Racing Roundup: Toucam Sam takes $35,000 Isle of Wight

from Harness Publicists across North America

Thursday’s (June 18) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Harrah’s Chester, The Meadows, Vernon Downs, Scioto Downs and Cal-Expo.

Toucam Sam takes $35,000 Isle of Wight

Chester, PA — Taking advantage of an early duel between Noble Falcon and Atochia, Toucam Sam ($14.40) continued off cover to a 5-1/2 length victory in the $35,000 Isle of Wight for open pacers on Thursday evening at Harrah’s Chester Casino and Racetrack.

With Atochia (Yannick Gingras) caught wide of Noble Falcon (Eric Goodell) for three-eighths of a mile, Toucam Sam set up perfectly off the pace, with Daniel Dube edging the 6-year-old Cam’s Card Shark stallion to the outside just before the race’s midpoint.

After flushing out Total Truth (Tim Tetrick) from third, Toucam Sam tracked cover up the backstretch and was left in the breeze when Total Truth cleared. Toucam Sam drove on, opened up on the far turn, and coasted home to a 1:50 score. Mighty Young Joe (Stacy Chiodo) came on for second honors, with Total Truth a fading third.

Mark Kesmodel trains Toucam Sam for owner Larry Baron.

— Harrah’s Chester Publicity Department

Hawaiianphotograph wins $27,500 Meadows trot

Meadow Lands, PA — Hawaiianphotograph waited patiently along the pylons, then unleashed a powerful uncovered bid that carried her to victory in the $27,500 Filly & Mare Preferred Trot on Thursday at The Meadows.

Hawaiianphotograph broke stride in her last two starts, reason enough for Dave Palone to keep her covered up in fourth until the field approached the three-quarter pole. When Palone asked her for trot, she zipped past the leader, B V’s Sister, and held off the Lightning Lane charge of Hidden Viggorish to prevail by a head in 1:55.3. AJ’s Baby rallied for show.

Bill Zendt trains Hawaiianphotograph, a 4-year-old daughter of S J’s Photo-Hawaiian Rose who has won 12 of 35 career starts, for Shanamphilaniklou. For Zendt, who also conditions Hidden Viggorish, it was a training sweep of the exacta.

— Evan Pattak

Unshakeable is a winner at Vernon

Vernon, NY — Unshakeable took back the lead in the final quarter and trotted to a 1:56.4 victory in Thursday night’s $9,000 featured sixth race at Vernon Downs.

With current dash leader Howard Okusko, Jr. doing the driving, Unshakeable charged into the lead at the start of the week’s Open handicap for diagonally-gaited performers, relinquished it to newcomer Brick for the middle portion of the mile, then rallied in the stretch drive to record a one length triumph over Jack’s Reef. Brick held on for third.

Paying $10.20 for the victory, his third at the meet, the 4-year-old son of Andover Hall-Sister Sammy improved his summary line to 3-2-4 after 10 current outings under the tutelage of top trainer Jessica Okusko (21 first-place credits). The 10-time track driving champion and his partners, Conrad Zurich and the Purple Haze Stables, own the lifetime winner of $61,919.

Catherine Burton’s Crown Rules became the meet’s initial four-time winning trotter following a 2:01.4 showing for trainer and driver Angus MacDonald in Thursday’s ninth race, while Chautauqua Jam won the first 1-3/8 mile trotting test in the track’s 56-year history after a 2:49.4 effort in the second session.

Jimmy Whittemore (Chautauqua Jam and Forrest County) and Bill Bailey (Crowbar Hotel and Jaffah’s Victory) each logged driving doubles during Thursday’s nine-race card, which was raced over a sloppy track due to daylong rains.

— Jim Moran

Master’s Sweetie continues to win at Scioto

Columbus, OH — Master’s Sweetie made it five victories in a row at Scioto Downs on Thursday evening as she took a division of the fourth leg of the Killbuck Mary series for trotting mares. The 4-year-old daughter of Master Lavec scored another easy win for driver Jeff Nisonger in 2:01.4.

Nisonger moved the 1-5 favorite to the front before the half-mile and she turned back the challenges of Tk’s Karma and Hooray For Valerie. Ed Birmele owns and trains Master’s Sweetie, who has now won seven of her nine starts in 2009.

The other division of the Killbuck Mary went to Striking Lauren and driver Chip Noble. She controlled the race from the start, but had to fight hard to fend off Lima Echo in the stretch. Striking Lauren’s margin was a nose in the 1:58.3 mile. Madeline’s Crown was third.

Danny Collins trains and co-owns the winner with John Rhoads, Jr. and Jerry Sommers. It was the second win in three starts for the Chip Chip Hooray sophomore, who was sent off as the 4-5 favorite.

Dan Noble and Chris Page both scored driving triples while Chip Noble and Jeff Nisonger had driving doubles.

— Dean A. Hoffman

Clever Sadie steps up in a big way at Cal-Expo

Sacramento, CA — Filly & Mare conditioned pacers, racing for a purse of $5,300, were featured at Cal-Expo on a hot Thursday night in which Clever Sadie never looked back.

Before starting from post position five in the field of six, driver Rick Plano told it like he thought it was.

“I didn’t think she had a good shot at all because she was coming out of a $3,000 claimer and was basically facing the mares that aren’t posted in the Filly & Mare Open,” stated Plano.

Immediately hitting the brakes once on the lead, Clever Sadie reached the quarter-mile pole in :28.4 and the half in :57.4. Reaching the three-quarter marker, timed in 1:26.3, Plano would soon take a big peek back once the field entered the lane.

“I took a look back and saw no one coming,” said Plano. “My horse kept on going while no one got to her — which surprised me.”

Under urging to the seven-eighths pole, the 4-year-old would dig in and refuse to let the pocket sitting Mamahaswhiskerstoo (Steve Wiseman) get too close. Owned by KC Carvalho and Jill Wine, the Tom Wine ll trained mare would win ($5.20) by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:55.1, equaling a seasonal mark. Mamahaswhiskerstoo finished in second, and Charter Ridge (Jim Marino) was a three-hole sitting third, another 2-1/2 lengths farther back.

“It was a phenomenal race for a three claimer to be able to do what she did,” concluded Plano.

— Scott Ehrlich

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