Illinois’ best showcased on Super Night at Balmoral
September 17, 2006,by Tom Kelley, Balmoral Park Publicity Department
The $115,000 Su Mac Lad Championship got Super Night started off with a bang. Litigator and driver Ryan Anderson made a bold, late stretch move to win the Su Mac Lac Championship in 1:56.3. Roger Welch trains the sophomore gelded son of Valley Victor for owner Philip Rietveld of Crete, Illinois.
“Obviously tonight we had a much better trip than the week before,” trainer Roger Welch noted. “My horse was too far back last week and that was a conservative effort. Tonight he was all out and digging in and was up close in the action. This colt has a great pedigree and was bred by his owner.”
Litigator pushed his seasonal earnings to $155,885 and his career earnings to $225,086. The win was his tenth of the season in 15 starts.
Litigator followed Golf Central (Ron Marsh) who was first up on the outside to the leading Crown Vic (Dave Magee) throughout the mile, then pulled in deep stretch to draw away by half a length over Maha Rushi (Dale Hiteman). Litigator trotted his final panel in :28.1. Earlivic (Homer Hochstetler) closed very well to be third.
The $117,000 Lady Ann Reed Championship was captured by Hi-Tri (Lavern Hostetler) for trainer Jason Van Winkle by half a length at the wire. The three-year-old High Falls filly stopped the timer in 1:57, and after a lengthy inquiry she was declared the winner. In the late stretch Hi-Tri had pushed rival Go Go Gabby (Dave Magee) to the inside and a ten-minute inquiry was called.
Fox Valley Shimmy (Dale Hiteman) was second with Miss Imperial (Andy Miller) third.
“I didn’t think Davie’s horse (Go Go Gabby) was going to stop that badly and it put me in an awkward spot,” Hostetler noted. “She had a tough post in the elim (the ten-hole) and tonight she got the rail and was able to get a much better trip out of the mile as a result.”
Hi-Tri is owned by Jason Van Winkle and Cynthia Demarlie of Illinois. She now has $88,182 in seasonal earnings and $104,305 in career earnings. The Lady Ann Reed win was her fifth in 17 tries this year.
Ann Vonian
Loyal Opposition stormed to an impressive, first-over victory in the $120,000 Ann Vonian Championship for driver Andy Miller and trainer Erv Miller. It was the sixth straight victory for the winner of over $2.8 million, who races for owner Daniel Waxman of Ancaster, Ontario, Canada.
The six-year-old daughter of Cole Muffler stopped the timer in 1:51.3 for the one mile test and the win was her third Super Night Championship. She won this same event last year and also won the Grandma Ann in 2003 for these same connections.
Loyal Opposition finished two and three-quarter lengths ahead of Bob’s Minute Maid (Mike Oosting) and Oneineamilliongirl (Tim Tetrick). Loyal Opposition is the richest Illinois-bred of all time.
“She’s just an outstanding, sensational filly,” trainer Erv Miller noted. “To keep coming back year after year the way she does is just exceptional. We’re going to race her through the end of this year and then see how things look for the breeding shed, although that really isn’t our top consideration yet. She’s been so easy in a sense because she’s always stayed pretty sound.”
Grandma Ann
As expected, it was a battle down to the wire for the two favorites in the $180,000 Grandma Ann Championship between Free (Sam Widger) and Street Dancer (Dale Hiteman). In the final strides, Street Dancer prevailed in 1:52.1 by a head over Free. Sherrie On Ice (Dave Magee) nailed down show honors.
“These two fillies have been battling against one another all year long,” driver Dale Hiteman said. “Tonight was just another of those battles. When we turned for home they both had a lot of pace and were able to go head and head all the way to the wire. It’s a great rivalry.”
Street Dancer pushed her seasonal earnings to $212,005 with the win, her 15th of the year in 19 tries. The daughter of Richess Hanover is owned by Jim Edgar, Terry Rathgeber, Ted Lock and Jim Reynolds of Illinois and Indiana. Street Dancer now has $272,005 in career earnings.
