by Jeff Renton, media/communications, the Woodbine Entertainment Group

Toronto, March 17, 2005… He may be kicking back enjoying a vacation down in Florida, but that doesn’t mean conditioner Brett Robinson isn’t carrying quite a punch into this Saturday evening’s C$126,000 final of the Cam Fella Pacing Series at Woodbine. Robinson will send out a trio of charges in the Cam Fella, which is slated to go as Race 6 (9:25 p.m.).

Crombes Last Laugh (PP7, Steve Condren, 2-1), Galantine Hanover (PP5, Mike Saftic, 5-1) and Apache Limo (PP2, Tony Kerwood, 25-1) will look to better the rest of the field, which is comprised of three and four-year-olds whom were non-winners of $100,000 lifetime as of October, 31, 2004.

Having drawn the outside nine-hole, Great Expense (PP9, Mark MacDonald, 7-5) will be looking for his third consecutive tally and a Cam Fella Series sweep. Although, both Crombes Last Laugh (Abercrombie—Laughing Gal) and Galantine Hanover (Grinfromeartoear—Giant Princess) have shown a knack for the wire in the past few weeks and could very well topple the morning line choice.

“I feel very good. They both raced very well their last few starts,” Robinson commented via telephone Thursday evening. “One beat one the first week and then the roles were reversed last week. They are both very good.”

A brown gelding, Crombes Last Laugh may not have put up stellar numbers last year at three, but he is proving that he can handle business this year at four.

Owned by Milton, Ontario’s Canamerica Capital Corporation, Halifax, Nova Scotia’s Stephen Scarff and Toronto, Ontario’s John Fielding, Crombes Last Laugh banked $77,449 last year in his sophomore campaign after racing to a 3-7-5 record from 22 starts. The gelding has stepped up his game so far in 2005 though, as he enters Saturday’s test with a 4-1-0 record and $96,400 in purses after seven tests.

“[Crombes Last Laugh] was just bought late by the Canamerica group. He’s okay. He didn’t do too well down at the Meadowlands for us [in the Exit 16W], but he got back home and he seems to like Woodbine a lot better for some reason,” Robinson explained about Crombes Last Laugh, who recently swept the Willowdale Series over the Toronto strip. “He’s a nice sound horse, but not really big. I think he has to have some sort of trip to win that race.”

After a successful quarter pole move, Crombes Last Laugh defeated Galantine Hanover by three-quarters of a length during the opening leg in a mile clocked in 1:53 flat. Galantine Hanover returned the favour last week in the second leg though, as he grabbed the lead in the third panel and scored a half-length victory over his stablemate, which was also timed in 1:53.

“Galantine Hanover was a good three-year-old late last year, but he’s just been a hard horse to keep healthy,” Robinson said of the bay horse who is owned by New York’s Jerry Silva and Mathias Meinzinger along with Florida’s Deena Rachel Frost and Pennsylvania’s Sampson Street Stable. “If he stays healthy I think he will be a really good four-year-old.”

In 17 starts at three, Galantine Hanover, who holds a mark of 1:50, raced to $181,818 in earnings after compiling a 4-2-3 record from 17 races. After his three dashes this season, his seasonal card displays a 1-1-0 record and $26,250 in purses.

Pegged at 25-1 in the morning line, Apache Limo will be looking for the upset in Saturday’s final, but Robinson knows that the bay four-year-old son of Apaches Fame out of Limousine Liberal will have to get a trip to land in the winner’s circle.

“He’s been a hard horse to control all of his life,” Robinson said of Apache Limo, who is owned by Hagersville, Ontario’s CMR Farms. “He doesn’t seem to behave in a race and if he were a little more calm he’d be a lot better than what he is.

“He’ll be alright as long as he gets some sort of trip and races from off the pace. I think if that happens he’ll definitely be coming at the end of the mile, so we’ll just have to see how it works out.”

To go along with the Colin Johnson-trained Great Expense and Bob McIntosh’s Ponder (PP6, Jack Moiseyev, 5-1), Robinson’s pupils will have to deal with a duo performing out of Joe Stutzman’s stable.

Both Days With Dad (PP1, Paul MacDonell, 20-1) and Quiet Flight (PP3, Chris Christoforou, 25-1) will represent WEG’s leading conditioner in the dash and
will look to rock the tote board.

The complete field is below:

PP – Horse – Driver – Trainer – Line
1 – Days With Dad – P. MacDonell – J. Stutzman – 20-1
2 – Apache Limo – A. Kerwood – B. Robinson – 25-1
3 – Quiet Flight – C. Christoforou – J. Stutzman – 15-1
4 – Finnegan Hanover – L. Ouellette – K. McMaster – 15-1
5 – Galantine Hanover – M. Saftic – B. Robinson – 5-1
6 – Ponder – J. Moiseyev – R. McIntosh – 5-1
7 – Crombes Last Laugh – S. Condren – B. Robinson – 2-1
8 – C F O – R. Zeron – R. Moreau – 30-1
9 – Great Expense – Ma. MacDonald – C. Johnson – 7-5