Hastings, MI – On Tuesday’s (Oct 14) program at Northville Downs at Barry Expo Center, Mother Mary (Rockin Image – Pv Miracle Mary) came up blessed with a new track record, the fastest of four records to fall on the program.
In race eight on the afternoon, the co-featured $13,200 Pace for female pacers, driver Brad Kramer sent Mother Mary right to the front from the inside post position and she never looked back, winning by a length and a quarter margin over former track record holder Rock Ur Wings (David Lake).
Mother Mary put up fractions of :29,: 57, 1:25.2 and stopped the timer in 1:54.1 which established a new track record for a 4-year-old pacing mare.
Mother Mary is bred, owned and trained by Joe Casagranda of Hastings, MI and it was the mare’s second win in a row.
In race five, Joyful Lady (A Rocknroll Dance – Lenore Karidian) went coast-to-coast to a track record victory for an aged pacing mare in 1:56. She is owned by Michael Cogar and trained and driven by David Lake.
In race seven, Kings Sweetheart (Big Chocolate – Red Queen’s Image) equaled her own track record she set last week, doing it in front-running style with owner, trainer and driver David Lake as her pilot winning by five lengths in 2:00.4
Then in race nine, Rankin (Enterprise – Luvyaformiles) and driver Charles Taylor turned a pocket trip into a track record win by defeating early leader Magical Journey (Ty Goodell) who settled for third after being passed late by Rose Run Vincent (Lake) in the stretch for second.
Rankin scored by 6-1/4 lengths in a final clocking of 1:57.2, which lowered his own track record of 1:58.4 set back on Sept. 30. It also established a new all-trot track record (regardless of age or sex), surpassing the previous record of 1:58.3 set by Celebrity Pegasus on Sept. 30. Rankin is bred, owned and trained by Judy Roegner.
In race 10, David Lake guided Noble Dale (The Panderosa – Noble Trixie) to a pocket rocket win by a half-length over Itsonlyrocknroll A (Winter Asher-Stalbaum) in a final clocking of 1:55.2, which set a new track record for a 4-year-old pacing gelding, a record Noble Dale previously set on Sept. 10 in 1:56.2. Jocelyn Bates owns and trains Noble Dale.
And finally, in race 11, the featured race of the afternoon, Two Birds Onestone (Black Daniels – She B Jeebeez) and driver Jennifer Main won their fifth in a row at Northville Downs at Barry Expo Center.
The duo left hard but did not clear until just past the quarter (:28.3) after a stubborn Born Wild (Lake) finally yielded. Once clear, Two Birds Onestone never looked back, setting fractions of :56.3, 1:25.4 and winning in a time of 1:53.3. It was the second fastest mile all-time at Northville Downs at Barry Expo Center, second only to his own track record time of 1:53.
Two Birds Onestone is owned by Carl Putnam, Jr and trained by Steve Main. The 5-year-old gelding has now won 35 times out of 82 starts and procured lifetime earnings of $355,488.
Driver/trainer David Lake dominated the card with five driving wins and three training wins.
Racing resumes Wednesday (Oct. 15) in Hastings, MI at Northville Downs with a special first race post time of 12:30 p.m. ET. Wednesday will mark the end of the inaugural and year 2025 meet with 10 races on-tap and settle the battles for leading driver and trainer, as well as, feature tributes to the 14-year-olds racing at the track for the final time in their careers before facing mandatory retirement.