Orange & Blue Filly Pace
Longshot (30-1) Orgami Rose captured the $280,000 Orange & Blue Filly Championship for freshman pacing fillies in a lifetime mark of 1:53.3. The daughter of Armbro Mackintosh–Rosemont Lady was piloted by Sam Widger for trainer-owner Stanley Miller of Etna Green, Indiana, nailing down her third career victory in just nine tries. The win pushed the freshman filly’s career earnings to $160,641. Kiss Of Heaven (Brent Holland) was a close second, with Trendy L (Mike Oosting) third and Faith Leigh (Jamaica Patton) fourth. A blanket could have covered the first four finishers.
“This filly went a big mile and out-staggered the rest of them down the stretch,” Widger noted. “You can’t be too far back in a race like this and that means that you’ve got to be forward moving off of the gate.”
The victory gave driver Sam Widger his third Super Night Championship win and his second for trainer Stanley Miller.
The Dan Patch
King Johnny kept his crown intact by winning the $125,000 Dan Patch Championship by open lengths in 1:50.1. Tim Tetrick piloted the eight-year-old son of Kingston for trainer and co-owner Clark Fairly, who owns the gelding in partnership with his mother, Marlene. Go Warrior Go (Dave Magee) was second with Fox Valley Snaffle (Mike Oosting) third.
“I was in a spot tonight where I had to take a shot at either pulling or sitting, and I decided to pull,” driver Tim Tetrick noted. “This horse always shows up ready to race and gives 125%. This is just a very good horse. I can’t say enough good about him. We try to protect him for most of the year and not race him too tough but tonight–racing for this much money–we had to race him and he was certainly up to the task.”
King Johnny pushed his seasonal earnings to $101,895 with the win, his sixth of the year in 13 trips postward. His lifetime bank account stands at $267,461. It was the second consecutive year that King Johnny has captured the Dan Patch for these same connections.
Pete Langley Championship
Despite being saddled with post ten, My Boy David proved he was up to the task as he broke loose in the stretch and paced to a 1:49.3 victory in the $180,000 Pete Langley Memorial Championship. The altered son of Cole Muffler is trained by Homer Hochstetler for owner Shirley LeVin of Illinois, and the win gave driver Andy Miller his third winner of the night. Fox Valley Tribal (RJ Anderson) was second with Thisbigdogwilfight (Brent Holland) third. The time of 1:49.3 equaled the track record for three-year-old pacing geldings.
“We had to use the gate speed since we had drawn the outside,” driver Andy Miller said. “My Boy David really gritted his teeth in here and dug in. He’s just very tough.”
My Boy David–who won by one and three-quarter lengths, picked up his third win of the year in 18 tries and pushed his seasonal earnings to $508,920 and his career bankroll to $764,919.
Orange & Blue Championship
Home Bed Advantage shook loose late in the stretch and drew off to win the $285,000 Orange & Blue Colt Championship Pace, stopping the timer in 1:51 with driver Ryan Anderson at the lines. It was the fifth win in as many tries for the freshman son of Cole Muffler. Dave McCaffrey trains the youngster for the MJGB Racing Stable of New York. The Quiet Mon (Jason Dillander) was second and Fox Valley Barzgar (Dave Magee) third.
“This is a very special youngster,” driver Ryan Anderson said. “Dave’s (trainer McCaffrey) whole team has done a great job with this colt.”
“This is the Kentucky Derby of Illinois harness racing,” Dave McCaffrey said. “It took a lot of people to bring this colt to where he is tonight. Rick Schrock broke this colt and he deserves alot of credt. My assistance Jim Blade has been training him with me for the past five months…this was totally a team effort here tonight, and of course, there’s Ryan (Anderson).”
The victory for Home Bed Advantage was his fifth in as many lifetime starts and pushed his career earnings to $157,825. The colt was bred by Alan Kirschenbaum of California.