Racing Roundup: Four Starz Speed wins Meadows trot
March 10, 2009,from Harness Publicists across North America
Tuesday’s (March 10) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from The Meadows, Dover Downs and Plainridge Racecourse.
Four Starz Speed digs in, wins Meadows $25,000 trot
Meadow Lands, PA — Four Starz Speed reeled off a back half in :56.4 but still had to fend off two late challengers to capture the $25,000 Preferred Handicap Trot on Tuesday at The Meadows. The mile in 1:54.4 was the fastest this year by a 4-year-old gelding on a five-eighth-mile track.
Dave Palone sent the 4-year-old son of Conway Hall-Lotstoliveupto to the front with a quarter-pole move, but the lead was far from secure. Prism K pulled even with the leader with a first-over bid while Lolique used that cover to mount a stretch charge. Four Starz Speed prevailed by a neck over Lolique, with Prism K a game third.
Ron Burke trains Four Starz Speed, who has won 13 of 18 lifetime starts, for Burke Racing Stable, Howard Taylor, Weaver Bruscemi LLC and JJK Stables.
Palone drove four winners, all for Burke, on the 13-race card, while Eric Ledford fashioned a driving triple.
— Evan Pattak
Pacific Philly wins Dover feature
Dover, DE — Pacific Philly, after five seconds this season, broke into the win column in the top distaff event of the week at Dover Downs on Tuesday. Tim Tetrick drove five winners, while Ross Wolfenden tripled for the third straight day.
Fotowon photo
Pacific Philly scored in 1:52.3 for driver Eddie Davis, Jr.
Eddie Davis, Jr. drove Pacific Philly along the passing lane to a 1:52.3 victory in the $32,000 Mares Open Handicap, notching her first 2009 win. Still Electric and Tim Tetrick closed from far back to finish second. Chloes Silver Start led early with Eric Goodell and finished third.
Owned by Bob Messick, who bred the Pacific Fella-Raani Hanover 6-year-old, Pacific Philly has now won $58,700 this season and $695,929 lifetime.
Early season standout Apache Dame (Ross Wolfenden) returned to winning form in the $25,000 Mares Jr. Open Pace, giving owners Paul and WJ McDougall and trainer Pete Tritton a double for the day. The win was the fourth of the year and fifth of the meet for Apache Dame, an 8-year-old Apaches Fame-Amerissa mare. Mozzi Hanover and Jim Morand set the early fractions and finished second with Autumn Magic, driven by Tony Morgan, third. Apache Dame has now banked $55,740 this year and $335,310 in her career.
— Marv Bachrad
Qualifiers continue at Plainridge
Plainville, MA — After a 24-hour downpour of rain hit Plainridge Racecourse, the racing strip was put back into shape by Track Superintendent Gerald Rocco, Jr. and his staff.
There were six pacing races and three trotting races on the Tuesday qualifying card, with the judges permitting a two second allowance because the conditions could not be classified as fast.
There were two drivers that navigated two winners each on the nine-race card and one of them was Joe Therrien, who won with Bright Moonlight in the first in a time of 2:07.3 and in the third with Drinkathendersons in a time of 2:05.1. The other driver who scored a double was John Hogan, with a winner in the fourth on Brooklets TNT in 2:02.4 and in the seventh with Barolo Joe in a time of 2:04.3.
Considering that there was a two second allowance, Peripheral Vision, driven by Brad Irvine, stopped the teletimer with the quickest mile on the card in 1:58.1.
Qualifiers will continue on Saturday, March 14. Racing will begin on Monday, March 16, and will continue through June 5 with a post time of 4:00 p.m. There will be racing on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
There will be a break in the action during the summer months, before Plainridge resumes its 2009 season on August 31 and continues through November 28 with a post time of 1:00 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday will continue to be the racing days.
— Robert Lieberman