from Harness Publicists across North America

Wednesday’s (Jan. 6) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Dover Downs and Pompano Park.

Starsel wins $26,000 Open Handicap at Dover

Dover, DE — Starsel turned in an impressive victory in the $26,000 Open Handicap Trot at Dover Downs on Wednesday. Defending track champion Tony Morgan racked up four wins.

Fotowon photo

Starsel was a 1:56.2 winner in the Open Handicap Trot.

Daryl Bier waited until the half to pull Starsel to the outside and the Angus Hall-Super Sally gelding taxied up to battle classy veteran JM Vangogh and Tony Morgan at the three-quarters. Starsel then pulled away as the eight-horse field turned for home and breezed to a 1:56.2 victory. Spunky Vic finished second with Eric Goodell driving. Rose Run Flash and Mike Cole were the show finishers.

The win was Starsel’s third of the current meet along with two seconds and a third in seven starts since the first week of November. Trainer-driver Bier owns Starsel with Glenn DelRusso and Charles Dombeck. The 7-year-old bay has now won $597,042 in his career.

Bier made it two wins later by guiding Brian Callahan’s 15-1 Mac Atack Mac to a 1:59.1 score in a $10,000 Delaware claiming trot.

Among Tony Morgan’s four winners were both ends of a 1-1 daily double. Debbie Rende’s Wheelman Hanover won the first in 1:59.1 and then Cathy Banks’ Trottin DJ posted a 1:59.4, wire-to-wire win in the second race.

— Marv Bachrad

Ashcroft bucks the bias at Pompano

Pompano Beach, FL — Gate-to-wire winners were a very rare sight on the Wednesday evening program at The Isle Pompano Park due to the cold temperatures plunging to record threatening lows of just above the freezing mark.

Lap Time Photo – Skip Smith

Ashcroft went against a strong bias for closers in a front end 1:57 win.

One exception to the strong bias for closers on the ten race card was Ashcroft. Owner Celine Harvey, 73, took over training duties on the 8-year-old Earl-Defiant Carla gelding after shipping him to Florida from Pocono Downs in December.

Ashcroft was reunited with driver Kevin Sizer and the result was a confident score in 1:57 on a rare night at The Isle Pompano Park when the temperature plunged into the lower 40s. Sizer had driven the career winner of over $185,000 as recently as October at Pocono before the easy romp over a $4,500 conditioned group. A pair of 29-1 longshots, Wesleys Fortune with David Ingraham and Duke Of Stormont with Walt Ross, Jr., followed Ashcroft under the wire.

The most impressive hard closing winner on the program was First Of Fun in the finale. Owner-trainer Dustin Ingraham stepped out of the bike in favor of his driving dad, David, in the $4,000 claiming pace. The elder Ingraham, who posted his 6,000th lifetime winning drive late in 2009, adeptly sat last in the early stages and then swept by all eight rivals. Dreamy, with Matt Kakaley up, and Art Mania, with Gaston Lareau, followed next under the wire.

— Frank Salive