from harness publicists across North America

Saturday’s (Jan. 1) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Dover Downs and Cal Expo.

Iron Will wins first Dover feature of New Year

Dover, DE — Roger Plante drove Iron Will to a 1:57.1 victory to win the New Year’s day $14,500 featured trot on Saturday at Dover Downs.

Fotowon photo

Iron Will was a 1:57.1 winner.

Iron Will celebrated his first win as a 5-year-old, registering a lifetime fastest clocking in the top trot of the night.

Owned, trained and driven by Plante, the Credit Winner-Armbro Archer gelding bested Jessee’s Career (Ron Pierce) and Beau Joe (Vic Kirby) in a nine-horse field.

Corey Callahan moved back into first place in the driver standings, chalking up four wins, and now leads runner-up Ron Pierce 92-90.

— Marv Bachrad

Cal Expo
A field of five pacers, four in on a condition, and one in for a $20,000 claiming tag, were featured at Cal Expo on Saturday night, in which Living It Up, the only one eligible to be claimed, won and was claimed. Firing out from post four for trainer Rick Plano over a sloppy track, the pair dropped in second as the field entered the first turn while two lengths off the lead into a :28.3 opening panel. Closing the gap at the 5-16ths pole as driver Rich Wojcio rated the pacesetting Nittany Linebacker through a :58.4 half, Plano sat chilly until popping the earplugs of his charge at the five-eighths station. With the field now at the three-quarter marker, timed in 1:28.3, it appeared Living It Up had “go.” On the move at the head of the lane, Plano soon went to work on his pacer at the seven-eighths pole and the 6-year-old responded and took over the lead at mid-stretch. Now with a sixteenth of a mile to go, Plano took a look back and saw Red Star Ruffles (Sue Boyce) flying, then while all-out with his pacer took another look back in deep stretch and saw that Cycle Power (Steve Wiseman) was exploding. Owned by Maryann Plano in partnership with Dave and Rob Hanass, Living It Up won ($3.80) by a wire saving nose in 1:57.3. Cycle Power just missed and had to settle for second, and Red Star Ruffles closed nicely to finish just one length farther back in third.