Racing Roundup: Callahan wins four at Dover, including feature with Gurf
March 13, 2010,from Harness Publicists across North America
Saturday’s (March 13) Racing Roundup features results stories from Dover Downs, Pompano Park, Cal-Expo, Buffalo Raceway and Saratoga Gaming and Raceway. Callahan wins four at Dover, including feature with Gurf Dover, DE — Meet leading driver Corey Callahan had another hot hand, racking up his fourth win by piloting Gurf to a 1:58 score in the $16,500 4- and 5-year-old trot at Dover Downs on Saturday.
Fotowon photo
Corey Callahan piloted Gurf to a 1:58 win in the Saturday feature at Dover.
Callahan pulled Gurf to the outside behind cover as Iron Will (Roger Plante) and King Us (Vic Kirby) slugged it out for the lead. Gurf then was sent three-wide as the nine-horse field turned for home and quickly took the lead on the way to his second win of the meet.
Claimed out of his previous race, Gurf won for the first time for David Nelson. Janco (Kim Vincent), usually close was again, finishing second, with Iron Will holding on for third.
The Delaware-sired 4- and 5-year-old pacing mare series featured two $12,500 preliminary legs, both won by daughters of Three Olives. In the first section, fast finishing Chris Sharpe’s Cosmo Madness came on strongly in the stretch on the way to a 1:55.4 triumph. Jim Morand was at the controls for the Three Olives-No Sweets Please 5-year-old trained by Charlene Polk. Fussy’s Bad (Jon Roberts) finished second, ending a two-race win streak. Honey (Bryan Truitt) took third-place money.
In the other $12,500 division, Roger Plante pulled Dave and Denise Coar’s Teika Rose out of fourth and quick stepped into the lead in mid-backstretch. The Keith Jackson-trained Three Olives 4-year-old was well in command, crossing the finish line in 1:56. Wish You Were Me (Mike Cole) was runner-up. Jaidens Fortune (Allan Davis) took show honors.
After next Saturday’s second leg prelims, the top eight point-getters in the series return for a $40,000 final.
— Marv Bachrad
No respect for Daley Deposit Only
Pompano Beach, FL — He was overlooked to the tune of 5-1 after the favorites Four Starz Bling and Where’s Waldo but Daley Deposit Only got the last laugh again in the $15,000 Open Handicap Pace on Saturday evening at the Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park.
Lap Time Photo – Skip Smith
Daley Deposit Only won the March 13 edition of the $15,000 Open Handicap Pace at the Isle in 1:51.4.
On the breezy 68 degree evening in South Florida, the action in the weekly top pacing class was hot and heavy from the outset as Where’s Waldo with Joe Pavia, Jr. parked out Four Starz Bling in rein to Wally Hennessey in the meet’s fastest first quarter to date of :26.1. At the half in :55.3, Four Starz Bling was already under attack as Where’s Waldo vacated the pocket to surge to the front.
In the third quarter, Where’s Waldo was forced to pick up the :27.2 backstretch challenge from Card Dealer and driver Bruce Ranger. Sent up second over was Daley Deposit Only well before the third marker was reached in 1:23.
As the field turned for home, Daley Deposit Only was shown clear track by his trainer and driver Dan Daley and sailed by for the win in 1:51.4. Card Dealer persisted for the runner-up share after his game first over bid and Where’s Waldo held third.
Daley Deposit Only, a 5-year-old Artiscape-Sassy Cessiann gelding, thus recorded his fourth win in nine trips this year for the ownership group of Ann Mari Daley, Jared Daley, Robert Pergament, and Richard Lombardo. His 2010 bankroll is over $57,000 and the career winner of $177,000 is on pace for the best year of his career.
In Saturday evening’s $15,000 Open Trot, Gale Warning showed his class and romped for a second straight week in the top class in 1:55.
One of the weekend’s hottest drivers in South Florida, Tom Sells had Gale Warning spotted just behind a first quarter battle for the lead as Hope Reins Supreme with George Napolitano, Jr. parked out NF Soaring with Brooke Nickells in the bike. At the :27.3 first marker, Sells had Gale Warning up and moving to the lead and he breezed home the rest of the way after the half in :57.4 and three-quarters of 1:26.1. The 4-year-old mare Alarming Quick in rein to David Ingraham mounted an excellent late brush from sixth to take down the place position and Hope Reins Supreme held third.
Gale Warning, a 7-year-old Strong Gale-Liz’s Promise gelding and career winner of over $364,000 has now won half of his eight starts for owners Ciro Gentile and Rod Lorenzo. It was the second straight week the veteran trotted to victory in 1:55 and this was his 37th career win.
