from Harness Publicists across North America

Monday’s (July 28) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from The Red Mile, Plainridge Racecourse, Batavia Downs, Northfield Park, Monticello Raceway and the Clearfield, PA fair.

Shetler posts a grand slam at Red Mile

Lexington, KY — After kicking off the Red Mile meet Sunday night with two victories, driver Dan Shetler tallied up four more victories on Monday night’s card.

Shetler started off the Monday night card with a 14-1/2 length romp in the opener with Winning Prayer. The 3-year-old son of Like A Prayer recorded his third career victory, taking a lifetime mark of 1:57.2 in the process. Shetler also trains the gelding for the Eash Racing Stable Inc.

Shetler continued his winning ways in the night’s sixth race, reporting home an easy winner in the overnight race with the 3-5 favorite Sugar Foot. The 7-year-old Royal Match mare grinded first over against her eight rivals and coasted down the lane to win by over two lengths in a time of 1:58.2 for owner-trainer James Herald.

Nigel Soult photo

El Mistress Chesea broke her maiden in 2:02.1, one of Dan Shetler’s four winning drives.

A late driver change for the absent Mark O’Mara put Shetler aboard El Mistress Chesea in the seventh race, a late closing event for 2-year-old trotting fillies. He would use a quarter move as the horses headed up the backstretch to take control and never look back, holding off Don Swick and Miss Inspiration by three-quarters of a length in 2:02.1. The win came in El Mistress Chesea’s very first lifetime start for trainer Jonas Czernyson and owner-breeder Erkki Laakkonen. The royally bred filly is by Andover Image out of Laakkonen’s mare E L Chelsea. E L Chelsea was a full sister to world champion mare Cameron Hall, a winner of over $1.8 million.

Shetler recorded his third straight victory, and fourth of the night, in Monday’s eighth race. The late closing event for freshman pacing colts had Shetler once again moving his charge, Pedro Island, to the front just past the quarter and never looking back to score his first career victory in 1:56.4. Pedro Island is a 2-year-old Real Artist colt, out of the No Nukes Mare Three Mile Island. Mike Roth does the training for the DM Stables LLC.

— Gabe Prewitt

Jordan’s Jewell wears the crown at Plainridge

Plainville, MA — “She’s a real nice filly.”

Bob Sumner couldn’t have been more understated after the performance of Jordan’s Jewell at Plainridge Racecourse. Making her first appearance for her new connections, the 2-year-old filly simply obliterated the track record, going gate-to-wire in 1:55.

“She hadn’t raced in a month so I was hoping to go in :57 or :58,” Sumner explained. “I never expected to go that kind of mile.”

Jordan’s Jewell’s reputation preceded her when she arrived at the Massachusetts track. The freshman pacer had been named Indiana’s Horse of the Month for June after winning her first five career starts and was featured in Hoof Beats magazine.

Sent off the heavy betting favorite at Plainridge, Jordan’s Jewell grabbed the lead at the start and was more than a dozen lengths the best on the wire. She trimmed more than a full second off the previous track standard for freshman pacing fillies.

Gary and Beverly Paganelli, John MacLean and Michael Daddario now own Jordan’s Jewell. Patricia Sumner trains the daughter of Mantese-Loafster.

Jordan’s Jewell is likely to get a vacation in the near future.

“We’re going to race her one more time at Yonkers then quit with her until next year,” Bob Sumner said.

The track record was also a testament to Plainridge track superintendent Gerry Rocco. Called “the best trackman in New England,” by one local driver, Rocco was hospitalized on Sunday evening. Yet the conscientious trackman still monitored the situation from his hospital bed and offered pointers to his hard working crew throughout the Monday card.

— Lenny Calderone

2008 season opens at Batavia

Batavia, NY — Live racing returned to Batavia Downs Gaming for the 2008 season on Monday. It was a beautiful evening for racing and a very large crowd came out to watch the excitement. It was also the first night many racing fans got a chance to check out the new $1.5 million sports bar named Grandstands.

The featured race on the inaugural card was the ninth race, a $5,000 conditioned pace. Keystone Endurance, the favorite, got away fifth but put in a powerful brush going to the three-quarter pole and drew off to win by 9-1/4 lengths in 1:55.3. Keystone Endurance is a 7-year-old son of Cam’s Card Shark. He is owned by Michael Rashkin and trained by Paul Szalay, Jr. Josh Marks drove Keystone Endurance ($3.60) to victory.

