Racing Roundup: Northern Lei Ann wins top female pace at Hoosier Park
April 2, 2010,from Harness Publicists across North America
Friday’s (April 2) Racing Roundup features results stories from Hoosier Park, Saratoga Gaming and Raceway, Buffalo Raceway, Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, Cal-Expo and Western Fair Raceway. Northern Lei Ann wins top female pace at Hoosier Park Anderson, IN — Northern Lei Ann and Hoosier Park’s leading driver Peter Wrenn picked up another win against the track’s top female pacers on Friday. The duo fought hard to the wire to win by a nose in a time of 1:53.2 during the evening’s featured $23,000 Fillies and Mares Invitational.
Linscott Photography
Northern Lei Ann held off High Speed Life by a nose.
Starting from the outside post position in the nine-horse lineup, Northern Lei Ann watched as High Speed Life and Ricky Macomber, Jr. rallied out for the lead and dropped in mid-pack before the quarter marker in a time of :27.2. However, Wrenn wasn’t going to sit long without making a move and had Northern Lei Ann out and rolling to the top, securing the top spot by the halfway point in :56.1. From that point on, Northern Lei Ann kept control of the pace and tried to keep High Speed Life at her back to the top of the stretch.
In the stretch, Macomber tipped High Speed Life out and began to challenge. As they inched up on Northern Lei Ann, it looked as if they would get by the leaders. However, Northern Lei Ann would not allow High Speed Life to get past her. High Speed Life made one last surge at the finish line to close in but missed the win by a nose. Camphor Hanover and Jason Dillander finished third.
Owned by Northern Lane Farm of Grabill, Ind., Northern Lei Ann now has three wins in seven starts for 2010. The 6-year-old mare competed in the top female ranks at The Meadows earlier in the season for trainer Ron Otto, who continues to lead the way in the trainer standings for 2010. Northern Lei Ann now has more than $184,000 in career earnings and 13 career wins.
— Tammy Knox
Book Mark wires the field in Saratoga Open Saratoga Springs, NY — The weekend got underway under perfect April weather conditions at Saratoga Gaming and Raceway and the action on the track was as fast and hot as the conditions. Book Mark was the highlight of the 13-race card on Friday night as he was placed on the lead by trainer-driver Ray Schnittker and never looked back.
Dave Oxford photo
Book Mark held off a field of trotters in the Saratoga Open.
The 5-year-old was taking just his third crack at Open company at the Spa and the conclusion of Friday’s $15,500 feature saw his record move to two for three. Book Mark went wire-to-wire, digging in for the win on Friday, stopping the timer in 1:56.4, the same winning time he had two weeks ago when he clocked the fastest trotting win of the young season at the Spa.
Book Mark joined Shutter Boy as the only trotters to win two Opens in the early stages of 2010. Up Tempo (Brian Mattison), a winner of last week’s Open-2, was the runner-up on Friday while Saver (Jimmy Whittemore) earned the show spot.
— Mike Sardella
Miss Walker climbs the ladder to win Buffalo feature Hamburg, NY — A jump in class didn’t seem to bother Miss Walker, a 6-year-old Aces N’ Sevens-Chris Walker mare, who won in a season’s best 1:57 for owner Amanda Tobinski in the $9,000 Filly and Mares Open Handicap Pace at Buffalo Raceway on Friday night. Capably driven by Jimmy Whisman for trainer Greg Luther, Miss Walker ($6.50) took the lead just past the quarter pole, which was hit by eventual third place finisher Kelly (Jack Flanigen) in :28.3. Now with the lead, Miss Walker set the middle fractions in the race, :58.4 and 1:27.3. A :29.2 last quarter put the winner 1-1/4 lengths ahead of second place finisher Sun Belle Perfect (Ron Beback, Jr.) at the finish line. “She’s really good right now,” said Whisman. “Greg’s done a great job with her.” The $4,500 share of the purse put Miss Walker’s season’s bankroll at $19,318 and $75,343 lifetime. In Friday’s $9,000 Open Trot, Jack Sparrow ($8.30) came from dead last in the field of seven and won in 1:59.3, a season’s best, to capture his third win of the 2010 campaign for owner Michael Calimeri. With driver Jack Flanigen subbing for regular driver Jim McNeight, Jack Sparrow swung three wide at the top of the stretch and beat second place finisher and last week’s Open winner Australian Stock (Kevin Cummings) by one length. Splendid Les (Ron Beback, Jr.) came in third. “Got a really nice trip tonight,” said Flanigen. “He (Jack Sparrow) doesn’t usually get a second over trip from back there.” Trained by Jim McNeight, the $4,500 share of the purse put Jack Sparrow’s season’s bankroll at $22,230 and $258,382 lifetime. — Sam Pendolino
Wilkes-Barre, PA — He’s Great, a winner of eight of 33 starts with a lifetime mark of 1:51.3 in 2009, lived up to his name, winning the $20,000 claiming pace on Friday at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs in his initial start of the 2010 season.
The 6-year-old gelding, trained by Laura Shock and driven by Eric Goodell, stopped the timer in 1:52.3, winning by five lengths over The Quiet Village (Jim Morrill, Jr.) with third going to Cardmaster (Matt Kakaley).
He’s Great also was claimed out of the 10th race of the evening.
— John Zimich
Twice The Ruckus is the right choice at Cal-Expo
Sacramento, CA — A mixture of claming and conditioned trotters, racing for a purse of $4,800, were featured at Cal-Expo over a ‘good’ track on Friday night, in which Twice The Ruckus backed the confidence of his pilot, James Kennedy.
Coming away in last and gapping a harmless two lengths through first-half fractions of :29.4 and 1:00, Kennedy began a first-over mission with 9-16ths of a mile to go. Moving nicely on the final bend and nicer the farther he went on, Twice The Ruckus drew even at the three-quarter pole (1:30.2) with Dreamanotherdream (Dan O’Mara), who had taken over the lead from TV Mom (Jim Lackey) late in the second quarter.
“At the three-quarters, I was just hoping he’d stay flat because he has a habit of breaking on the final turn and at the three-quarters,” said Kennedy. “I knew if I got through that turn that I’d be home free.”
Taking over the lead past the three-quarters and opening up with 3-16ths of a mile to go, the 6-year-old, despite strong headwinds in the lane, expanded his lead at the seven-eighths marker, then increased his margin while under minor urging until the sixteenth pole, then would be all alone to the wire while not being urged.
“He was perfect down the stretch and did everything I asked.”
Owned by Dave and Robert Haness in partnership with trainer George Reider, Twice The Ruckus won ($20.60) by 4-3/4 lengths, in 2:00.3. Ailene’s Prince came on to finish in second, and TV Mom finished another three-quarters of a length farther back in third.
“I thought it was a great win for him because those were good horses,” concluded Kennedy.
On the Friday night card, leading driver Luke Plano celebrated his 30th birthday in grand style with five wins, outdoing his father Rick who drove and also trained four winners.
— Scott Ehrlich
Four for Battin at Western Fair
London, ON — It was a good Friday for Ross Battin at Western Fair Raceway as the seven-time Lampman Cup winner drove four winners on the card.
Battin visited the winner’s circle with Makindollarsnsense (1:59.2), Charmbo Willie (1:58.4), Turquoise Gem (1:58) and Beautiful Morning (2:00). Battin trains and co-owns the latter horse, a 3-year-old son of Village Jolt.
One of the most consistent horsemen in Ontario for many years, Battin has been the leader in the Ontario Sires Stakes on seven occasions, more than any other driver. Lifetime he has 4,623 wins.
— Western Fair Media Relations