Racing Roundup: Elizabeth Lane wins Meadows Series split
February 13, 2009,from Harness Publicists across North America
Thursday’s (February 12) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from The Meadows, Dover Downs, Cal-Expo and Maywood Park.
Elizabeth Lane wins Meadows Series split
Meadow Lands, PA — Heavy favorite Elizabeth Lane opened a daylight lead but was all out at the wire to preserve that dwindling margin as she captured a division of the Closing Bell, a late closing series for 3- and 4-year-old filly and mare trotters, on Thursday at The Meadows.
Wild Nordic, Inevitable, and Pleasures Song also took $12,000 opening leg splits of the series.
Pummeled to 1-5 in the wagering, Elizabeth Lane powered to a four length lead, making the three-quarter pole in a swift 1:27.4. But she tired in the stretch, allowing Graceful Sister, a 12-race maiden who hadn’t started since late October, to close in. Elizabeth Lane dug in to defeat Graceful Sister by a nose in 1:59 with She’s So Cool third.
Douglas Snyder, Jr. drove the 4-year-old daughter of SJ’s Caviar-Braker Lane for his father, Doug Snyder, who trains and owns Elizabeth Lane with Shaffer Standardbreds.
In the $25,000 Filly & Mare Preferred Pace, Jans Luck sailed to an unchallenged five length victory in 1:54.3, her third win in five 2009 outings. Danika Hanover raced gamely first-over to edge Ciela Hanover for place.
Ron Burke trains Jans Luck, a 5-year-old daughter of Camluck-Jans Scooter who pushed her career bankroll to $581,928 for Sylvia Burke, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, JJK Stables and M1 Stable.
— Evan Pattak
Callahan, Mexican Coast in Dover spotlight
Dover, DE — Corey Callahan had a five-win Thursday at Dover Downs, while Mexican Coast won the $14,500 Lincoln Day feature.
Fotowon photo
Mexican Coast and Kevin Sizer scored in 1:53.3 in the Dover feature.
Mexican Coast rolled down the lane for a 1:53.3 victory in the $14,500 male pace with Kevin Sizer in the bike. Bob Rice owns and trains the Western Ideal-Tacambaro gelding who scored his second win of 2009. Stacy’s Character (Tony Morgan) finished second. Art Simpson (Ross Wolfenden) was third in the nine-horse field.
Mr Beau Windswept, with Callahan driving, notched his first win of the year in a $15,000 claiming allowance. Owned by his breeder John Swart, the altered son of Tagliabue-Beauty Windswept was strongest in the stretch in beating Awesome Tom (Jon Roberts) and Star Lite Stinger (Morgan) to the finish line.
Along with Callahan’s big day, his dad, Nick, trained three of the winners and owned two of them. Tony Morgan added three wins to his dash-leading total. Jim Morand drove two winners.
— Marv Bachrad
Flirtiscape handles the rise at Cal-Expo
Sacramento, CA — Filly & Mare Open 1 handicap pacers, racing for a $6,500 purse over a track listed as ‘good,’ were featured at Cal-Expo on Thursday night, in which Flirtiscape upset.
Before starting from post position two in the field of seven versus tougher, driver Jim Lackey had done his homework.
“Her final quarters have been very good and her final half last week was actually better than any of the Open mares that raced last week,” noted Lackey. “So since she’s kind of a one-run horse, the move with her was to kind of sit in and just see what happens. I thought it wasn’t impossible to get there.”
Coming away in fourth position and remaining there through first half fractions of :29.1 and :58, Lackey would move his charge to third-over position just before the midway point of the final turn.
Still fourth at the three-quarter marker, timed in 1:27.1, all while appearing to have go and just 3-1/2 lengths behind the pacesetting Don’t Tempt Me (James Kennedy), Lackey admitted that victory may have been too much to accomplish.
“I thought I had a realistic shot to be second, but I didn’t think I could catch Don’t Tempt Me because she’s just a good sprinter in the lane.”
Moving four-wide with 3-16ths of a mile to go, Flirtiscape would start to close ground while finding even better foot with a sixteenth of a mile to go.
“My horse was gaining down the stretch and giving it her best. And like last week, I just kind of kept urging her and she managed to get there like last week.”
Closing fast in determined fashion late, Flirtiscape would just get up to win ($43.20) on the wire. Owned by John Darrah and Nick Ruscigno in partnership with trainer Lou Pena, Flirtiscape would stop the timer at 1:55.4, a seasonal best and her second in-a-row. Don’t Tempt Me held second while Crazy Cathy (Bruce Clarke) finished another two lengths back in third.
What Lackey didn’t know at the time, but would find out after the race, was that lady luck was on his side.
“After the race, I found out from James Kennedy that he very briefly dropped the lines of his horse very close to the wire. In all fairness to Don’t Tempt Me, it probably cost her the win given she only lost the race by a nose.
“I was fortunate I got a no-use trip and some luck at the wire. But the mare is racing real good right now and Louie (Pena) is certainly doing a real good job with her to have her in such good form,” finished Lackey.
— Scott Ehrlich
American Interlude takes Newcomers Final
Melrose Park, IL — After preliminary legs at both Maywood and Balmoral Park, eight colt and gelding pacers returned to the half-mile oval at Maywood Park for the $8,000 final of the Newcomers Series on Thursday night.
Once again showing his affinity for the smaller oval, Judith May’s American Interlude made it look easy as he cruised to a 2-3/4 length victory in a career best of 1:57.3.
After settling in fourth as Yang Ming (Marcus Miller) and Smiling Bob (Brian Carpenter) dueled through an opening quarter in :28.2, driver-trainer Lavern Hostetler hustled American Interlude to the outside as the field moved into the stretch for the first time.
Quickly picking off the early leaders American Interlude charged to the front and was in command as the field reached the half-mile mark in :58.3.
Things were never in doubt from that point on as Hostetler gave the son of Allamerican Ingot a bit of a breather while maintaining a 1-1/2 length advantage as they rolled by the three-quarter mark in 1:28.3.
The 4-year-old gelding then finished things off with a :29 final quarter to secure his third win in four starts this season. Smiling Bob wound up a pocket sitting second while Yang Ming was third.
American Interlude now boasts a career record of 6-5-3 in 23 career starts with earnings of $20,801. After a convincing win in the opening leg of the series American Interlude was made the 7-5 choice of the wagering public, returning $4.80, $3.40 and $2.40.
— Tom Kelley