from harness publicists across North America

Saturday’s (September 4) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Scarborough Downs, Yonkers Raceway, Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, Saratoga Gaming and Raceway, Vernon Downs, Scioto Downs and Cal-Expo.

Gray and Switzer dominate Saturday’s card at Scarborough Downs

Scarborough, ME — Only 11 wins separate the top two sticks at Scarborough Downs, with Shawn Gray having set the pace throughout the meet, holding the upper hand over Kevin Switzer, who continues to bear down on him.

Michael Newman photo

Shawn Gray, piloting Super Sidney C, sets the pace for the season with the most driving wins at the Downs, while Kevin Switzer (left, aboard Blue Man Group) stays in hot pursuit.

In the early going of Saturday’s (Sept. 4) card, it appeared that Gray would begin to sprint away from his dogged pursuer, winning three of the first six races. Switzer, seemingly taking a line from the old standard, “Anything you can do, I can do better,” then began to tally wins of his own.

When the dust had cleared, the distance between the top teamsters remained exactly the same as both Shawn Gray and Kevin Switzer engineered five-win performances, claiming victory in 10 of the day’s 13 races.

Recent driving championships at Scarborough Downs have been largely foregone conclusions at this point of the year. This season’s battle figures to go right down to the wire, as these two competitors race neck and neck through the end of the meet.

— Mike Sweeney

Yonkers Raceway
Tepid favorite Arts Ragin Jet (Jim Pantaleano), first-over after a quick Yonkers Raceway half, won Saturday night’s $42,500 Open Handicap Pace. Leaving from post position No. 5 (in one notch after an inside defection), Arts Ragin Jet watched the early scrum. Handsome Harry (Stephane Bouchard) was hard-pressed to make the lead after a :26.3 opening quarter-mile. He then gave up the baton to a parked-two-turns Legal Litigator (Daniel Dube) right after a spiffy :54.3 intermission. Arts Ragin Jet then moved from fifth, going up and over Legal Litigator well before the 1:23.1 three-quarters. Arts Ragin Jet had a 1-1/2 length lead in and out of the final turn, but Psilvuheartbreaker (Cat Manzi) had dead-aim. However, he was lugging in noticeably, despite his chauffeur resorting to a left-handed stick. Meanwhile, Atochia (Yannick Gingras), racing third-over, angled inside for the drive. When the dust particles settled, Arts Ragin Jet held sway, beating Psilvuheartbreaker by a short schnozz in 1:53.1. Forensic Z Tam (Steve Smith), last at the three-quarter pole, was third, beaten just a head for all the glory. Atochia and Ghee’s House (Brent Holland) completed the cashers. Arts Ragin Jet, a 7-year-old Jet Laag gelding trained by Lou Pena for J L Benson Stables, returned $6.40 for his fifth win in 28 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $66, with the triple returning $409.50.

Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs
Golden Receiver conquered a field of top-notch Open handicap pacers to win the feature on Saturday night at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. The race carried the night’s top purse of $24,000. Leaving from post position five in a field of right, Golden Receiver, a 5-year-old gelding from the barn of trainer Mark Harder, made the lead shortly past the half-mile mark. With Joe Pavia, Jr. in the bike, the gelding extended the lead on the backstretch and then held on late to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:50. Riggins finished second and Vlos was third. Golden Receiver, sired by Village Jove, won for the ninth time this year and 23rd time in his career. The winner’s share of the purse pushed his career earnings over $316,000, with over $173,000 of that coming this year.

