by Dan Conway, USTA Web Newsroom Correspondant

Call City Hall is a Michigan bred trotter through and through. His sire, Wall Street Banker, a brother to Valley Victory, stood at Oldfield Farm in Adrian. The dam is Sarah Dew, a wonderful Michigan champion developed and raced by the great old Michigan trotting man Doug Yerkey. She is by the top Michigan stallion Superman, who stood at both Downing Stock Farm in Northville and Starwin Farm in Coleman. Call City Hall is trained by Todd Buter, another top Michigan trotting man.

Entered Friday night in the $12,000 Invitational Handicap at Hazel Park Raceway, Call City Hall was looking for his fifth victory in nine starts this season. He was the bettors’ choice with Banker’s Princess, a daughter of the Wall Street Banker mare Bankers Jackpot, another good one, the second choice. Another Michigan-bred, Arnie’s Shadow, handled by another top Michigan trotting master, Henry Wilson, was the third pick.

As the gate left on a fast track, Buter took Call City Hall right to the front with Terry Tomlin and Banker’s Princess getting away second and then going off stride at the quarter. Call City Hall passed the first marker in :29.1. Wilson and Arnie’s Shadow were away third.

Heading to the half, Arnie’s Shadow pulled behind Call City Hall with Banker’s Princess, back trotting, getting hung out on the outside. At that point Mark Webster came second over with King Rova, who traces on his maternal side back to the dominant Michigan sire of the seventies and eighties, Tarport Devlin, the sire of the Michigan Hambletonian winner, Shiaway St Pat.

Coming out of the clubhouse turn and trotting down the backside, Call City Hall kept up an even pace with middle quarters of :30.3 each. Hitting the half in :59.4 he was a length and a half better than Arnie’s Shadow with Banker’s Princess still on the outside third, but moving up ready to challenge.

At the 1:30.2 three-quarter pole, Banker’s Princess was up to second, just a length and a quarter off of Call City Hall. Rounding the final turn, the five-year-old gelding and the five-year-old mare kept racing on the front end with Arnie’s Shadow starting to look for racing room and King Rova swinging wide.

Down the stretch, Call City Hall, owned by James Marion and Todd’s wife, Lynette, had plenty of trot, closing his last quarter in :29 for a 1:59.2 victory. King Rova finished much the same, ending up second by two and three-quarter lengths. Banker’s Princess was third.

Call City Hall is now a 2005 winner of $22,721 and has lifetime earnings of $237,058.