I Y Q repeats in Fillies and Mares Invite at Hoosier Park

Anderson, IN — I Y Q, with Walter Haynes, Jr. in the bike, scored her third consecutive win on Wednesday in the co-featured $24,000 Fillies and Mares Invitational Pace at Hoosier Park. The win for I Y Q marked the second consecutive trip to Hoosier Park’s winner’s circle, stopping the timer in 1:53.3, just one fifth of a second off her personal best.

Linscott Photography

I Y Q was a 1:53.3 winner in the Fillies and Mares Invitational Pace.

Starting from post four in the eight-horse lineup, I Y Q sat in the middle of the pack while Timeless Artist and Trace Tetrick grabbed the front spot, setting the pace through the first quarter at :27.1. The brisk pace continued toward the halfway mark in :56.4, with Sayo Hanover and Peter Wrenn moving first off the inside path to challenge.

Timeless Artist continued her lead past the three-quarter pole in 1:25.2. Gina Raider, driven by Keith Crawford, had been tracking her steps throughout the race. She moved to the outside and was ready for the stretch drive home.

As the field came closer to the wire, I Y Q emerged from behind horses to have the quickest stride home, winning the contest by a half-length over EJ’s Copperstone and Mark O’Mara, who also closed quickly at the end. Gina Raider held steady for third.

“Last week, it was all I could do to hold her (I Y Q),” said Haynes. “She is tough to score down and was a bully behind the gate last week, but she was good tonight. This mare has a wicked move. When she gets to the stretch, she wants to race, and she’ll try to come out of a hole on her own. She has a lot of speed.”

I Y Q, trained by Trenton Watson and co-owned with his mother, Brenda, now has five wins in 2009. The Illinois-bred daughter of Big Tom now possesses more than $78,000 in career earnings with more than half of that amount brought in this year.

Dynamite Diva and Hoosier Park’s 2009 leading driver Peter Wrenn scored an impressive gate-to-wire victory in the co-featured $24,000 Fillies and Mares Invitational Trot. The duo looked strong through the wire in a time of 1:56.4 to earn their second win of the season.

Wrenn got the jump on the field with Dynamite Diva and obtained the top spot from the gate. He was able to dictate the fractions, passing by the first marker in :27.4. Careless Love and Keith Crawford made a run at the leaders heading down the backstretch, but were quickly denied the lead. Dynamite Diva continued the lead through middle fractions of :57.2 and 1:28, respectively.

In the stretch, last week’s winners Wigwam Baby and Mark O’Mara had the best shot at unseating Dynamite Diva, but they could not pass. Dynamite Diva trotted the final quarter in :28.4 to win by more than one length. Wigwam Baby settled for second over Miss DW Chip and Trace Tetrick, who maintained ground for third.

Dynamite Diva earned her 23rd career victory in her 79th career start. The 6-year-old Davanti mare has more than $162,000 in career earnings for Wrenn, who also trains.

“I’ve had this mare (Dynamite Diva) quite a while,” said Wrenn. “We got her during her 2- or 3-year-old year. We went through a couple of years of her making breaks, but last fall, she starting coming into her own. She had pretty easy fractions tonight and a breather during the third quarter, which helped a lot.”

— Tammy Knox

Makerbark pulls off upset in 2009 opener at Pocono

Wilkes-Barre, PA — Makerbark, a 15-1 shot, pulled off an upset in the first race feature on Wednesday night at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. The race was the opener of the 2009 season and marked a return to night racing at Pocono.

Makerbark, driven and trained by Roger Hammer, cleared her competitors in the conditioned pace for fillies and mares at the three-eighth-mile mark of the race. The mare kept the lead from there on out, capturing the winner’s share of the $16,500 purse. Lightning Dragon finished second and Leanback Coco picked up the show.

Wednesday evening marked a return to night racing for the first time in five years at Pocono. Racing had been held strictly in the afternoon due to construction at the casino, but officials decided to make the switch back for the 2009 season.

Racing will be held at Pocono on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday nights throughout the season with first post at 6:30 p.m. Saturday racing will still be in the afternoons, with first post at 1:00 p.m.

— Jim Beviglia

From eighth to first for Rovasreadytorumble

Pompano Beach, FL — Rovasreadytorumble ($7.00) was able to close from eighth place on the final turn and gun down seven rivals to win the $8,500 featured trot by one length in 1:58.2 on Wednesday at the Isle Pompano Park.

Lap Time Photo – Skip Smith

Rovasreadytorumble won the $8,500 featured trot at Pompano Park in 1:58.2.

The seventh race got underway with Tropical Bay and driver Dan Clements going to the early lead with Ferraras Girl (Raymond Vizzi) right on their backs to the opening quarter in :27.4. As the field approached the half-mile pole, On Hold N and driver Terry Cullipher came first-over with Lewie’s Lulu (Andy Santeramo) in the second-over flow to the half-mile in :57.4.

When the field reached the three-quarter marker in 1:27.3, Lewie’s Lulu moved three-wide around the final turn with Samacamawacky Brown (Anthony Napolitano) following the outside flow and from eighth place, driver Wally Hennessey got Rovasreadytorumble into the hunt.

Fanning four-wide as the field started down the stretch, Hennessey was able to urge Rovasreadytorumble into fifth gear and he was able to collar Lewie’s Lulu before the finish. Curly Whirly (Bruce Ranger) was third.

It was the fifth win in ten starts this year for Rovasreadytorumble. The 10-year-old gelding by Veeba Rova is trained by Dan Hennessey and owned by the Trot Time Farm of Savannah, Georgia.

— Steve Wolf

Schwartz, Pennacchio win final leg of NAADA Series

Monticello, NY — The final preliminary leg of the North American Amateur Drivers Association’s Trotting Series, which is raising money for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, was presented in two divisions at Monticello Raceway on the rainy Wednesday afternoon of April 1.

Alan Schwartz won the first split with Iroquouindianmagic and Joe Pennacchio won the second division with Wishwell Sugarplum.

For Schwartz it marked his second consecutive victory in the series and he’ll go to the $12,000 final at Yonkers Raceway on April 7 as the leading point earner in the series.

Similar to his victory last week with Paula B, Schwartz sent his Iroquouindainmagic to the lead away from the gate and made every pole a winning one en route to a 2:04.3 victory. It was the second of the season for the 6-year-old altered son of Credit Winner. Lady Merlot, with Mike Lopez aboard, enjoyed a good two-hole journey but they came up short in the lane as Iroquouindianmagic trotted away to a three length triumph. I’m Dam Goog and Harvey Stein rallied late but fell short of second money by a head and had to settle for the show dough.

Iroquouindianmagic, owned by Schwartz and trained by Raheim Strong, paid $5.40 for win.

In the second split it appeared that front-running Unitas and Bob Krivelin would go wire-to-wire but as they headed down the homestretch the venerable 14-year-old trotter went off-stride, which dashed any hopes of victory.

However, Joe Pennacchio, following along with Wishwell Sugarplum, found themselves on the lead after Unitas’s misstep and they went on to victory in a time of 2:03.4. Valcyon Days and Tony Verruso worked their way through traffic and ended up in second place, three lengths behind the winner. Arsonman and George Casale rambled home third best.

Wishwell Sugarplum, owned by John Devito and trained by Mike Forte, notched his first seasonal triumph and returned a $10.20 win pay-off.

On Tuesday, April 7, Schwartz, along with the other top seven point earners, will square off in the series’ $12,000 finale.

— John Manzi