Racing Roundup: Commander Turk N, Bullion Bill A win Dover co-features
November 12, 2009,from Harness Publicists across North America
Thursday’s (November 12) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Dover Downs, Monticello Raceway and Saratoga Raceway.
DOVER, DE — A pair of Down Under-bred pacers, Commander Turk N and Bullion Bill A, won the twin-feature races on another rainy and windy Thursday, Nov. 12 at Dover Downs.
Fotowon
Corey Callahan drove Commander Turk N to a 1:53.2 victory in the $15,000 male pace.
Corey Callahan drove Commander Turk N to a 1:53.2 victory in the $15,000 male pace holding off late-charging Baby Teeth (Tony Morgan) and Richard Henry N (Ron Pierce), the second and third-place finishers. The win was one of two for the father-son team of trainer Nick Callahan and driver Corey Callahan. John Swart shares ownership with Nick Callahan.
For the second straight night, Ron Pierce collected a driving quadruple. Pierce’s fourth win came guiding Bullion Bill A to victory in 1:54.3 to win a $20,000 Delaware male pace.
Ross Wolfenden also drove four winners, completing the program steering Bonnie Benson’s Yankee Fortysix to a 1:54.1 triumph in an $11,900 Delaware Male pace.
— Marv Bachrad
Six-bagger for Kyle Dibenedetto
Monticello, NY — When you’re hot you’re hot. And Kyle DiBenedetto was hot on Thursday, Nov. 12 when he reined six winners on the afternoon card at Monticello Raceway.
DiBenedetto
It marked only the second time in his career that DiBenedetto, who earlier this year passed the 5,000 career win plateau, has won six on one card.
He didn’t get his milestone day underway until the fourth race, which he won with John Gagnon’s, Justin Star, in 2:04.1. DiBenedetto then reeled-off two consecutive winners: He scored with Dominic Maruso’s Bryan’s Diamond, in 2:00.4, in the fifth, and with George Deak, Jr.’s Victor LA, in 2:03.1, in the sixth.
Win number four came behind Scott Woogen and Brenda Messenger’s Becca Won, in 2:02.4, in the 10th race, and then DiBenedetto scored with Ryan Castellani’s Lisa Character, in 2:02.1, in a dead heat victory with Jimmy Marohn, Jr.’s Princess Foret, in the 12th.
DiBenedetto then capped his a day with a come-from-behind, 2:01 triumph with Dominic Marusco’s Aristotle in the 13th and final race.
“I feel good, I’ll tell you,” DiBenedetto said when asked about his stellar performance. “And if that trotter (KLM Express) didn’t try to run off the track (in the 10th race) I would have won seven.”
With his six triumphs, DiBenedetto now has 205 for the meet, which is second-best to “Zeke” Parker’s 342. In all, the 42-year-old reinsman has driven 235 winners thus far this season.
— John Manzi
Lucasey wins his ninth this year
Saratoga Springs, NY — Lucasey prevailed in what appeared on paper to be the best $5,000 claiming trot of the year thus far at Saratoga Gaming and Raceway, on Thursday night.
Dave Oxford
Lucasey, in the end, was all alone at the wire while scoring his ninth win this year
The Kelly Clark trainee was in search of his ninth win of the year on Thursday, but would be faced with the challenge of facing some of the top claimers that he has seen this season at the Spa.
Yankee Sherwood (Chris Long) was double dropping and would wind up the front-runner, while Lucasey (Dan Cappello, Jr.) sat patiently on his heels. While Desperado Don, who has been as consistent as any trotter in this class for seasons, came first-over on Yankee Sherwood, Lucasey awaited racing room.
Sweet Apple Annie was another danger, that looked to be a factor, and certainly was again on Thursday, but it was Lucasey who recorded his ninth win of the year, closing in the passing lane to record the 2:01.2 win.
Sweet Apple Annie kept her streak of finishing first or second alive by becoming the runner-up, while Yankee Sherwood and Desperado Don rounded out the Superfecta.
Lucasey has clearly emerged as the top claimer at Saratoga for his level here in 2009.
Live racing will continue on Friday night at 7:05 p.m., eastern.
— Mike Sardella