Harness Publicists across North America

Saturday’s (July 26) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Hawthorne Racecourse, Scarborough Downs, Rockingham Park, Buffalo Raceway, Cal-Expo, Ocean Downs, Saratoga Raceway, Pompano Park, Vernon Downs, and the Summit County (Ohio) Fair.

Action Figure dominant in Carey Preview

Stickney, IL — The Robert F. Carey Memorial Preview held Saturday, July 26, at Hawthorne Race Course was the stage for a powerful performance by Hazel Park invader Action Figure, as the 5-year-old gelding held off 4-5 favorite Load The Dice and scored by 1-3/4 lengths in a career best time of 1:49.4. Last year’s Carey Memorial winner Thisbigdogwilfight finished third, beaten more than two lengths by the winner.

Hawthorne Racecourse Photo

Action Figure was all alone at the wire in the Robert F. Carey Memorial Preview.

The son of Armbro Cadet was driven to victory by top Michigan-based reinsman Brad Kramer and trained by 2007 Michigan Horseman of the Year, Marie St. Charles. For Kramer it was win number 5,999.

As for Load The Dice and second choice My Boy David, perhaps having not raced in two weeks and having less than ideal trips might have contributed to their performances. At any rate, all eight of tonight’s pacers, along with Benns Superman will be back next week to compete in the $90,000 Robert F. Carey Jr. Memorial.

‘Sleazy’ Falters but qualifies for Booze Cruzin Finals

Meadowlands Pace fourth-place finisher Mucho Sleazy failed to payoff the chalk players who pounded him down to 1-2, but the defending Illinois-bred 2-year-old champion will qualify for next week’s Booze Cruzin finals anyway.

Mucho Sleazy was beaten Saturday by a nice racehorse named Prize Art, but the homebred son of Sportsmaster was clearly second best and that means he gets a chance to redeem himself in the $53,500 finals.

For the record Prize Art beat Mucho Sleazy by 1-3/4 lengths in a time of 1:50.3. It was four lengths back to King of Kings who finished third.

— Mitchell B. Demick

Torrid teamsters rule at Scarborough Downs

Scarborough, ME — The scorching hot weather made for blistering fast miles at Scarborough Downs on Saturday (July 26) as a tandem of red hot teamsters simply burned up the southern Maine oval with Shawn Gray and Joey Mosher claiming the lion’s share of the winners circle sessions during the mid-summer twilight performance.

Derek Davis Photo

Joey Mosher gleefully crosses the finish line as Trebuchet scores his 8th seasonal win.

Shawn Gray held the hottest hand on Saturday as the state of Maine native worked out four winning catch-drives over the Scarborough twice-around. Gray is currently the 4th ranked driver at Scarborough Downs with 54 seasonal wins.

Joey Mosher was the other dominant force on the Saturday card finding the winning path three times in the 10-race program.
In other news, Skitosofrantic posted the fourth fastest mile to be recorded at Scarborough Downs meeting this season as he sailed around the course in 1:55.3.

Roberts wins five in a row at Rockingham

Salem, NH — Jonathan Roberts was red-hot at Rockingham Park on Saturday, winning five consecutive races on the afternoon card.

— Lynne Snierson

Northern Gale wins Open Pace at Buffalo

Hamburg, NY — Northern Gale, a 7-year-old gelding by Northern Luck out of the Storm Damage mare Shannon Gale, won the $9,000 Open Pace in 1:57 for owners-trainer Steve Nelson and Sandra Cory, here on closing night (Saturday July 26) at Buffalo Raceway.

It was the sixth win of the year for Northern Gale, and the $4,500 share of the winning purse put his 2008 bankroll at $36,500 and $84,358 lifetime.

— Sam Pendolino

The shoe didn’t fit, but Top Topper didn’t quit at Cal-Expo

Sacramento. CA — Open Handicap pacers, racing for a $7,700 purse, were featured at Cal-Expo on Saturday night (July 26), on which Top Topper beat the big boys.

Owned by Ben Kenney in partnership with Rocky Stidham, Top Topper stopped the timer at 1:52.2, a lifetime best. Keystone Eli finished in second, and D Jokerman finished another 1-1/2-lengths farther back, in third.

Owned by Keith Ballard, Lester Hunsucker and James Yates, and trained by Tom Wine II, Linnea Blue Chip would win ($9.80) by 1-1/4-lengths, in 1:56.2. Sadies Desert Fox (Richard Bertrand) finished in second, and Must Bea Sadie (Kent Fox) finished just a half of one-length farther back, in third.

— Scott Ehrlich

Mc Matz’s Ztam 4 for 4 at Ocean with win Saturday

Berlin, MD — Manley Brown Jr. was the leading trainer at Rosecroft Raceway with 44 winners in 209 starts when the Fort Washington track closed June 28. Brown has taken many of his trainees to Ocean Downs and fared very well with them.

