Racing Roundup: Still Electric lights up Dover Mares Open
February 11, 2009,from Harness Publicists across North America
Tuesday’s (February 10) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Dover Downs, The Meadows, and Monticello Raceway. Still Electric lights up $33,000 Mares Open Dover, DE — Still Electric made her first start at Dover Downs an impressive one with a 1:51.4 win in the $33,000 Mares Open Handicap Pace on Tuesday.
Fotowon photo Tim Tetrick piloted Still Electric to a 1:51.4 score in the Mares Open Handicap Pace. A recent acquisition by Howard Taylor, Jerry Silva and Tom Lazzaro, Still Electric was never headed in a 1:51.4 conquest in the week’s top female event. Tim Tetrick took the lead early driving the Mr Electric-Still Terrific 5-year-old, trained by Kevin Lare, and never looked back en route to her career fastest victory. Dill And Grace A finished second for Jon Roberts while Delightful Diva closed for third money.
Joe Zicchino’s Autumn Magic, with the sport’s leading dash win driver Tony Morgan in the bike, took the lead early and led every step of a 1:51.2 mile to win the $25,000 Mares Jr. Open Handicap, holding off Chloes Silver Star and Tim Tetrick in a belated charge in the stretch. Tim Crissman trains Autumn Magic, the only 4-year-old in the race, who posted her second straight victory. Flirtwithedealer, driven by Corey Callahan, finished third.
— Marv Bachrad
Dancing With Fire toughs out win in Meadows Series
Meadow Lands, PA — Dancing With Fire endured a tough first-over move in the slop and went on to win a division of the Opening Bell, a series for 3- and 4-year-old pacing colts and geldings, on Tuesday at The Meadows. Other $12,000 division winners in the series’ first leg were Chang Dynasty and L Dees Sushi Dream.
Dancing With Fire got away third, and when Mike Wilder sent him after the lead before the half, he met resistance from Special Character. The 4-year-old son of The Panderosa-Firelight Dancer persevered on a track unkind to closers, coming home in :28.3 and scoring in 1:55. Special Character was a length back in second, with Jebswesternshake finishing third. Norm Parker trains Dancing With Fire for Bob Key.
In the $25,000 Preferred Handicap Trot, Four Starz Speed shook off the rust from a layoff of nearly five months and cruised to a front-end victory in 1:56.2, 2-3/4 lengths better than Eagle Dream. Michaelrowyourboat was third.
Dave Palone piloted Four Starz Speed, a 4-year-old gelded son of Conway Hall-Lotstoliveupto, for Sylvia Burke, Howard Taylor, JJK Stables and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. It was one of four Palone wins and three for Burke on the 14-race card.
— Evan Pattak
Stratton wins five at Monticello
Monticello, NY — A pair of rising stars, Jordan Stratton (21) and Billy Dobson (24), are each approaching 1,000 career victories and both added to their win totals on Tuesday at Monticello Raceway.
Stratton won five races and now needs just 14 more victories to join Walter Case, Jr. as only the second driver in the sport’s history to reach 1,000 wins before his 22nd birthday. Stratton will be 22 on June 30. Case accomplished his feat in 1982.
Stratton won the second race with Charles Strukel’s Jomega ($9.70) in 1:59.2 and then scored with Colin Johnson’s Mae’s Blue Boy ($70.50) in 1:58.2 in the fifth race.
Stratton’s next victory came in race number seven when he reined Michele Nelson’s Last Orders ($13.20) to a 1:56.2 triumph.
He finished the afternoon card with two consecutive victories in races nine and 10. He won with Neil Swingruber’s Soldier Of Music ($7.30) in 2:02 in the ninth and then scored behind Vincent Buttafuoco, Jr. and John Trincilla’s Cheyenne Ryan ($5.90) in 1:57.2 in the tenth.
Last year when Stratton reined 362 winners here he became the youngest driver to ever win a dash-win title at Monticello Raceway in the track’s 50 years of existence. During the 2008 season his total output of 630 winners ranked him fifth best in North America.
Dobson, another of the many talented youngsters at the Mighty M, reined two winners and is just nine victories from the 1,000 win plateau.
Dobson scored with Gary Haase’s Dream Big Ed ($4.40) in 1:59.3 in the third race and then won the 12th with Barry Charles’ Noble Wabbit ($4.80) in 1:58.
— John Manzi