from Harness Publicists across North America

Sunday’s (January 4) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Dover Downs and Scarborough Downs.

Caerleon Hanover, Floyd Bromac N win Dover features

Dover, DE — Ex-claimer Caerleon Hanover and Floyd Bromac N, in his first American start, won the Sunday twin feature races at Dover Downs. Tony Morgan drove four winners to make his total now 15 for the New Year.

Fotowon photo

Ron Pierce drove Caerleon Hanover to a 1:53.1 victory on Sunday at Dover.

Ron Pierce drove Caerleon Hanover to a convincing 1:53.1 victory in the $12,500 male pace. Max Walton and Greg Papaleo own the Western Ideal-Camellos gelding that they claimed for $30,000 in December. He has since won two straight conditioned events. Shinyses A scooted along the passing lane to nip Commander Turk N for second.

In the $30,000 claiming allowance, Floyd Bromac N got off the rail in the stretch and Justin Hite guided the Caprock-Francine Bromac gelding past horses in deep stretch for a 1:53.2 win in his first North American start for Wendy Crissman and Frank Ranaldi. Sniper Hall (Mike Cole) had appeared on the way to a win until the closing strides and had to settle for second. Yes Hanover (Ron Pierce) led from the start and held on for third.

— Marv Bachrad

Gray and Campbell dominate at Scarborough Downs

Scarborough, ME — Shawn Gray continues to match Drew Campbell step for step through the early portion of the 2009 harness racing season, with both top-rated teamsters deadlocked atop the Scarborough Downs leaderboard with seven driving wins apiece at the conclusion of the opening weekend of action at the southern Maine oval.

Derek Davis photo

Tonros Prince A grits his teeth as he leaves the field in his dust off the final turn on Sunday, giving Shawn Gray one of his four wins on the program.

The logjam at the top was created as Gray manufactured a sterling four-win performance on Sunday — a feat which matched Campbell’s four-bagger from Saturday’s Opening Day program.

Gray dominated the closing portion of the Sunday card as he began his prolific performance with an aggressive wiring of the sixth race field behind the classy 13-year-old Life Sign gelding Mystical Sign.

The 35-year-old state of Maine native never wavered from the front-end strategy through the remainder of the program as he piked another 13-year-old, Tonros Prince A, to the fastest clocking of the young Scarborough meet (1:59.1).

Thirteen was apparently Shawn Gray’s lucky number on Sunday as he wasted precious little time in securing another convincing gate-to-wire win with a member of the geriatric set, steering the 13-year-old Par One to an open-length, jiggy-jog to claim victory in the afternoon’s featured trotting event.

He closed out the program playing catch-me-if-you-can with a relative youngster as the 8-year-old Vas Vixen N held off a stiff challenge from Lost The Flip (Drew Campbell) in the afternoon’s finale.

In a rarity in this age of deference to youth, four 13-year-olds reigned supreme at Scarborough Downs on Sunday as Prince Rama A and driver Rob Dinning joined Shawn Gray’s senior citizen hat trick performance. In fact, during one portion of the program, 13-year-olds won three consecutive races (races 8, 9 and 10).

Gray and Campbell will continue their battle for supremacy next weekend as the current Scarborough Downs meeting concludes. Live action returns Saturday and Sunday at Maine’s Showplace of harness racing with first post at 12:00 noon (EST).

— Michael Sweeney