from harness publicists across North America
Friday’s (Oct. 14) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Yonkers Raceway, Saratoga Casino and Raceway, Batavia Downs Casino and Cal Expo.
Billmar Scooter, Grain Of Truth win Friday co-features at Yonkers
Yonkers, NY — Billmar Scooter (Yannick Gingras) finished what she started Friday night, winning Yonkers Raceway’s co-featured $42,000 Filly and Mare Open Handicap Pace.
Mike Lizzi photo
Billmar Scooter was a 2:01.1 winner in the Filly and Mare Open Handicap Pace on Friday.
Leaving from post position No. 6, Billmar Scooter stepped around 1-2 choice On The Glass (George Brennan) before a :27 opening quarter. After a :56.3 half, 80-1 rank outsider Witch Is Bettor (Jordan Stratton) came to visit first-up. That one towed eight hole assignee Shacked Up (Eric Goodell) into the fray moving toward the 1:25.2 three-quarters.
Billmar Scooter, meanwhile, maintained a 1-1/2 length lead into the lane. On The Glass, throwing her head a bit while waiting for the uncovered longshot to get out of the way, took her shot at the leader. However, Billmar Scooter wasn’t in a giving mood, finding a 1:54 mile before finishing off the mile and one-sixteenth in 2:01.1. She defeated On The Glass by three-quarters of a length. A third-over Quicksilvercandy A (Larry Stalbaum), McFlirty (Daniel Dube) and Shacked Up rounded out the payees.
Billmar Scooter, a 6-year-old daughter of Keystone Raider trained by Amber Buter for co-owners Oldfield Farm, Allen Sisco and Tyler Buter, returned $9.80 (second choice) for her seventh win in 22 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $25.40, with the triple returning $113.
Friday night’s co-featured $42,000 Open Handicap Trot was a pocket win by millionaire Grain Of Truth (Jeff Gregory) in 2:04.1 for the mile and one-sixteenth.
Assigned post No. 6, Grain Of Truth was in play early, making the first lead. He yielded to 3-2 choice Looking Hanover (Gingras) prior to a :27.4 opening quarter. Armbro Casino (Shaun Vallee) was away third, with Calchips Brute (Brennan) finding a four hole from an ordered-to-begin seven hole.
Looking Hanover rated well enough — a :57.4 half and 1:27 three-quarters — while Calchips Brute was only trotting in place first-up.
Looking Hanover was a looking at a 1-1/2 length advantage turning for home. However, Grain Of Truth was taking aim to his inside, drawing even nearing the 1:56.3 mile, then edging away by three-quarters of a length. Calchips Brute, Hurrikanebiggeorge (Dube) and Armbro Casino grabbed the remainder.
Grain Of Truth, a 10-year-old Self Possessed gelding trained by Ray Schnittker for co-owners Charles and Giorgan Iannazzo, returned $16 (fourth choice) for his 10th win in 26 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $33, the triple returned $73.50 and the superfecta paid $324.
— Frank Drucker
Saratoga Casino and Raceway
On Friday night, Lorenzo Dream made his 14th stroll to the winner’s circle this season at Saratoga Casino and Raceway. The Jackie Rousse trained 4-year-old continued his magical year in the Friday feature, coming from the back of the pack before outclosing his rivals in the stretch for a 1:57.4 victory over the sloppy track. Billy Dobson has been Lorenzo Dream’s (Taurus Dream) regular driver this season and was patient before unleashing the 1-9 favorite heading to the three-quarter pole on Friday. Russ N Us (Mark Beckwith), who bested Lorenzo Dream in the two previous Open Trot races, was the front runner this week and was strong throughout before giving way at the head of the stretch after the big move by Lorenzo Dream got the best of him. Russ N Us won a place photo while One Awesome Master (Brian Allen) earned the show spot in the $18,000 trotting feature. Lorenzo Dream returned just $2.20 to win and the exacta with Russ N Us came back $8.00.
Batavia Downs
On an awfully cold, windy, and rainy night at Batavia Downs Casino, David McNeight III and Mac Atack Mac won the $7,500 featured trot. Mac Atack Mac was the first to leave as C J D Sale (Jamie Dunlap) went off stride before the gate opened. Technicallybroadway (Keith Kash, Jr.) was parked outside second with Missile T (Ray Fisher, Jr.) on the rail third to the quarter in :28.1. Before they hit the half, Technicallybroadway had enough air and tucked to the wood as they tripped the timer in :58.2. Escrow Blue Chip then pulled from fourth and passed a tiring field while trying to chase down the front runner. But as they passed the three-quarter pole in 1:28.2, the lone mare in the race didn’t have enough to catch the leader, and Mac Atack Mac began to stretch out, opening up five at the top of the stretch and cruised to a 2-1/2 length score in 1:59.4. Escrow Blue Chip finished a closer second while The Promised Horse (Jack Flanigen) made up late ground for third. The 10-1 morning line Mac Atack Mac paid $7.90 to win. David McNeight, Jr. trains the 8-year-old Ripken’s Victory gelding for Pine Forest Standardbred Inc. The win raised Mac Atack Mac’s career bankroll to $117,944 and it gave David McNeight III a driving double as he also won the third race with Crimson Hall ($5.40). John Cummings, Jr. hit the winner’s circle four times Friday night. In the second race he had Master’s Trackster ($4.20), in the fifth, The Midas Man ($5.60), the seventh with Herbedaone ($7.20) and the 11th with Odds On The Beach ($5.70).
Cal Expo
Logic would tell you that dropping below the class of your win two weeks prior should see you win, and Putoneonnetformom did. A field of eight trotters were featured at Cal Expo on Friday night for a purse of $3,700, in which Putoneonnetformom got back on the winning track. Bred and owned by Jeff, Gerald and Diana Cimini, the Rocky Stidham trained and James Kennedy driven gelding won ($3.80) by 4-1/2 lengths in 1:59.1. Shelby County (Anthony Succarotte), also trained by Stidham, closed nicely to finish in second and Giles L S Hanover (Steve Wiseman) finished two lengths farther back in third.