by Dan Conway, USTA web newsroom correspondant

CB Tower was looking for his third in a row at Hazel Park Raceway in the Saturday night $12,600 Invitational Handicap Pace. Lotsa Guy was also back in town looking for his third in a row at Hazel Park. He had captured two invites in August and then won his elimination and finished fifth in the $100,000 Carey Final at Hawthorne.

This was going to be an interesting race.

Five pacers followed the gate away and powered into the first turn with Lotsa Guy, driven by young Tyler Buter, taking command and hitting the quarter in :27.4. Meal Ticket and Eric Goodall were away second. They took this event in July.

Lotsa Guy, the heavy favorite, kept up a steady pace, making it to the half in :56. Days With Dad and Rick Ray raced third, while CB Tower and Danny Johnson came out from fifth and started to work their way up on the outside.

Lotsa Guy likes to cut the action while CB Tower likes to come at the half. Everything was going according to plan.

As CB Tower gradually moved up on the outside around the second turn and down the backstretch, Vince Copeland brought Antique Tom out second over. By the 1:24.2 three-quarter pole, CB Tower had moved up to third, some two lengths off the leader.

Around the final turn, Lotsa Guy and Buter were still cruising at a nice :28.2 pace. Entering the stretch, they were a length and a half in front of CB Tower, with Meal Ticket following along third.

Down the lane, Lotsa Guy, by Threefold/Radiate, still had plenty of pace and was able to hold off the late surge of Meal Ticket by a half length. Days With Dad finished third. The time of the mile was 1:52.4.

Lotsa Guy, a five-year-old, is owned by John Turigliatto and trained by Ray Farmer. He now has a 2005 line of 27-13-5-3 and earnings of $100,052. His lifetime bankroll is at $131,752.