Racing Roundup: Tom’s OK Lady cruises in Meadows F&M Trot
January 15, 2010,from Harness Publicists across North America
Friday’s (Jan. 15) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from The Meadows, Yonkers Raceway, Pompano Park, Buffalo Raceway and Cal-Expo.
Tom’s OK Lady cruises in Meadows F&M Trot
Washington, PA — Tom’s OK Lady enjoyed a comfortable first half on the lead, then drew away from the field late to capture Friday’s $25,000 Filly & Mare Preferred Handicap Trot at The Meadows.
Hammered down to 2-5, Tom’s OK Lady floated to the front for Dave Palone and reached the half in a leisurely :59.1 on a surface rated ‘good.’ From there, she encountered no serious challenge as she scored in 1:57.2, 2-1/2 lengths better than the rallying I’m Justa Lady, with Whotookwhat third. The finish represented a 1-2-3 sweep by daughters of Inquirer.
Ron Burke trains Tom’s OK Lady, a 7-year-old who won for the 42nd time in 96 career starts, for Burke Racing Stable, M1 Stable, Weaver Bruscemi LLC and Bethann Palone.
Dave Palone and Tony Hall each drove three winners on the 15-race card.
— Evan Pattak
Nidya A, Beach Nut Brand win co-features at Yonkers
Yonkers, NY — Nidya A (Cat Manzi) snapped pace-setting Hannah Isabel (Patrick Lachance) on the money Friday night, winning Yonkers Raceway’s co-featured $32,000 Filly and Mare Open Handicap Pace.
Hannah Isabel set sail through fractions of :28.1, :57.4 and 1:26. Style Semalu (Stephane Bouchard) was pocket-protected, while returning Eagle See (Peter Wrenn) was pacing in place first-up as the 9-5 choice. Nidya A, leaving from post position No. 5, was done no favors by the favorite. She was second-over, going wide entering the lane.
Hannah Isabel had a 1-1/4 length advantage in and out of the final turn, with Nidya A 3-1/2 lengths away. She timed it just right, closing from fifth to prevail by a head in 1:55.2. Leanback Coco (Jordan Stratton) grabbed the bottom of the ticket, with Style Semalu and invading Tracy’s Song (Greg Grismore) grabbing the small change.
Nidya A, a 9-year-old Down Under Albert Albert miss trained by Peter Tritton for co-owners Paul McDougall and WJ McDougall Racing, returned $21.40 (sixth choice) for her first win in two ’09 tries. The exacta paid $129.50, with the triple returning $900.
The weekly $32,000 trotting feature saw Beach Nut Brand (Jeff Gregory) grind his way to glory, getting by Ripped (Grismore) late in 1:57.
The latter was looped leaving by 9-10 fave American Lane (Manzi), then grabbed the lead after the :28.1 opening quarter-mile. Ripped found a soft :59 intermission, before Beach Nut Brand took up the chase. Leaving from post No. 6, Beach Nut Brand had settled in fifth. He then ranged up going to the 1:27.4 three-quarters, with Green Day (Lachance) slightly gapped.
Ripped maintained a tenuous lead turning for home, but Beach Nut Brand had him. The challenger went on by, widening to a 1-1/2 length margin at the wire. Ripped saved second, with Green Day, Force Nine (Bouchard) and a fading American Lane completing the cashers. Millionaire-in-waiting Self Professed (Jason Bartlett), needing any pay envelope to join the seven-figure set, couldn’t get involved from the eight hole and finished last.
Beach Nut Brand, an 8-year-old Branded gelding trained by Mark Harder for co-owners Stable 45 and Scott Kurzrok, returned $8.20 (second choice) for his first win in two seasonal starts. The exacta paid $30.60, the triple returned $176 and the superfecta paid $1,280.
Props to Grismore, who swept the $184.50 early double with My Wicked Willie ($12.80) in the $6,000 first race pace and Light Headed ($43.40) in the $16,000 second race trot.
— Frank Drucker
Mares Open upsets on Friday at Pompano
Pompano Beach, FL — The win price mutuels in the top events warmed up in a big way just like the weather for the Friday evening program at The Isle Pompano Park.
As seasonal temperatures of 72 degrees were welcomed back in South Florida a pair of Mares Open Pace events were carded — and surprisingly the lowest priced of the two winners was $27.20 in the $13,000 top event.
Lap Time Photo – Skip Smith
Nillabomb took a life’s mark of 1:51.2 in the $13,000 Mares Open Handicap Pace.
Esmeralda Semalu was riding a three race win streak and from an assigned outside start in the field of seven starters, Joe Pavia Jr. sent her through fractions of :27.1, :55.4, and 1:23.1. Bling, last week’s second place finisher in a photo, never got closer than third from another first over bid this time out though she was able to hold on to the show position. Hot on the heels of the pacemaking Esmeralda Semalu all the way was Nillabomb and by mid-stretch Anthony Napolitano had her out for clear sailing to capture a 12-1 upset and a life’s mark of 1:51.2.