Saratoga Gaming and Raceway
Frank Coppola, Jr. completed a sweep of the Saratoga Opens on Saturday night as the track’s leading driver finished up the “feature trifecta” with a victory in the $16,500 Open Pace. Coppola has become the regular reinsman for Kelly’s Noah and on Saturday piloted the pacing star to a last to first victory. The win was the second consecutive Saturday Open win for the James Harvey owned and trained 4-year-old and the sixth in the 2010 campaign in just 12 starts. The win put the Dream Away pacer over the $100,000 mark in earnings for the season. Reminic (Brian Cross) was second while Pembroke Blitz (Wally Hennessey) earned the show spot in the 1:53.4 Open on Saturday night. Coppola drove the winner of the Open for distaff pacers on Thursday night as he went wire-to-wire with Ubettorthink Think and followed it up with a win in the Friday Open Trot with perennial local trotting star Prime Interest. Live racing completed its summer meet on Saturday night but the Fall meet starts up this weekend with Friday night action.

Vernon Downs
Gladiator Lindy powered his way to a 1:57.1 victory in Saturday night’s $9,000 featured sixth race at Vernon Downs. Trainer Frank Antonacci did the driving as Gladiator Lindy went right to the lead and cut fractions of :28.1, :57.4 and 1:26.2 en route to a one length cushion entering the homestretch. With the favorite, Cool Touch, closing on the outside, and Unshakeable coming up the pylon path, the 6-year-old gelding stayed alive to win the week’s top Miracle Mile trot by a nose. As the event’s second selection, he paid $6.30 for finishing ahead of Cool Touch. Saturday’s score marked the first this season, but fourth lifetime for the bay son of S J’s Photo-Athena’s Lucky Girl, who has returned $72,150 to his owner-breeder, the Lindy Racing Stable. Defending driving champ Jimmy Whittemore and Rick Plano each collected three wins during the 11-race card, while Don Simmonds and trainer Don Glowacki were each credited with a pair of first-place finishes.

Scioto Downs
Dick’s Dandy nipped Good Connections to win the Saturday night feature at Scioto Downs by a head in 1:55. Pacesetter Tricky Kid was just a neck back in third. Charles Neff was in the bike for owner-trainer Dick Neff and owner David Ehrenberg. Driver Kyle Ater shot the 2-1 favorite Tricky Kid to the front at the start of the race, but was under immediate pressure on the outside by Look Yankee, driven by Devan Miller. That resulted in a swift opening half in :56.2. Dick’s Dandy was sitting snugly fourth on the inside. Look Yankee began to yield in the final quarter and Tricky Kid came under pressure from Delvecchio. Then Dick’s Dandy loomed to challenge in the center of the track. As the pacers charged to the wire, Dick’s Dandy thrust his head in front while Good Connections nipped Tricky Kid for second. It was the third win in nine starts this season for the brown colt and his second straight win at Scioto in 1:55. He paid $27 to win. Dick’s Dandy is a sophomore son of On The Attack and Noble Attraction. One race after winning with Dick’s Dandy, Neff won driving Dandy Dick, a 4-year-old by Dream Work out of Noble Attraction. It was his second win in 10 starts this year. He is owned and trained by Dick Neff and was timed in 1:56.4.

Cal-Expo
Open 2 handicap pacers, racing for a $5,200 purse, were featured at Cal-Expo on Saturday night, in which Nittany Linebacker (Rich Wojcio) left no doubt. Leaving with three others and racing with early cover until left alone on the rim into a :28.1 opening quarter, the 4-year-old didn’t clear the lead until the three-eighths-mile pole. Already hitting the brakes while clearing down to the lead, Wojcio was able to give his charge a :29.4 second quarter breather into a :58 first half. The leader then paced an effortless :28.4 third quarter into a 1:26.4 three-quarters. Drawing clear by 2-1/2 lengths into the lane and under wheel-disc urging, Nittany Linebacker was gone at the seven-eighths-mile station. Owned by Billie Schwartz and Adds Up Racing Stable in partnership with trainer Jim Wilkinson, Jr., Nittany Linebacker, while not urged late, won ($2.80) in convincing fashion by 2-3/4 lengths in 1:55.1. Haggin Oaks (James Kennedy) finished in second off a layoff, and Blue Note (Luke Plano) finished 1-1/2 lengths farther back in third.