— Frank Salive
Keystone Eli never looks back at Cal-Expo
Sacramento, CA — Open handicap pacers, racing for a $6,100 purse, were featured at Cal-Expo on a windy Saturday night in which Keystone Eli repeated to record his 27th career triumph.
Driver Lemoyne Svendsen left with Keystone Eli and got the lead an eighth of a mile past the start into a fast :27.4 first quarter. Now fighting a headwind up the backside, Keystone Eli jogged the second quarter in :31 seconds. Reaching the three-quarter pole, timed in 1:26.3, Svendsen had good reason to be confident.
“He paced that :27.4 third quarter effortlessly and I was still hanging on. From that point I knew it was just a drag race between me and Biggest Big Bertha (Luke Plano), who was sitting behind me. I didn’t include Frankyluvsmeatbals at that point because I never saw him at any time.”
Getting his earplugs popped at the three-quarter marker and under wheel-disc urging at the head of the lane, the 9-year-old was now in full gear, but soon had to deal with the lone lady in the race.
“When Bertha started to get a little closer at mid-stretch I wasn’t concerned because my horse was already accelerating more. Throughout the stretch, despite me urging him, he was always clearly in hand.”
Owned by Hei Mitchell and trained by Bob Johnson, Keystone Eli won ($15.00) by one length in 1:53.3, thus pacing his final wind-aided quarter in :27 and his final half in a sizzling :54.4. Biggest Big Bertha was a perfect trip second and Hi Ho Hi Ho (Steve Wiseman) finished another length back in third.
“We only raced a half and it was a nice win,” finished Svendsen, who, along with trainer Bob Johnson, each had four winners on the card.
— Scott Ehrlich
Letcher and National Artchive prevail in Bret Hanover Series
Hamburg, NY — Letcher, a 9-year-old Thirty G’s gelding, out of the Abercrombie mare Armbro Redwood, won a $7,000 second leg division of the Bret Hanover claiming series on Saturday at Buffalo Raceway in 2:02 over a sloppy track. Letcher registered his third win this season for owner-trainer Laurie Patistas.
Letcher ($7.90) driven by reinsman John Cummings, Jr., went straight to the rail and was sixth in the early part of the race. Cummings pulled Letcher just before the half and received good cover down the backstretch going to the three-quarters. A :30.1 last quarter-mile put the winner 1-1/2 lengths ahead of second place finisher The Fonz (Ray Fisher, Jr.) at the finish line. Patch Adams N (Kevin Cummings) came in third.
The $3,500 share of the purse put Letcher’s season’s bankroll at $11,394 and $283,136 lifetime.
Former Open campaigner National Artchive ($10.00) also won a division in 2:01 with Kevin Cummings in the sulky for owner-trainer Bob Gruber and Jude Jacobs. Using the same approach as brother John in the first division, National Artchive and Kevin sat fifth for most of the race, then used a strong :29.4 last quarter-mile to sweep by tiring leaders to score his second win of the year.
This race was much closer as second place finisher Golder and driver Jim McNeight just missed by a head. Last week’s division winner Benzley Mindale (Jamie Dunlap) came in third.
Kevin Cummings was the hot driver on this wet and chilly Saturday night, steering home six winners. Besides National Artchive, Cummings winners were Folding Money ($4.90), Goal Cam ($7.60), Most Happy Rider ($10.20), Justlikeart ($4.20) and Market Value ($3.40).
— Sam Pendolino
Spring Pacing Series opens at Saratoga
Saratoga Springs, NY — Macho Uno starred in the first leg of the Spring Pacing Series that got underway on Saturday afternoon at Saratoga Gaming and Raceway.
The veteran pacer was coming off a win in the $7,500 claimers last week, but while meeting the qualifications for the $5,000 pacing series, took part in the first leg on Saturday and immediately threw down the gauntlet as the one to beat.
Chris Long marched right to the lead from post eight with Macho Uno and they would make easy work of their rivals in the finale of the afternoon portion of Saturday racing at the Spa. A wire-to-wire win from post eight in 1:56.4 made it apparent that the Gary Levine trainee would be the one to beat in the three-leg series that will conclude in mid-April with a $7,500 final.
The other winners from the Spring Pacing Series were Fun Time (Barry Segel, 1:57) and Western Prize (Chris Long, 1:57.3).
Leg two of the series will take place next Saturday afternoon, March 20.
— Mike Sardella