by Ozi Menakaya, marketing/publicity director, Ocean Downs

Berlin, MD — Ocean Downs played host to the Maryland Standardbred Fund races on Wednesday evening, August 19. The two day event kicked off with races involving 3-year-old pacers and trotters and Jim Morand found his way to the winner’s circle in each of the six races.

Morand won the first race on the evening card behind Jolt ($8.80). The pacing colt trained by Don Milby didn’t make a move for the front until just before the final turn, where he turned on the speed and shot past Grab The Fortune on the inside to grab the win in 1:57.

The win in the first race must have tasted sweet, because Morand returned for more in the next Fund race. This time he was in the sulky for Allamerican Cheer ($3.00). Her trainer, Charles Tribbett, described her as a good filly with a few problems saying, “she’s a fine filly that we want to eventually breed, but she does have a little trouble with the turns.”

The trotting filly started in the two hole, but fell back into third place at the start of the race. Datzfast began in the five hole, but sped to the front to pace the field to a :30.1 quarter. Allamerican Cheer sat three lengths back, as Datzfast cruised to a 1:02.1 half-mile. Then the filly began her quest for the lead and quickly caught up to the leader on the outside. Racing down the homestretch, both competitors refused to give up the lead, but Allamerican Cheer persisted and eventually pulled away to win it by one length in 2:03.4.

Morand was happy with the filly’s performance on the turns stating, “I scored her down before the race and got a feel for how she would react on the turns. I felt I could handle her and she did do well on them. She raced great! Coming down the homestretch she still had enough in her to get there first.”

It wouldn’t be a far-fetched assumption to think that Morand had a good day at the track. He continued his sweep of the Fund races, winning the third one with I Love The Beach ($2.60). The filly won the pacing mile in 1:57.4.

In the fourth and last Fund race of the day, Morand was first to the wire with Flag Of Honor ($15.00). This pacing gelding got to the wire in 1:55.4. Joseph MacDonald trains the horse.

Morand also won a pair of non-betting Fund events held prior to the regular card. He won a division of the 3-year-old colt trot behind Ruby Ransom in 2:02 for trainer Les Givens and owners Nanticoke Racing and Edward Maas III, then captured a 3-year-old filly trot split with Fred Hertrich III’s Allamerican Breeze in 2:01 for trainer Charles Tribbett.

The second half of the Maryland Standardbred Fund Races will be contested on Thursday, August 20.