by Keith Gisser, assistant publicity director, Northfield Park

Northfield, OH — Shamrock Racing’s Caligula won his third straight and fifth over his last six starts at Northfield on Saturday (October 2), easily going gate-to-wire in 1:53.4 to win the $10,000 Invitational Pace.

Aaron Mulrooney, whose .534 UTR tops North America, trains the winner, who was driven by regular pilot Tony Hall.

Hall steered his charge through fractions of :26.3, :55.1 and 1:24 in the win. He opened up a seven length margin at the first call and the issue was never in doubt. Sharky Osborne was second and Iwasborntoboogy N finished third.

The win gave the son of Village Connection–Better Than Sex a 2004 summary of 21-9-2-1 and pushed his earnings to $34,018 on the year.

Rudicil’s other Jewel shines in Mares Open

M D Jewel, stablemate to the brilliant Midnight Jewel, showed she was no slouch, getting up in the final strides to win by the slimmest of margins in Northfield’s $7,500 Mares Open Pace on Friday night (October 1).

Marty Rudicil owns and trains the winner, who was driven by her regular local pilot Aaron Merriman.

Favored Magic Sugar got the early lead and posted splits of :27, :56.4 and 1:25.3 after a brief early duel with True Blue Lu. M D Jewel was over 11 lengths back early, but was out and on the move at the half, following hte cover of Shutupandkissme. The outer flow continued to pressure the leader and those two battled for the win down the lane, as Magic Sugar tired. M D Jewel was a nose on top at the head of the stretch and ended up a neck better than Shutupandkissme, with Magic Sugar finishing third in the 1:55.2 mile.

MD Jewel, a six-year-old bay mare form the unheralded stallion I D Frost, is her sire’s fastest credit by virtue of multiple 1:54.3 wins over the Flying Turns.

EARLY EDITION: Starting Wednesday, October 13, and running through Wednesday, December 22, Northfield Park opens for simulcasting at 11:00 a.m., with first action just after noon.

That means great early racing from tracks including Keeneland, Philadelphia Park, Suffolk Downs, Hawthorne, Freehold, Monticello and more.

To make Wednesday early openings even more enticing, thoroughbred simulcast programs for afternoon tracks will cost you just one cent on those early Wednesdays! Admission and television seat carrels are free on these days until 6:00 p.m., while general parking is gratis until 5:30 p.m.

Northfield races live every Wednesday, with a first race post time of 7:00 p.m.

CONTESTED AND CONTENTIOUS: That’s the best way to describe Sunday’s qualifying handicapping contest for the Coast Casino’s $1,000,000 Horseplayer World Series, set for the end of January at Las Vegas’ Orleans Casino.

Mike McIntyre, of Uniontown, outlasted the competition, amassing $2,120 from his initial bankroll of $200. That earned him a trip to Vegas and a $500 betting voucher. Wilmet Saenger of Fairlawn was second, posting a $1,476.80 total to edge Rudy Kastelic by less than $100 for the second Vegas trip. Saenger takes home a $400 voucher. Kastelic won $300. Akron’s Dick Ledgerwood finished fourth and Jerry Dolan of Fairport Harbor was fifth. They took home $200 and $100, in addition to their account balances of over $1,170 each.

YES, SIRE: Thursday’s $40,000 Ohio Sires Stakes Championship for four and five-year-old pacers has a definite Northfield flavor, as three of the five starters — Noble Senator, Arizona Liar and Surf Sam — are based at Northfield.

The other two starters, Room And Board and Tracy Lou, have both posted victories over the Flying Turns this year.

Northfield’s #2 pilot, Tony Hall, is listed to drive both Surf Sam and Arizona Liar.

The race takes place at Lebanon Raceway, near Cincinnati, on Thursday and will be simulcast to Northfield and throughout the United States. First race post time is 7:20 p.m.

The $50,000 OSS Trot Final is set for Toledo’s Raceway Park on Sunday, October 10.

World Champion Dunkster and Kami’s Call make their last prep starts for the championship on Monday night in the third race at Northfield, a $7,500 Open Trot.

SHORT TAKES: Northfield’s Ken Holliday, who earned driving titles here in 1993 and 1998, stands at 3,998 career wins through Saturday. “Doc” is set to pilot seven horses Monday night as he pursues win number 4,000, which would solidify his position among the top 80 winningest drivers of all time… Greg Grismore has 499 wins on the year, ranking third behind Dave Palone and North American leader Brett Miller, who has 526 victories. Miller is expected to race at Northfield on a regular basis this winter… Shamrock Stable’s Aaron Mulrooney continues to lead all trainers in North America, with a remarkable .534 Universal Trainer Rating System batting average.