Racing Roundup: Friday, July 25, 2008
July 25, 2008,Harness Publicists across North America
Friday’s (July 25) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Buffalo Raceway, Scioto Downs, Cal-Expo, Vernon Downs, Northfield Park, Pompano Park and Saratoga Raceway.
Devils Delight Best in F & M Open Handicap Pace at Buffalo
Paul White Photo
Devils Delight registered her third win in the $9,000 featured Filly and Mare Open Pace at Buffalo Raceway.
Hamburg, NY — Devils Delight, a 6-year old mare by D M Dillinger out of the Artsplace mare Lights Off won the $9,000 featured Filly and Mare Open Pace at Buffalo Raceway Friday night (July 25). Owned by Ron Viola and David Venniro, Devils Delight was clocked in 1:56.4 to register her third win of the season.
A nasty accident in race 11 resulted in a no-contest, where all monies wagered were refunded. At the very start of the race, Avant Art (Jack Flanigen) and Rascality (Ken Holliday) collided and both drivers hit the ground. Holliday appeared OK with a slight limp and did not require any attention. Flanigen was put in the ambulance, but said he was fine. No word yet on Jack’s condition.
— Sam Pendolino
Standing Pretty fastest at Scioto |
Columbus, OH — Standing Pretty was pacing pretty on Friday night at Scioto Downs as she dominated the fastest mile of the evening, winning in 1:55 for driver Kyle Ater.
The 4-year-old daughter of Stand Forever was sent off at 2-5 odds by the bettors and went immediately to the front at the start of the race. Ater cut evenly-rated fractions and Standing Pretty prevailed by 1-1/4 lengths.
The winner is trained by Herbert V. LeVan who owns her in partnership with Richard Bauder.
I’m A Native Two finished second while Sweet Dream Baby picked up the show dough.
— Dean Hoffman
Keystone Comotion Upsets The Applecart
Sacremento, CA — She had beaten better back in May, but hadn’t raced back to that form until Friday night (July 25).
Starting from post-position one in the field of six claiming handicap trotters, racing for a $4,070, trainer Gilbert Herrera would get a perfect pocket trip through fractions of :28.4, :58.1, and 1:27.3.
Finding racing room up the inside with less than 3-16ths of a mile to go, the 4 year-old would come on at mid-stretch to take the lead with a sixteenth of a mile to go and would hold that lead at the wire while one-length to the good.
Owned by Don & Barbara Arnstine in partnership with Herrera, the class dropping Keystone Comotion would stop the timer at 1:58.4, while returning a hefty $62.40 win mutuel. Cast British (Rocky Stidham) finished in second, and Giveherthecredit (Lemoyne Svendsen) finished another 1-1/2-lengths farther back, in third.
— Scott Ehrlich
Dreamsicle dominates Vernon feature in lifetime best
Vernon, NY — Dreamsicle defeated five female foes in fast fashion to capture Friday night’s $10,000 featured ninth race at Vernon Downs.
Favored in the week’s top division of the Miracle Mile class for filly&mare pacers, Dreamsicle showed her superiority while cutting splits of :27.2, :56.2 and 1:24.2 en route to a 6-length triumph over Miss Robin’s Magic. The 4-year-old mare’s 1:51.3 clocking was the fastest of her nine career victories and just four-fifths of a second off the track’s all-time standard for her age, sex and gait.
Owned, trained and driven by Chris Lems, the quick-footed daughter of Dream Away has logged nine wins, two seconds and a third in 15 season’s starts, with the $40,305 she has earned pushing her lifetime winnings to $42,960.
DOWNS DOINGS – Saturday’s 11-race program will feature six divisions of a $201,834 New York Sires Stake for 2-year-old filly pacers and five Miracle Mile pacing classes.
— Jim Moran
Nojoke Island is no joke at Pompano
Pompano Beach, FL — It was no joke, when driver Dan Clements and Nojoke Island lit up the tote board in the $12,000 Fillies and Mares open pace at Pompano Park and won in 1:53.4 with a pay off of $71.00 to win.
Nojoke Island, by Island Fantasy-Ho Shes Nojoke, is trained by Geoff Howles and owned by Rick Howles of Lake Orion, Michigan.
Prairie Tracker finished second with Stonebridge Capri third.
