from harness publicists around North America

Thursday’s (Jan. 14) Racing Roundup features stories from Dover Downs, WEG, Monticello and Cal-Expo.

Maronite N wins Thursday feature at Dover Downs

Dover, DE — Maronite N made his first visit of the New Year to the Dover Downs winner’s circle after a 1:55 victory in a 4&5-Year-old pace on Thursday, Jan. 14. Jim Morand and Mike Cole had three winning drives each.

With Tim Curtin at the controls, Go Get’em Stable’s Maronite N was strongest in the stretch, besting Inflation Hanover (Brad Hanners) to the finish line in the feature race. Buffalo Rome (Ross Wolfenden) was moved up from fourth and placed third when Break My Art (Tony Morgan), third at the wire, was disqualified and placed out of the money. Sam Beegle trains the Christian Cullen-Nance Denover gelding.

— Marv Bachrad

Magic number is one for Zeron

Toronto, ON — After piloting Semjac Legacy to victory in Thursday night’s seventh race at Woodbine, driver Rick Zeron moved himself to within one win of 7,000 lifetime.

The veteran reinsman will enter Friday night’s program needing just a single victory to reach the career milestone.

Zeron is listed to drive in 11 of the 12 races on the Friday program including 3-1 morning line choice Cane Ridge in the C$64,100 Snowshoe Pacing Series final in race eight. He will also handle two other morning line favorites; Its On My Tab (3-1) in race two and Morguns Romeo (3-1) in race 10.

— Greg Blanchard

Dobson wins five at Monticello

Monticello, NY — Winning races is nothing new to Billy Dobson. Last year alone he won 290 times. Though his wins are plentiful, rarely does he win five on a single program like he did at Monticello Raceway on Jan. 14.

Dobson started the day slowly and didn’t visit the winner’s circle until he won the fifth race with Art Green’s Julia’s Girl ($3.30) in a time of 2:00.3.

Beginning in the seventh race he proceeded to string together four wins in a row. He copped the seventh with Mary Abbott’s Fox Valley Valhala ($10.60) in 2:00.1 and then won the next race with Jack and Rose Deluca’s Radical Reaction ($6.30) in a time of 1:58.2. Dobson wasted no time returning to the winner’s circle when he won the ninth race with Jack and Rose Deluca’s Merle’s Boy N ($6.30) in 2:00.1.
Dobson capped his winning spree by reining Howard and Joshua Kaufman’s trotter SJ’s Leo ($66.00) to a 2:02.4 triumph in the 10th race.

“It’s funny how things work out. When everything’s right, everything’s right. And everything went my way today,” Dobson said and then added, “It’s been a long time coming.”

Dobson, who made the Mighty M his first stop after coming in from the Midwest two years ago, says he plans on racing regularly at Monticello this year and is giving fair warning to all others.

“I’m going to try to win the driving title at Monticello this season,” he said.

— John Manzi

Mapquest drive directs Biggest Big Bertha to winner’s circle

Sacramento, CA — Filly & Mare Open handicap pacers, racing for a purse of $6,100, were featured at Cal-Expo on Thursday night, in which Biggest Big Bertha recorded her 49th career victory.

In advance of starting from post one in the field of seven, trainer Rick Plano knew one thing.

“I didn’t have many thoughts going into the race other than I’ve had her for a month and I expected her to race better,” stated Plano.

Leaving to push the pace some until yielding to Zoom Past You (Lemoyne Svendsen) an eighth of a mile past the start, Plano was happy with his position at the quarter-mile pole, timed in :28.3.

“I was in the pocket and that’s where I wanted to be.”

Content as expected with the pocket at the half-mile station, timed in :58, things started to shape up even better for Plano past the five-eighths-mile pole.

“Once Forever Showin Off (Jason Ricco) came hard, it was just a maneuver for me from that point — which I did at the three-quarters.”

Sliding out to be second-over at the three-quarter marker, timed in 1:26.1, Plano knew one thing, but wasn’t sure about another.

“She felt good at that point, but I knew the good mares were going to be coming from the back and I didn’t know if I could hold them off.”

Moving three-wide into the stretch and getting her earplugs popped, the 9-year-old took over the lead at the seven-eighths pole at the same time the favorite Don’t Tempt Me (Luke Plano) was revving it up.

“She responded when I pulled the earplugs and when she took over the lead I didn’t know who was coming. Then with a sixteenth of a mile to go I saw Don’t Tempt Me and I was concerned because my mare doesn’t always finish as strongly as they do.”

Now under all-out urging, Plano resorted to his last bit of ammunition.

“I pulled down her blinds and she was able to hold Don’t Tempt Me off.”

Holding off a bearing down Don’t Tempt Me to win ($8.80) by a neck, the Marilee Keene owned mare stopped the timer at 1:54.3. Don’t Tempt Me closed well to be second, and Sintillating (Tim Maier), who didn’t find racing room until very late, finished another 1-1/4 lengths back in third.

“It was a perfect trip win by a neck. If I had to map it out that’s how I would have mapped it out. On a scale of 1 to 10, she raced about an 8. Hopefully, next week she’ll be a 9 or 10,” finished Plano.

— Scott Ehrlich