from harness publicists across North America

Saturday’s (August 4) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Yonkers Raceway, Saratoga Casino and Raceway, Tioga Downs, Vernon Downs and Batavia Downs.

Reformed claimer takes Yonkers feature

Yonkers, NY — Reformed claimer–and odds-on favorite–Rockin’ Glass (Dan Dube) continued his career season Saturday night, winning Yonkers Raceway’s $44,000 Open Handicap Pace.

Assigned post position No. 3 as the 3-5 favorite, he was away third early before working around pole-sitting Nob Hill High (Jordan Stratton). Rockin’ Glass secured the lead just after a :27.2 opening quarter-mile, then found a :55.4 intermission.

No one took aim at the leader until Jerry’s Brown Gold (Pat Lachance) moved from fourth going toward the 1:24.1 three-quarters. Four Starz Trace (Jason Bartlett) was behind that one as Rockin’ Glass took a length-and-a-half lead into the lane.

The public choice finished it off from there, winning by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:51.3. Nob Hill High held second, with Jerry’s Brown Gold, Sapphire City (Brent Holland) and Four Starz Trace rounding out the payees.

For Rockin’ Glass, a 4-year-old Rocknroll Hanover gelding owned by Lee Cotroneo and trained by Cad Gregory, he returned $3.30 for his 12th win in 25 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $10.40, with the triple (three wagering choices in order) returning $61.50.

The New York Sire Stakes caravan returns downstate next week, with Thursday night’s $285,120 Jim Meagher Pace (2-year-old colts/geldings).

— Frank Drucker

Saratoga Casino and Raceway
The Joe Gerrity Jr Memorial Open Pacing Series got underway on Saturday at Saratoga and the track record almost went down. On a night that saw driver Dan Cappello Jr record win number 5,000 for his career, Dancin Yankee and Cappello just missed the all-age track record in the series’ first division. The Josh Green trained 4-year-old pacer parlayed the pocket ride to victory and stopped the timer in a dazzling 1:51.1, just a fifth of a second off the track record. Dancin Yankee (Yankee Cruiser) accounted for win number 5,001 for Cappello who reached the historic plateau earlier in the night with pacer Cheyenne Cam. The other divisions of the first leg of the $25,000 divisions were won by Casie Coleman’s Rock To Glory (Greg Merton), who toughed out a first-over victory in 1:52.1 and BJ’s Bequia (Billy Dobson) who shot off his cover to get up in 1:52. The second leg of the pacing series will take place next Saturday night (August 11) with the $130,000 Final set for August 18.

Tioga Downs
Spice It Up Lindy and Jim Meittinis took their usual place in the winner’s circle following Saturday night’s $16,500 open trot at Tioga Downs. Leaving from post position number six in a field of six, Spice It Up Lindy bullied his way to the front through an opening quarter in 27.4. Meittinis then controlled the fractions of 57.3 at the half before receiving first-over pressure from All About Justice (Mike Simons) through three quarters in 1:25.2. Around the final turn, Spice It Up Lindy was asked for more and the 9-year-old responded opening up to win his third straight Tioga Downs’ open trot in 1:54.2. Santo Zuzolo owns and trains the son of SJ’s Caviar–Spice World who posted his seventh win in ten seasonal outings. All About Justice (Mike Simons) held tough despite a first-over journey for second, while Hoboken Sonny (Howard Parker) got up for third.

Vernon Downs
The favorite Yankees In Six rewarded his backers with a victory in Saturday night’s featured $11,000 Open pace, while the hard-charging side-wheeler Potala Prince produced an odd-distance track record in a later race on the 11-event card. Following a second-place finish in last week’s top overnight class, Yankees In Six ($6.90) got away fifth as Hay Good Looking took the select field of six to the three-quarter mark in 1:24.1. With a bold three-wide rally around the final turn, the 4-year-old black gelding gained the lead entering the final furlong and sprinted to a half-length victory over Forty Carrots in 1:51.1. A last quarter in :26.3 sealed the deal for the son of Panspacificflight-Law And Order, who snared his second local score, sixth season’s tally and 12th lifetime victory. His 1:51.1 clocking was just 3/5ths-of-a-second off the track record for his age, sex and gait that was set by River Shark in 2010. Brian Connor did the teaming for trainer Edgar Clarke, and the Robert J. Orr/Gary Jonas ownership contingent as Yankees In Six raised his lifetime earnings to $185,308.

Batavia Downs
No luck was needed so it turned out to be a pretty good night for Goodnight Goodluck as he captured the $9,000 Open Pace at Batavia Downs on Saturday night (Aug 4). Scoring from the rail, Goodnight Goodluck, driven by Kevin Cummings, re-took the lead at the quarter pole, and set fractions of :27.4, :57.2, and 1:26 in posting the winning time of 1:54.1. Mark It On Ice and a hard-charging Unicorn Hanover tried valiantly to catch the pace-setting Goodnight Goodluck ($4.10) but he dug in down the stretch and they had to settle for second and third respectively. It was the sixth victory of the season for Goodnight Goodluck, who is owned by Mark Jakubik of West Seneca, N.Y. and is trained by Kris Rickert. The win was Goodnight Goodluck’s third in his last five starts in the Open Pace and pushed his seasonal earnings to $54,141.