Fort Washington, MD – William Carter recorded a driving hat trick on Monday (March 23) at Rosecroft Raceway, led by Sudden Impact’s 1:52.2 win in the $10,000 pacing feature. But the 21-year-old reinsman’s big night was overshadowed in the final race when one astute handicapper took down a massive payday in the Jackpot Hi-5.
Carter engineered a cover trip for Sudden Impact, following live three-wide cover from Starship (driven by Jonathan Roberts) up the backstretch as Nevada Vacation (Roger Plante Jr.) and Tony Babe (Shane Griffith) dueled into defeat after early fractions of :26.2 and :55.3. Turning for home, Starship had drawn 2-1/2 lengths clear of Sudden Impact, who was towed into second, only for the 5-year-old Captaintreacherous-Take Into Account gelding to shift gears, overpower Starship, and sprint to a 3-length win. Rocket Mac (Justin Walters), who was sent off the 4-5 favorite, rallied to just nab Starship for second.
Johnny Crites Jr. owns and trains Sudden Impact, a 16-time winner who paid $10 to win.
Carter also won with Trey Rockette (1:54.3, $20.80), for trainer Christina Luoto, and Shim (1:55.4, $10.20), for trainer Basil Sapienza.
IT PAYS TO PLAY: After carrying over for the first 16 days of the meet, the 50-cent Jackpot Hi-5 was hit in Monday’s last race. Imaginary Line, who paid $9.30 to win as the second choice in the second-level conditioned pace, led a 9-8-1-5-4 combination that returned $51,551.15 to a single winner.
Additionally, both Pick-4s came back as “signers,” with 10-1 and 36-1 winners in the early Pick-4 prompting a $1,565.90 dividend, and three odds-on favorites upset in the late Pick-4 paving the way for a $1,275.75 payout. The Pick-4s, which begin in races 3 and 8 nightly, both offer a player-friendly 15% takeout and a 50-cent base wager.
GRIT AND GRACE: On Thursday (March 26), Rosecroft Raceway will host two Grit and Grace Women’s Invitational paces, conducted as non-wagering events after the first and second races on the pari-mutuel program. All 11 horses across both races will be driven by women; additionally, eight are trained by women whose stables compete regularly at the Capital Region oval.
First post for Thursday’s 13-race pari-mutuel card is 7:15 p.m. (EDT). For more information, including free past performance pages, the Players’ Guide tip sheet, and live and archived video, visit www.rosecroft.com.