions of winning the grand prize though?
"It was a goal we set and all part of a master plan," she says. "Good things are bound to happen with a good team. It was just awesome to experience it now. All the credit goes to the dog who did all the work! We are on cloud nine!"
Burkhart, a pro photographer before this and Xtenshun will be sneaking up on no one in the future after this victory. What's next for the Champ? A rematch of the Final will take place on Sunday January 31st in the inaugural $5,000 Rooney's Golf Foundation Challenge. Xtenshun will also certainly receive a spot in the $50,000 Rooneys St. Patricks Invitational Final coming up on March 12th.
A great story for our sport and a Tournament none of us will be forgetting anytime soon. Congratulations to Xtenshun and his entire Team on this historic accomplishment.
Having fun yet Brianna?
Replay of the He's My Man Classic Final:
http://www.trackinfo.com/video-box.jsp?raceid=gPB%2420160116A12ADVERTISEMENT