The Sunshine Stake second leg for 2-year-old filly trotters went forward Friday night with Pearl of Capri ($5.20) and Dan Clements taking the first division in 2:02.4. Pearl of Capri, by Famously-Jettas Pearl, is trained by Veral Bowman and owned by Frank and Inga Smith of Deerfield Beach. Over Drawn ($3.00) driven and trained by Tom Haughton captured the second division in 2:04.1. Over Drawn, by Guided Speed-Twenty One, is owned by the DCLD Stables of New York.
Bling ($3.60) and Mel Turcotte won the 2-year-old filly pacer division in 1:59.4. Bling, by Scoot Outa Reach-C The Glory, is trained by Mark Friedman and owned by the Polo Stables of Boca Raton.
Alice Springs and Wally Hennessey may have been looking for their 13th consecutive win tonight in the non-wagering Sunshine Stake second leg for 3-year-old Florida-Bred fillies, but a costly break ended their winning streak. Allee T and Bruce Ranger sitting in the pocket took full advantage of Alice Springs miss-step and went on to win by 3-1/2 lengths in a lifetime best of 1:56.1. Just Be Original (Wally Ross, Jr.) finished second and Cracker Sis (Tom Sells) finished third.
It was the second win this year for 3-year-old Allee T (Raging Glory-Arriva Leru), who is trained by Kim Sears and owned by Jay Sears of Osteen, John Campagnuolo of Loxahatchee and Anthony Andretta and Dianne Mouw of Oviedo.
There were three other non-wagering events that took place this evening with 2-year-old trotter Be Lachek (Jay Sears) taking the first division for colts and geldings winning in 2:01.4. Be Lachek, by Wewering-Teresa Lou, is trained by Kim Sears and co-owned with Jay Sears of Osteen. In the second division, Whosgoinwhosstayin (Mickey Mc Nichol) won in 2:03 for trainer Linda Kakaley, who also co-owns with Sophia Valkanoff of Pompano Beach.
In the 2-year-old filly pace division, Goldstar Rosie (Dan Clements), won in 1:59.2. Goldstar Rosie, by Rock On-Eileen Filly, has won her last three starts for trainer Tom Audley who also co-owns with Jamie Marra of Delray Beach and Bethany Anne Levine of Boynton Beach.
— Debbie Schaut
Lite Me Up, Streetcarnamedsire take Northfield features
Northfield, OH — Michael Epler’s Lite Me Up ($18.80) pulled an upset in the $7,000 Open Pace Saturday night at Northfield Park, winning in 1:54.1. Fox Valley Armor finished second and Kevin T Busch was third.
The win was the 5th this year for Lite Me Up, a 5-year-old Stand Forever horse, who is now just $116 shy of the $100,000 career earnings mark. The top pacers made a rare Friday appearance as the Summit County Fair Buckeye Super Stakes are featured at Northfield on Saturday.
The $6,500 Mares Open Pace went to Streetcarnamedsire ($3.00), who never saw the pylons.
The 1:54.4 win put 4-year-old Streetcarnamedsire over $100,000 this season as she has posted an impressive 21-9-5-4 summary for owners Betty Sherman, Melissa Lynne Patterson and Michael Brudner.
— Keith Gisser
Pablo Angus scores again at Saratoga
Saratoga Springs N.Y. — One week after matching the Saratoga Gaming and Raceway track record for an aged gelding trotter by scoring in 1:56, Pablo Angus returned to the winner’s circle on Friday, charging from last to first to take the featured $15,000 Open Trot in 1:57.1.
Dave Oxford Photo
Pablo Angus, driven by Dan Cappello Jr., tallies his third straight victory when taking the featured $15,000 Open Trot at Saratoga Gaming and Raceway on Friday in 1:57.1.
Driven from post eight by Dan Cappello Jr., Pablo Angus rolled five-wide down the center of the track in the stretch to prevail by 1-1/2 lengths. Paco in the Sky took second, while Prime Interest was third.
Owned by Mario Bourgea and trained by Bert Belanger, Pablo Angus has found the wire first in each of his last three starts, including a track-record winning mile in 1:56 in the $43,000 J-C St.
Jacques Final at Sulky Trois Rivieres on July 3.
The 6-year-old son of Fortuna Winner, out of the Garland Lobell mare Heliante Angus, is unbeaten in two appearances at Saratoga, and owns a career record of 23 wins from 98 starts, with a lifetime bankroll of $446,379.
— Michael Costanzo