“It looked last week like she was locked in until a little too late and this time the trip couldn’t have been more perfect,” said trainer Eric Beach of Nillabomb after this life’s mark effort. “Plus in the past week I trained everything in my stable up a little better.”
Nillabomb is a 5-year-old mare by Admirals Galley-Be A Little Lady owned by Trifecta 246 Stable. Her Michigan pedigree roots are reflected by the fact she has the same roan and grey coloring as Michigan’s most famous offspring of Admirals Galley, Admiral’s Express. The durable mare has started 67 times in her career and earned a life’s speed badge in her 27th career win.
The night’s fine work by driver Anthony Napolitano was from over after the upset win with Nillabomb. He was the track’s top driver for the 2008-2009 meet and he was right back with a duplicate pocket trip score in the very next race. The 8-year-old Keystone Raider-Years Of Joy mare Joyful Years was under perfect handling from Napolitano to topple seven rivals in a conditioned event in 1:53.4 for owner Anthony Ross and trainer Jodi Bendick.
Friday evening’s undercard featured a $10,000 Mares Open-2 Pace, and this time the winner was sent off at over 15-1. Favorite Hypnotize with Joe Pavia, Jr. in tow brushed to the front in the third quarter but tracking her cover out in the flow was Coreys Apache driven by Dan Clements. In late stretch, Hypnotize weakened just enough to allow Coreys Apache and M A Jackie, with Bruce Ranger, to get by.
Coreys Apache, by Apaches Fame from Keystone Amelia, races for the ownership of Pompano Park’s hottest trainer thus far in 2010, Fred Cohen, who has won 26 times from 85 starts this meet. Coreys Apache handled this move up from claiming company to score her second straight win.
— Frank Salive
Bedroom Photo wins opening night feature at Buffalo
Hamburg, NY — A large and enthusiastic crowd welcomed back the trotters and pacers for the 68th year of racing at Buffalo Raceway on an unseasonably warm Friday night. Race Secretary Robin Burns was true to his prediction, as $66,200 was up for grabs in purse money, a nice increase over last year’s opener.
In the $9,000 Open Trot, Bedroom Photo ($12.40), a 7-year-old gelding by S J’s Photo leaving from post five in the field of six, made every pole a winning one, beating five rivals in 2:01.2 for his first win of the 2010 campaign.
Capably driven by Ray Fisher, Jr. and owned by Guy Polillo, Bedroom Photo cut all the fractions in the race, :30, 1:00.3, and 1:31.2. The margin of victory was three-quarters of a length over race favorite Jack Sparrow (Jim McNeight). Old Trafford (Kevin Cummings) came in third.
“I really wasn’t going to leave,” said Fisher. “When nobody left I just found myself on the lead and got some easy fractions.”
When asked about the newly renovated track, Fisher said, “It’s excellent.”
Racing will resume on Saturday, Jan. 16, with first post scheduled for 6:40 p.m.
— Sam Pendolino
Strategy change works well for Claudius Augustus at Cal-Expo
Sacramento, CA — His M.O. has almost always been to leave, but on this night Claudius Augustus became a closer and a successful one at that. Open handicap trotters, racing for a $6,100 purse, were featured at Cal-Expo on Friday night, in which Claudius Augustus got back on the winning track.
Prior to starting from post five in the field of the same number, driver Steve Wiseman had a pre-race meeting.
“Bobby (Johnson/trainer) and I discussed strategy a little bit before the race and he kind of left it up to me as to whether I wanted to leave out of there with him or race him from behind,” said Wiseman. “When we were behind the gate, I elected to race him from off the pace because this was only his fourth start back and I had put him on the front in his last two, so I figured ducking was the thing to do. With all that being said, I knew I had a good shot no matter how I raced him.”
Lagging the gate one length, yet half floating out off the wings, the 6-year-old tucked in last an eighth of a mile past the start into a deliberate :29.4 opening quarter. Still last at the half-mile station, timed in a soft 1:00, was Wiseman concerned?
“I basically knew at the quarter that we’d be getting down to the half cheap and that we’d be trotting home pretty good. But I was okay and not concerned that Cherry Tree Luke got the easy first half.”
Getting second-over cover to the 9-16ths pole behind Calzone (Gilbert Herrera) who provided live cover midway through the final bend, Claudius Augustus found himself just two lengths back at the three-quarter pole, timed in 1:28.3.
“I knew I had a good shot from right there because he was strong and I was just sitting and hadn’t even pulled the earplugs.”
Tipping three-wide with less than 3-16ths of a mile to go, the son of Angus Hall knew what to do. Flying into the lead to mid-stretch and edging away late while Wiseman’s whip rested on the back of his charge, the pride of Debbie Budahn won ($3.00) by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:57, equaling a seasonal best. Cherry Tree Luke finished in second and TV Mom (Lemoyne Svendsen) came on late to finish just a neck farther back in third.
“He raced very good and is a very nice horse to drive,” finished Wiseman.
— Scott Ehrlich