by harness racing publicists across North America

Saturday night’s (Nov. 12) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from The Meadows, Northfield Park, Pocono Downs and Saratoga.

Dapper Dude wins third straight in Meadows feature

Washington, PA — Dapper Dude made it three straight when he zipped to the front, thwarted one serious challenger and captured Saturday’s (Nov. 12) $18,000 Winners Over $10,000 Life/Preferred Handicap Pace at The Meadows.

Chris Gooden photo

Dapper Dude captures his third consecutive race at The Meadows on Saturday.

Dapper Dude took the field through a 1:24 three-quarters when he was confronted by the first-over Kingofthejungle, who appeared to poke his nose in front. But the 7-year-old son of The Panderosa-Dress To Suggest reasserted through the final turn for Aaron Merriman and downed Kingofthejungle by a length in 1:51.4. Atta Boy Dan rallied for show.

Bill Bercury trains Dapper Dude, who extended his career bankroll to $1,013,110, for Renee Bercury.

Tony Hall, Dave Palone, Dan Rawlings and trainer Ron Burke each enjoyed a double on the 13-race card.

— by Evan Pattak

Northfield Park

Longshot players were cashing in after the horses crossed the finish of Northfield Park’s fourth race on Saturday (Nov. 12) when Happy To Scoot swooped from the back to win at odds of 70-1. Steve Ashby of Mentor on the Lake, Ohio owns and trains the 5-year-old pacer. Daren Harvey was aboard for the winning drive. Saturday’s win was Happy To Scoot’s second win this year in 26 starts and represents her sixth lifetime score. Happy To Scoot was followed across the wire by Tammy Ann (6-1), Always Dee One (7-1) and Fountain Pen (2-5). Happy To Scoot returned $141.80 to win; the 6-3 exacta paid $2,348.60; the 6-3-1 trifecta returned $12,120.60; and the 6-3-1-4 20-cent superfecta paid $3,657.76.

Pocono Downs

Freeneasy Hanover again defeated Terror Time A, who had a six-race win skein snapped in his last start, taking the $18,000 claiming handicap pacing feature at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono in 1:50.4 on Saturday (Nov. 12). Last week the Western Ideal gelding Freeneasy Hanover debuted for the barn of the meet’s leading trainer, Chris Oakes, and he was sent three-wide in front of the stands by the meet’s leading driver, George Napolitano Jr., to take an advantage that no one could take away from him. Terror Time A, mired with post eight, was a fast-closing third after traffic trouble, and with “Terror” moving from post position eight to post position four tonight, the crowd sent him off as the 3-10 favorite, with Freeneasy Hanover again held at 2-1 odds. And again, an early move to the lead was the route to victory for Freeneasy Hanover, who moved after the :26 opening quarter-mile to get the lead before the :54.2 half, then posted a 1:22.2 third panel clocking along the way to winning by 1-1/2 lengths. Terror Time A, not noted for his early speed, again had to come from seventh at the three-quarters, but this week he did get up for second, a neck ahead of Always N The Money, behind the sharp winner, who is owned by Susan Oakes. “GNap” and Oakes have now won the first event on six of the last nine cards at Pocono, and on three of the last four Saturdays. Speaking of race two, George Napolitano Jr. came back to sweep the Double behind the Mark Ford trainee Mariner Seelster. It was George’s 351st local victory of the season and the first in which he paid more than $50, just nudging over that line with a $50.80 win return. The GNap Double returned $107.00. At Pocono, the motto is that one longshot win deserves another quickly, and 89 minutes later Eric Carlson guided Keystone Dylan to a late rallying victory, paying $61.80 on the front end. For Carlson, it was his third $50 plus winner at Pocono in the last five cards. For trainer James De La Rosa, it was perhaps an even more memorable occasion, as it was his first trip ever as a trainer to Pocono’s winner’s circle. The two bombers also marked the 14th occasion that Pocono has had a pair of $50 plus horses on one card this season or 11 percent of the time. Carlson set the pace in the $15,500 10th race conditioned pacing co-feature with 13-1 shot Bestjetyet, but they were caught by three-quarters of a length by the favorite and “pocket rocket,” Dreams Beach Boy, who is owned by Crawford Farms Racing. After his 1:51.2 victory he now has a career bankroll of $152,124. The guidance behind the Sombeachsomewhere gelding Dreams Beach Boy gave driver George Napolitano Jr. his fifth win of the night, 20th during November’s six cards at Pocono and 36th overall in the first 12 days of the month. For trainer Chris Oakes it was his third tally of the evening, all with GNap. They combined to win another, so George won six and Chris four on the night. It was the fastest winner of the night, Alta Jerome N, who won his US debut in 1:50.3 despite the outside post eight. Alta Jerome N, a 6-year-old Jereme’s Jet gelding, had won 18 races and $183,882 Down Under, including his last race where he won in 1:52.

Saratoga

Bet You (Bettor’s Delight) worked hard early and it paid off late in the Saturday (Nov. 12) feature at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Heidi Rohr-trained pacer has been a winning machine this season out of town but recorded his first local victory of the year in the $18,000 Open Pace. Stephane Bouchard urged Bet You at the start and powered the 4-year-old out to the early lead, working hard to get to the top in :27.1. The veteran reinsman gave Bet You a very effective second quarter breather and after reaching the half-mile in :57 seconds fended off several challengers before hanging on to win by the slimmest of margins in 1:54. Sassy Hanover (Billy Dobson) sat the pocket to Bet You and closed quickly in the passing lane to be within a nose at the wire. Longshot Ideal Magic (Jim Devaux) earned the show spot. Bet You was one of three co-favorites at odds of 2-1 in the seven-horse field and started an exacta and triple that paid $29.60 and $126.50, respectively. Live racing continues on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 13) at Saratoga with a matinee that begins at 12:15 p.m.