— Todd Haight

This Sands Hot takes Open Trot at Northfield

Northfield, OH — Trainer-driver John Konesky, III steered G. B. Reddin’s This Sands Hot ($4.80) to a 1:58.3 win in Monday’s $6,000 Open Trot at Northfield Park.

The winner stalked leader Lucca’s Revenge through fractions of :28.4, :59.2 and 1:29.2 before using a stretch drive to defeat the leader. Honorable Guy also went by the tiring leader to get the place money.

It was career win number 27 for the 5-year-old Sand Chaser gelding.

Dean Davis’ Gordie How ($9.00) blasted to a gate-to-wire, 1:53.3 win in a $6,000 Open II Pace, defeating Well Bet by nearly six lengths. Trainer-driver Kurt Sugg piloted the winner, a 4-year-old Stand Forever gelding who races without an overcheck.

Aaron Merriman had three winners on the Northfield Monday card, while Ryan Angus posted a driving double.

— Keith Gisser

Kimelman wins at Monticello with My Miss Bliss

Monticello, NY — Talk about a man for all seasons; that’s precisely what Mike Kimelman is.

Not only is Kimelman the President of the famed Blue Chip Farms, and a memmber of the Board of Directors of Goshen Historic Track, as well as a Board Member of the SOA of NY, he is, needless to say, a force in the breeding industry, especially in New York State. However that’s not all. Kimelman is also a talented harness driver, though in recent years his time in the sulky is limited, as one can understand of a man so involved in the harness racing industry.

Geri Schwarz photo

Mike Kimelman reigned My Miss Bliss to a 1:55.2 victory.

On Monday at Monticello Raceway, Kimelman was aboard his wife Sally’s My Miss Bliss and he guided the 6-year-old mare to a stunning five length victory in a time of 1:55.2. It was the first seasonal triumph for the mare and the 477th driving victory for Kimelman.

Sent off as the prohibitive favorite in the race, Kimelman got away slowly then moved first-up at the half and cruised up alongside the leaders as they neared the three-quarter pole. At that point Kimelman hustled My Miss Bliss to the front and the ball game was over as the daughter of Blissfull Hall won easily in a new lifetime mark. Armbro Bracken, driven by Mike Merton, came out of the pack at the top of the lane to finish second and the pacesetter, Katrina Maree N (Billy Parker, Jr.), faded and finished third.

“My Miss Bliss is Sally’s mare, and she does it all with her,” Kimelman explained. “The mare lives in our back yard at the farm with a couple of our daughter’s ponies and Sally rides the mare to keep her in shape. When we have to train her we van her to one of the training farms.

“But Sally races her sporadically because she has to enter her (at a track) around my schedule when I am available. But make no mistake about it My Miss Bliss is Sally’s project and she does a wonderful job with her.”

— John Manzi

Pine Hill Bling stars in Pennsylvania

Clearfield, PA — Powerful 2-year-old trotting colt Pine Hill Bling was the star of the show at the Clearfield (PA) fairgrounds on Monday, setting a new divisional track record of 2:03 as Clearfield hosted the first of four days of racing during its fair.

The son of Yankee McCoy-Hidden Victory, who earlier this month toured the Gratz twicearound in a record 2:01.3, smashed the Clearfield record of 2:04.4 set by K T Jigger in 1998 with the Fair Sire Stake triumph, his fifth in eight starts. Michele Albaugh-Young was in her accustomed spot behind “Bling” for trainer Thomas Young.

Albaugh-Young won with another 2-year-old trotting colt, Pine Hill Vinnie (Super Vintage-Donut’s Magic), but in the more pedestrian time of 2:11.3 in a Quaker State event.

Bryce Truitt won the other three Fair Sire Stakes races on the card: the other freshman colt trot with Columbia County (Sierra Kosmos-Keystone Delicacy), that one’s third straight, in 2:07.3, and both halves of the 2-year-old filly trot with Annie’s Wonder (Wonder Dancer-Sanstone’s Annie, 2:10.4) and the five-time Sire Stakes winner Bank Star (Banker Hall-Classofninetyfive) in 2:12.2.

— Jerry Connors