Brown’s eleventh win during the current summer meet came with Mc Matz’s Ztam, a 7-year-old gelding who won Saturday night July 26 (1:56.4, $4.40).

The son of Sportsmaster from Funny Clown edged 4-year-old Broule Hanover in a photo-finish and now has won four straight at the ocean, the first three with John Wagner in the bike. With Wagner unavailable Saturday, Ray Robinson, Jr. stepped in as the pilot. Robinson earned his 23rd win of the meet and is now only 20 wins shy of the 1,000 career-win driving mark.

Two divisions in the third leg of the “Budweiser Pace” late closer series are featured at the Ocean Oval Sunday night. Seboomook Mao, a 3-year-old filly seeks her third straight win in this stakes series.

— Jim Whittemore

Sneaky B Skipalong scores in top Saratoga Pace

Saratoga Springs, NY — After finishing a disappointing fifth in his Saratoga Gaming and Raceway debut last weekend, Sneaky B Skipalong rebounded on Saturday when negotiating a 1:55.2 victory over a sloppy track to take the featured $15,000 Open Pace by a nose.

Sneaky B Skipalong returned $22.20, $7.40, and $11.40 for the win.
Capital Advisor brought in $7.60 and $3.70 for second, while On a Tear (Jim Devaux) paid $4.60 when finishing third.

Owned by Richard Poillucci of Stoughton, Mass., Sneaky B Skipalong has found the wire first in three of 14 starts during his 4-year-old season, with a lifetime record of 11 victories in 47 outings and career earnings of $146,647.

— Michael Costanzo

Coronet Hanover upsets in Open Pace at Isle Pompano Park

Pompano Beach, FL — Coronet Hanover ($18.60) blew his own horn Saturday night at the isle pompano park as the 8-1 long shot was triumphant in the $12,000 Open Pace with a 1:53 neck victory.

Stolly Up Bluechip and Western Tsunami win at Vernon

Jim Morrill, Jr. began a five-win evening when he teamed Stolly Up Bluechip to a bold-striding 1:53.3 victory in Saturday’s first race, the $33,489 opening division of a $200,000-plus New York Sires Stake for 2-year-old filly sidewheelers. The one length score was the fourth in a row, while the time resulted in a personal best record for the daughter of Art Major-Stasia’s Girl, who Mark Ford trains for owner Frank Dettore.

Saturday’s other New York Sire Stakes winners were the Ford conditioned Eagle Way (Dream Away-Western Dancer), in 1:54.2 for Dettore; On The Glass (Art Major-Abbey Won), in 1:55.1 for trainer John Berger and owners Joseph Di Scala, Jr. and Cynthia Lynn Massari; Perfect Launch (Riverboat King-Cambridge United), in 1:55.2 for trainer Linda Toscano and owner Ken Jacobs; Bet On Luck (Bettor’s Delight-Homby Lucky), in 1:57 for trainer-owner George Teague, Jr. and the Kovach Stables, and B Intensified (Art Major-B Electrified), in 1:54.3 for trainer Carmine Fusco and the Carmen Iannacone, T L P Stable and D’Elegance Stable ownership group.

Western Tsunami followed up his career-best 1:51.4 triumph in the Miracle Mile-1 class here on July 12, with a 1:52 tally over six skilled rivals in Saturday’s $10,000 event. Josh Marks, who doubled on the evening, did the steering for trainer Tracy Brainard and the Just Luck Stable as the gritty 5-year-old gelding secured his fourth score in succession and seventh this season.

— Jim Moran

Troyer moves up in the Billings Series standings

Monticello, NY — After scoring a resounding victory with his trotter, Candacraigh, at the Summit Fair at Northfield Park, Bob” the Lumberman” Troyer has moved into second place on the Midwest region leader board.

On Saturday, Troyer set sails with from the rail position with his 9-year-old Pine Chip gelding, and never really had an anxious moment, as Candacraigh coasted along, open lengths in front of his competition, and then kicked in a :29.4 final stanza to pull away from De Niro G, handled by “Tar Heel Tom” Williams, and finished a two length winner in 2:03.2.

Absolute Resolve, in rein to “Trader Bud” Hatfield, went an overland journey from the half but flattened out in the lane and finished third.

Midwest Region points leader Steve “You’re Never Too” Oldford finished fourth with Feeling Frazzled.

Oldford’s 117 points is still tops in the Midwest, and Troyer, now with 55 points, is second. They are followed by Todd “the Downeaster” Whitney (51), Dale “the Big Boss” Zahn (39), “Buckboard Bob” Miller (35), Lawbook Larry” Farley (35), and Trader Bud” Hatfield 34). Rounding-out the top ten are Tony “the Capo” Verruso (26), and Brent “the Zanesville Clipper” Davis (25) and “Howie the Horse” Gelfand (25).

