Racing Roundup: Bartlett wins seven at Yonkers
November 6, 2009,from Harness Publicists across North America
Thursday’s (November 5) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Yonkers Raceway, The Meadows, Dover Downs, Saratoga Gaming and Raceway and Cal-Expo.
Bartlett wins seven at Yonkers
Yonkers, NY — They kept taking Jason Bartlett’s picture Thursday night.
What was up with that?
Aside from the fact he won seven races during Yonkers Raceway’s dozen-race dossier, not much.
Bartlett, running up the score in the local driving standings, smiled for the camera after races 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 11 and 12. He was scheduled to drive in every race, but one of his escorts came up ill.
Bartlett won the $12,000 second race trot with the local debut of Moon City Special ($3.60) in 1:59.4, then doubled his pleasure in the $8,000 third race pace with See You Around ($14.60) in 1:58.3.
It was another double-figure performance with Highview Fella N ($21.80) in the $8,000 fifth race pace before odds-on I Know Magic ($3.30) prevailed in the $18,000 sixth race trot (1:59.4).
Pantomimist ($17.80) was a first-up winner (1:58.1) in the $12,000 ninth race pace. Bartlett then swept the $90 late daily double with Little Moon Lake ($19.40) in the $16,000 11th race trot (2:00) and Moonlite Delite ($7.30) in the $16,000 12th race pace.
Bartlett’s 649 wins currently ranks second in North America this season, with his Yonkers road work accounting for 516 of those victories.
— Frank Drucker
Stillings wins four straight at the Meadows
Washington, PA — Dick Stillings drove four consecutive winners including 28-1 and 18-1 bombers on Thursday’s 13-race card at The Meadows.
Stillings launched his streak by guiding 18-1 First Sonata, a 2-year-old Windsong’s Legacy-Pleasure First trotter, to her maiden victory, then followed up with the 28-1 surprise behind Waiting Game, the $5,000 claiming pacer’s first win in 25 starts this year.
The only favorite in the win skein was the 5-2 Scoozi, a $10,000 claiming pacer that Stillings has piloted to three straight victories. The streak ended in the sixth race when Olivia’s Jewel and Dave Palone outkicked Stillings and Tudy. Palone also enjoyed a driving four-bagger.
Stillings, 65, won the 5,000th race of his distinguished career on Feb. 28, 2009, and last year surpassed $30 million in purses.
— Evan Pattak
Rusty’s For Real, Allamerican Mobile win Dover features
Dover, DE — Rusty’s For Real and Allamerican Mobile shared the Thursday spotlight, winning the male and filly and mare pacing features, respectively, at Dover Downs.
Fotowon photo
Allamerican Mobile was a 1:53.4 winner for driver Victor Kirby.
In the $13,000 male pace, Bret Brittingham drove Rusty’s For Real to a 1:53.2 triumph, one of two winners trained for Carter Racing Stable. The win was the second for the Real Artist 5-year-old. Denim Hanover (Corey Callahan) was second with Kuai Diam N (Ross Wolfenden) the show finisher.
One race later, Fred Hertrich’s homebred Allamerican Mobile (Victor Kirby) notched an easy 1:53.4 decision to win a $12,500 filly and mare pace. Just Heavenly (Ron Pierce) was runner-up and Cartniverous (Vince Copeland) was third.
Carter Racing’s other winner was Bad Rusty, teamed with Eddie Davis, Jr., in an $11,400 male pace. The winning time was 1:54.4. Badlands And Art was second best.
— Marv Bachrad
Huckabone wins four at Saratoga
Saratoga Springs, NY — It was the biggest night of the year for Claude Huckabone III at Saratoga Gaming and Raceway on Thursday as the 35-year-old reinsman tallied his first Saratoga grand slam.
Dave Oxford photo
Sad Tune was one of four winners on Thursday for driver Claude Huckabone III.
Heading into the night 11th in the driver standings this season, Huckabone secured four winners. Two of the driving veteran’s wins came with Frank Calcagni trainees as both Sad Tune and Pursuit won from the Calcagni Stable on the chilly November night.
Huckbone also drove a pair of winners for his father, Claude Huckabone, Jr., whose training double came from trotters Broadway Score and Kiwi Demand N.
— Mike Sardella
Biggest Big Bertha clubs her foes at Cal-Expo
Sacramento, CA — Conditioned distaffers, racing for a $5,800 purse, were featured at Cal-Expo on Thursday night, in which Biggest Big Bertha dominated.
Firing out for the lead from post four in the field of five, the 8-year-old made the lead as the field entered the first turn into a :27.4 opening quarter, which didn’t bother her pilot.
“I just let her pace out of there,” said Rick Plano. “27.4-:28 is what she’d normally go no matter what I did.”
Reaching the half-mile pole, timed in an honest :56.2, Plano would begin to open up his charge at the five-eighths-mile station.
“I just started let her pace a little bit in the third quarter under mild urging.”
Opening up the lead with every stride on the final bend, Biggest Big Bertha expanded her lead to four lengths at the three-quarter-mile marker, timed in 1:24.2.
“I knew she was ready to go about 1:52 off that 1:53.1 mile the week before. But it was just a matter of letting her coast home and getting her to the wire with no need to urge her.”
In full gear at the head of the lane and drifting into the 2-1/2 path, Plano sat like a statue until two minor reminder taps late. Owned by Marilee Keene and trained by Matias Ruiz, Biggest Big Bertha won ($3.00) by three lengths in 1:53.1. Nikoleta (Anthony Succarotte) was a good second, and Mamahaswhiskerstoo (Steve Wiseman) finished another 7-1/4 lengths farther back in third.
“She’s a good mare and this win was a candy bar because it was so easy,” finished Plano.
— Scott Ehrlich