from harness publicists across North America

Wednesday’s Racing Roundup features stories from Dover Downs, The Meadows, The Meadowlands and Monticello Raceway.

Come Together wins 10th straight at Dover

Dover, DE — Come Together continues as hottest horse at Dover Downs winning his 10th in-a-row while Nova Artist put on a fast-closing show to win the 30,000 Delaware Special Handicap to highlight the Thursday, Jan. 24 program.

Fotowon

7-year-old gelding Come Together ran his win streak to ten on Thursday at Dover Downs.

Since last fall, it has really Come Together for the Artsplace-Pleasantville 7-year-old gelding rolling up 10-consecutive trips to the winner’s circle. His 10th win was exceptional, racing the entire 1:52.1 mile on the outside for driver Corey Callahan, trainer Mike Hall and Claim To Fame LLC who owns the sharp pacer with Kent Harper. Tampa Bay Escape (Bret Brittingham) was runner-up with Fissato (Allan Davis) the third finisher. Come Together has changed hands three times since the streak began stepping up from the $12,500 Claiming ranks to win for $15,000 and this time with a $25,000 tag.

In the $30,000 feature Nova Artist scored his fourth victory in a top event this meet, one of Allan Davis’ three wins. Racing a far-back in fifth as the field entered the backstretch, Nova Artist then picked up ground in a hurry joining the leader by the three-quarters. Reaching the top of the stretch, the Real Artist-Avon Lady 6-year-old was four-wide and then rushed to the lead recording his first win of the New Year. Eddie and Kathy Davis own the winner conditioned by their son Martin Davis. Nova Artist, last season’s Horse of the Meet at Dover Downs, has now banked $629,717 in his career. Dirty Devil closed for second with Ross Wolfenden with Rusty’s All In and Corey Callahan third.

— Marv Bachrad

The Meadows
Escape The News escaped the field after a demanding first quarter and scored easily in Thursday’s $22,500 Winners Over $10,000 Life/Preferred Handicap Pace at The Meadows. Although Escape The News was parked out the entire first panel, he thwarted the first-over challenge of JJ Gladiator and triumphed for Dave Palone in 1:53.2. The pocket-sitting Risk Management was second, 3/4 lengths back, while Marty’s Charm finished third. Ron Burke trains Escape The News, a 4-year-old Artiscape-Ideal News gelding who extended his career bankroll to $460,414, for Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, JJK Stables and Howard Taylor. Palone and Burke teamed for four winners on the 15-race card while Brett Miller enjoyed a driving triple.

The Meadowlands
It was a night of firsts at The Meadowlands, where 23-year-old Marcus Miller made his first trip to the Meadowlands winner’s circle. The filly that brought him there, Ideal Ginny, was doing the same, earning her first lifetime win. Miller guided his filly through a perfect pocket trip, tracking the favored Liz’s Lil K K around the track, eventually sling-shoting past in the stretch, in 1:55. There was parity amongst the remainder of the driving colony as Yannick Gingras, John Campbell and Andy Miller all had driving doubles. On the wagering front the all-sources handle was up once again. The Thursday night handle of $1,714,539 was a 12 percent increase from the $1,531,317 on the same Thursday in 2012. Racing will continue on Friday at 7:15 p.m., eastern. All eyes will be on The Meadowlands Racetrack on Saturday with over $200,000 in Winter Stakes Finals.

Monticello Raceway
Jimmy Marohn, Jr. is picking up where he left off last year, that being the driving leader at Monticello Raceway, where his 271 winners were the best output by any Mighty M driver during the 2012 season. On the Thursday, Jan. 24 card, although Marohn only had five drives, he made the most of them when he reined four more winners and now has 25 at the current meet, which once again places him atop the local leaderboard with some nine more than runner-up Greg Merton’s 16. Young Marohn’s first victory on that very cold and windy afternoon came in the sixth race when he guided the Ed Hall-owned and Danny Gill-trained trotter Noble Lover ($2.50) to an easy, nine length triumph in 2:03. Victory number two came in the next race behind the Tiffany Barrett-owned and Dave Barrett-trained Rozewood ($3.20) in a time of 2:01. Marohn was nearly dead heated for win by his dad in that contest when Jimmy Sr. and Yes Your Mattjesty fell just a head short in a tight win photo. Another trotting victory followed in the eighth race, this time with Ed and James Hall’s Halfpipe ($4.10), in 2:02, which gave trainer Danny Gill a double on the program. Marohn capped his four-bagger afternoon with a 1:58.4 triumph with Ron Caouette’s Allamerican Master ($15.00) in the 11th race. Happy with the day’s outcome, Jimmy Marohn, Jr. was contacted by cell phone after the racing program was completed. “I didn’t have a whole lot of drives today but the ones I had were live and luckily we made the best of them,” Marohn said.