by Keith Gisser, assistant publicity director, Northfield Park

Northfield, OH — Favored Cambest Prince easily took Saturday’s $10,000 Invitational Pace at Northfield Park to post his fourth seasonal win in five starts over the Flying Turns.

Red-hot Greg Grismore, who won seven races on the night’s card, took the 1-5 choice right to the lead and was never seriously threatened in what amounted to a 1:55³ training mile. Noble Senator raced in a loose pocket for Jason Gale to finish second, while Liltycantbedenied was third.

Last year’s co-Horse of the Year at Northfield, Cambest Prince has now earned $35,275 this year and $605,678 in his career. Jeff Cox trains the eight-year-old gelded son of Cambest for his Delaware owners, Sam Jacobs and Charlie Burris, Jr.

Dragon’s Lair breeding auction to benefit McKirgan

A 2004 breeding to Dragon’s Lair has been donated to the Don McKirgan Benefit Fund by Bob McGurdy and Dennis Parker.

McKirgan, a Northfield Park Wall of Fame Trainer-Driver, is suffering from Guillain-Barr Syndrome, a rare nervous system disorder which causes paralysis.

Dragon’s Lair stands at Lindwood Farm in Western Pennsylvania for a stud fee of $2,500.

The auction will be done by phone until Friday, March 26 at noon. There is a minimum bid of $1,000. Call the Northfield Race Office at (330) 467-4101, extension 300, or Mary Randall at extension 203, to bid.

Northfield Park microbrewery launches a new brew

Friday, April 16 marks the return of Northfield’s popular Microbrewery Nights Out and this one has a special kick.

Those attending get an advance tasting of Prestige Porter.

The harness track, located on Route 8, midway between Cleveland and Akron, is the only racetrack in the world with its own microbrewery on premises.

Master Brewer Dave Gunn’s new seasonal is the “dark beer with the surprisingly light taste.”

Tickets for the Microbrewery Night Out, held in the track’s clubhouse mezzanine, are $15 and include parking, admission, live racing program, microbrewery tour and a how-to seminar on wagering and handicapping.

In addition to tasting Mild Stallion Ale before the general public, participants get a taster of Gunn’s other five beers, two full size beers, BBQ chicken wings, veggies and cheese and, of course, a great night of harness racing. The package has a value in excess of $25.

The beer will not be available to the public until the following week.

A MIGHTY WIND: It didn’t take long for driver Jason Gale to make his presence felt at Northfield. The 32-year-old Ontario reinsman won in his first drive over the Flying Turns, steering the Bob Belcher-trained Seaway Shane to victory in Friday’s second race, a conditioned trot.

Gale, the son of harness racing legend Bill Gale, plans to race here regularly on Fridays and Saturdays while his home track, Windsor Raceway, conducts a Wednesday and Sunday live schedule.

Gale has 1,226 career wins, including 37 in 286 starts this year. He added a bookend performance at Northfield on Saturday, winning the first and last races on the card.

Gale wasn’t the only Canadian pilot who was successful in his first Northfield start during the week. Retired Quebec businessman Michel Minucci, in his first U.S. drive, steered his pacer Steady Luck to victory Monday.

RICHER THAN A POT OF GOLD: Hot on the heels of tonight’s $500 Cleveland Barons Ticket Giveaway, Northfield is giving away over $800 in gift certificates to Honeybaked Ham stores on Friday, April 2.

Each of 24 winners receives a $35 voucher redeemable for a ham, turkey or any of Honeybaked Ham’s delectable specialties.

Of course, the track’s $2,400 Sunday Gulftsream Handicapping contest continues through the end of April, while Tuesdays feature four 60-second winning spree contestants. Each spree contestant gets one minute to call out as many $2 wagers as possible, with unlimited winning potential, as Northfield continues to reward its on-track patrons.

MUSEUM OF ART IS HOT TO TROT: In last week’s KP, your humble scribe went to great lengths to explain why Stanford would win the NCAA Basketball Tourney.

That pick stunk, but our research led us to photographer Edward Muybridge, whose work was subsidized by standardbred horse owner and university founder Leland Stanford.

Muybrdge’s “Instantaneous Photography” technique established that horses on gait “fly,” with all four feet off the ground at the same time. We posted an example, Stanford’s trotter Lizzie M, at www.northfieldpark.com/keeping_pace_with_keith_gisser__.htm.

Well, it turns out a comprehensive exhibit of Muybridge’s work is right down the road at The Cleveland Museum of Art through May 16. The museum’s membership magazine even includes “Abe Edgington Trotting at a 2:24 Gait,” from June of 1878. For more details on the exhibit, log on to www.clemusart.com, but, if you really want to see horses “fly,” you need to be at Northfield’s “Flying Turns” for a night of live harness racing.

PLAYERS CLUB TIME: The next Players Club Rewards mailing is set for March 31, meaning you have just ten days to earn points toward your bonus vouchers, coupons and clubhouse discounts. Players with 2,000 points qualify.

Make sure to check out Players Club Plus, which provides discounts on goods and services from area merchants. Our latest partner is the Cleveland Force, which is offering $8.00 discounts on any $22 or $18 tickets purchased for the rest of this season and all of the 2004-2005 campaign.