The next Billings action will be wild card events at the Meadowlands, on Wednesday, July 30, for those whose trotters fit Billings conditions.

— John Manzi

Summit County Fair action at Northfield Park

Northfield, OH — Northfield Park hosted the Summit County Fair Stakes, and while there were a few surprises favorites raced as expected for the most part. The most unusual race of the evening was the 11th, in which only two horses finished after a chain reaction accident involving four of the 3-year-old pacing colts left Roxie’s Big Guy ($2.60) 17 lengths in front of Big Guy Forever in a 1:56 mile.

Wes Hershberger trains the son of Towner’s Big Guy–Rapid Roxie for Ohio Minerals, and J.D. Wengerd drove.

The other sophomore pacing split went to Noble Cruiser ($20.20) in a bit of a surprise, over the favored Thunder Cruise. He is trained by Lenny Rich for Alto Cavallo Endeavors, David Miller, and Eva Shaw. The 1:55.4 clocking was the fastest of the night, as Russ Swartz steered the Yankee Cruiser gelding, who is from the Nobleland Sam mare Sweet Vidalia.

The evening started with the freshman Chip Chip Hooray filly Northmedo Esther ($3.00) posting a 2:02 score for Northmedo Stables in a $11,340 heat. The daughter of the Striking Sahbra mare Northmedo Blessing cruised gate-to-wire to win for driver Chris Page and trainer Mike Medors.

Two divisions of sophomore trotting fillies saw two Northfield-based winners. Melinda Bailey’s Belzilla ($7.20) took the first split in 2:00.4 for trainer-driver William Irvine, while Jack Tramonte’s Norma Rose ($3.00) posted a 1:59.4 score in the second heat for Aaron Merriman and trainer Scott Cox. Belzilla is a homebred by Corleone, from the Striking Sahbra mare Zip Dot Com, while Norma Rose is a daughter of the good mare Lilyad, from Master Lavec.

Rain hit and the track was sloppy as the 3-year-old filly pacers went forward, but that didn’t stop Fred Saurer and Susan Lyn Elliot’s Tucson Susie ($11.00) from posting an impressive, 1:58.2, stalking win for Wyatt Irvine and trainer Bill Mt. Pleasant. The daughter of Precious Bunny–Tucson Susie went by the 4-5 favorite, Yankee Royalty, in the stretch. The second sophomore filly pacing heat went to C R Hope ($7.80), in 1:58.1. Trained by Harley Joliff for Charlene Joliff and Regina Hale, the daughter of Full Of Fun, from the Camluck mare Mizz Sunrise, was reined by David Repine.

The baby filly pacers contested one $9,740 heat and Northfield Wall of Famer Jerry Osborne was in the winner’s circle with his Wildfire Osborne ($11.00). A daughter of On The Attack, she posted her maiden-breaking win in 1:59.2 for Ryan Stahl and trainer Eric Hamlet.

Freshman trotters also contested two divisions, each worth $8,820, and Petrified Chip ($7.20) and Russ Swartz overcame the outside post, number seven, to win in 2:04.2 for the partnership of Carter, Reed, Hummel and Beard. Steve Carter trains the son of Chip Chip Hooray–Heather Rules (Armbro Illiad), who won for the third time in seven starts.

The Victory Sam gelding Sun Of A Victory ($5.80) posted a 2:03 win in the second heat, as Kyle Ater piloted him gate-to-wire for trainer Doug Rine and owner James Shipley of Mt. Vernon, Ohio.

A pair of sons of Ilooklikemymon were victorious in the 3-year-old colt trots, each worth $7,520. First, trainer-driver Jimmy Smith piloted Flowing James ($11.20) to a pocket-sitting, 2:00 win for Flowing Mineral Farms, the nom de course of Ruby Hostetler. Hostetler also campaigned his dam, Flowing Jody.

Then, Mel Rose Stable’s Looking To Score went gate-to-wire, in 1:59.2. From the good mare Kamtastic Score, Looking To Score is trained by John Ryan Melsheimer, who called on Aaron Merriman to drive.

A pair by Yankee Cruiser took the two freshman colt paces, with J Cruise ($3.00) getting a 1:57.3 win in the first heat for driver Kyle Ater, trainer Dan Ater and owners Booher, Fawcett, Crownover and Shoot the Moon Stable. The winner, from the stakeswinner TM’s-Future-Woman, used a pocket trip to get the win over Sadies Legacy.

Laura Baker’s Somethinsgotagive ($23.20) rolled to victory from post eight in the nightcap, the longest price of the night. From the Stand Forever mare Cheery, she posted a 1:59 win for trainer Jim Arledge, Jr. and driver Jeff Nisonger.

— Keith Gisser