by Mary Lou Lawless

Independence, IA — Results of Sunday’s (July 8) $40,000 sophomore card at What Cheer started in a predictable fashion for this time of the season, but performance upsets such as that of Clay’s Fair Lady and Cyclone May brought winds of change, at least for this day.

While Princess Zoie (John De Long, 2:00.2), Sun Belle Perfect (John De Long, 2:01.4) and R Capital Gains (Will Roland, 2:01.1) easily captured their $4,250 Iowa Registered races for De Long and Carey Stables, and the Roland/Simpson team, Rick Mishler’s Clay’s Fair Lady (Brandon Jenson, 2:08.4) broke her maiden in the first of the $4,750 trotting features, leaving behind Sierra Sunswept (Jack Wilkening), Whatgetsyougoin (Rick Huffman), and Sierra No Angel (Mark Mintun).

Then Cyclone May (John “Rocket” Reese) whirled into the homestretch nose-to-nose with BB Band (Jim Reese) and crossed the wire about a length ahead of her Taylor County stablemate. After finishing second in her first two starts this season, Cyclone May went into winning mode on her home track at Bedford on June 23, blew two-fifths of a second off that 2:08.4 mark at Humboldt last Wednesday, and lowered her mark to 2:05.1 at What Cheer on Sunday. Miss In Love (Joel McDanel) was third, I’m Smokin (Jack Wilkening), fourth, and KB Amy (Rick Huffman) finished fifth.

“Yes, we’re havin’ fun” agreed the filly’s owner, veterinarian Jim Cummings of Bedford, referring to his family and the Reese brothers, as well as May’s trainer, Michael Conte.

Jim Reese and BB Band had led all the way to the half in 1:01 flat, and “When May caught her, they were so close their wheels even started to lock,” said Dr. Cummings. “John had to back her off a little bit, just to stay safe.”

“I’ve never had one this good,” he admitted, mentioning a “cheap pacer” he’d owned with veterinarian Don Anderson, a filly that had won the Hawkeye Colt Stakes trophy back in 1993.

In the fall of 2003, Cummings purchased the Speed Bowl mare Keystone Game, in foal to Lucky Twenty Five, at Kermit Hinshaw’s first dispersal sale. He was especially pleased with the mare’s grandsires, Super Bowl on the top and Noble Gesture on the bottom. The date and time of the filly’s birth, May 16, 2004, at 6:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning, struck a chord with Dr. Cummings, as it was exactly, to the minute, five years after his mother had passed away, and he “thought the filly might be special.”

A big Cyclone fan since his Iowa State University Veterinary School of Medicine days, Dr. Cummings gave the filly his mother’s middle name, May, which has been a family name for several generations.

Cyclone May won her division of the Iowa Sires Stakes in 2006, and has become a force to be reckoned with already this year.

When Panaramic Art (Will Roland) made an awkward departure from the gate, He’s A Hottie (Royal Roland) stepped up to the opportunity and outpaced Indian Crazy Horse (Nick Roland) and No Road Parking (Jack Wilkening) as well, for his first win this year, in 2:04 flat.

Long Beach Tuffy (Nick Roland, 2:06) and Proud Valiant (Gary Liles, 2:08) earned the winner’s share of $4,750 purses and Gene Sturdivant’s trotter Fox River Sparklin broke her maiden (2:10.4) in a $1,000 conditioned race.

Pacers Go Ask Bobbi, Country Diablo and JR Flash also took new marks at What Cheer on Sunday.

Racing resumes at the Linn County Fair in Central City on Monday evening, July 9, beginning at 6:00 p.m.