Racing Roundup: Dave Ain’t Here three-peats in Yonkers Open Handicap Pace
February 13, 2010,from Harness Publicists across North America
Saturday’s (Feb. 13) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Yonkers Raceway, Dover Downs, Buffalo Raceway and Cal-Expo.
Dave Ain’t Here three-peats in Yonkers Open Handicap Pace
Yonkers, NY — In-form Dave Ain’t Here (Jim Pantaleano) stole some soft Saturday night fractions and held sway, winning Yonkers Raceway’s $32,000 Open Handicap Pace. It was his third consecutive victory in the Saturday feature.
Mike Lizzi photo
Dave Ain’t Here held off Southwind Tabor by a head in the Open Handicap Pace.
Dave Ain’t Here, in play early from post position No. 5, left around pole-sitting Southwind Tabor (Greg Merton) and took no pressure and no prisoners. After a :28 opening quarter-mile, Dave Ain’t Here meandered through a :31 next weigh station. Next Adventure (Billy Dobson) tried it first-up, prompting :28.1 third quarter before giving way. Dave Ain’t Here owned a 1-1/2 length lead entering the lane.
Turning for home, it was a match-race between pace-setter and pocket-sitter, with Dave Ain’t Here winning by a head in 1:55.3. Winbak Fox (Jeff Gregory), Dan Carter (Greg Grismore) and Next Adventure came away with the minor moolah. Western Shore (Jason Bartlett), the 4-5 favorite, aborted a leave and offered nothing from third-over.
Dave Ain’t Here, a 9-year-old Blissfull Hall gelding owned and trained by Ettore Annunziata, paid $11.20 (third choice) for his fourth win in seven seasonal starts. The exacta paid $30, with the triple returning $98.
— Frank Drucker
Copper Harbor wins featured trot at Dover
Dover, DE — Copper Harbor, a 10-1 shot, won the $14,500 featured trot as live racing resumed after being snowed out for more than a week at Dover Downs.
Fotowon photo
Copper Harbor was a 1:58.4 winner in the featured trot at Dover.
Carlo Poliseno, behind Copper Harbor, turned on the late speed to overtake Stargazer Lily (Corey Callahan) in the final strides to win the $14,500 4- and 5-year-old trotting feature. Poliseno and Brigita Moulson own the CR Commando-CR Penny Lane mare who posted a lifetime mark of 1:58.4. King Gus (Vic Kirby) was the early leader and held on to finish third.
Bobbie Swain’s White Diamonds also came on with a rush to win the Delaware $13,200 4- and 5-year-old pace with a 1:59.2 performance. Braggin Hanover (Ben Stafford, Jr.) came back after being passed after the three-quarters to finish second in front of Sonador (Brad Hanners). Kim Vincent drove the Jet Laag-Sweet Play 5-year-old to victory after consecutive second place finishes.
— Marv Bachrad
New York Prime is center cut in Buffalo feature
Hamburg, NY — New York Prime, a 7-year-old Bettor’s Delight gelding, out of the Western Hanover mare Western Duel, won the $9,000 Open Handicap Pace in 1:56.3 to register his first win this season for the Brothers IV Stable on Saturday at Buffalo Raceway.
New York Prime ($11.00), driven by reinsman Tom Agosti, took the lead just past the quarter pole and then widened his lead at every call to beat second place finisher Arm And A Leg (Kevin Cummings) by six lengths. Nifty Prescott (Ken Holliday) came in third.
“He’s a nice horse,” said Agosti. “But boy is he lazy.”
Trained by Alex Giuliani, the $4,500 share of the purse put New York Prime’s season’s bankroll at $10,800 and $147,977 lifetime.
Driver Ken Holliday was the hot driver on this chilly night, steering home five winners. Nearing the $20 million mark in lifetime earnings, Holliday’s winners were Triple Bars ($4.30), Brandonsnorthrnluk ($5.50), Whitewall Hanover ($3.90), Runrun Big Eagle ($3.10), and Scudder ($3.60).
— Sam Pendolino
There’s no denying ‘Franky’ at Cal-Expo
Sacramento, CA — Open Handicap Pacers, racing for a purse of $6,100, were featured at Cal-Expo on Saturday night, in which Frankyluvsmeatbals got the hat trick.
In advance of being handicapped in post position nine in the field of the five, that’s right five, was driver Luke Plano concerned about starting five slots from his next closest foe?
“I still thought my horse obviously had a good chance despite being handicapped the nine hole,” said Plano. “But I wasn’t going to attempt to make the lead from out there.”
Settling in last after an eighth of a mile, Plano wasted no time in moving the 1-5 favorite.
“I had him pretty started up going to the gate because I was chasing the gate. So once I caught the pack and with him on the muscle quite a bit I decided to move him to the top.”
Out and moving 3-16ths of a mile past the start into a :28.3 first quarter, Plano made the lead with his charge past the three-eighths station. Did he use his gelding while pacing a :27.4 second quarter?
“I used him a little bit, but not real hard and it wasn’t threatening. At the half-mile pole (:57.1), I thought he was pretty comfortable.”
Under a nice grip into the final turn and wanting to go, Plano gradually kept taking a bigger hold of his pacer.
“He’s one of those horses that naturally wants to go in the third quarter. I, however, was just trying to give him a little breather.”
Still under a good hold at the three-quarter marker, timed in 1:26, there was no reason for Plano to be anything other than very optimistic. Not urged until the field was a sixteenth of a mile from the wire, Plano knew it was time.
“I saw Split Ticket (Steve Wiseman) up the inside gaining and I figured I better urge my horse to go on because we were going pretty good and I thought we could have been in danger. When I asked him he responded strongly.”
Getting threatened late by Split Ticket who made it to his wheel, Frankyluvsmeatbals held firm and actually drew clear on the wire to win ($2.60) by 1-1/4 lengths. Owned by Maryann Plano and trained by her husband Rick, the 5-year-old stopped the timer at 1:53.1, thus recording his 20th victory in just 61 starts. Split Ticket finished in second and Cowboy Hanover (Rick Plano) was just a neck back in third.
“He’s a very good horse that’s in very good form. I thought he raced quite good,” concluded the young Plano.
— Scott Ehrlich