from harness publicists across North America

Saturday’s (Oct. 23) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Scarborough Downs, Yonkers Raceway, Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, Vernon Downs, Saratoga Gaming and Raceway and Batavia Downs.

Hardy-Bickmore-Gee rule the roost at Scarborough

Scarborough, ME — James Hardy, leading driver at Plainridge Racecourse, came to Scarborough Downs on Saturday and walked away with five wins from the day’s 11-race program. All Hardy’s wins came while driving horses for trainer Randy Bickmore, who trumped Hardy’s five-win performance by sending six winners to the post. From those six winners, five belonged to prominent Maine owner Kevin Gee of Falmouth.

Michael Newman photo

James Hardy takes the day’s fastest clocking (1:55.4) with JC Lou Benjamin on Saturday at Scarborough Downs.

“It was just a great day today, just a great day,” said Gee. “A great day for Randy and a great day for Jimmy. I called Jimmy this week and asked him to come down, he said ‘sure,’ and we’re all glad he did.”

The Bickmore bundle included Formula One A (Steve Nason), along with Showtime Sam, Rusty’s Rascal, JC Lou Benjamin, I’m A Lucky Man, and Hot Don Ho Bluegrass, all of which were driven by Hardy.

The fastest time of the day was clocked by JC Lou Benjamin at 1:55.4, four-fifths of a second shy of the track record for 4-year-old stallions, which was established by SK Hurricane and driver Danny Cyr back in 1995.

— Michael Sweeney

Yonkers Raceway
Despite being parked two turns Saturday night, millionaire Psilvuheartbreaker (Cat Manzi) added to his resume and his bank account. He captured the featured $38,000 Open Handicap Pace, matching his season’s best mile. Leaving from post position No. 4 (in one notch after an inside defection), he waited as Truey’s Legacy (Mark Lewis) made the lead after a :27.1 opening quarter-mile. Truey’s Legacy released Psilvuheartbreaker after a :55 intermission and the tepid 2-1 choice then took off. He widened in and out of the 1:23.3 three-quarters, owning a 2-1/2 length lead into the lane. Psilvuheartbreaker then prevailed by a length in 1:51.4. Aliveandwell N (Tyler Buter) rallied into second, with Art’s Ragin’ Jet (Jim Pantaleano), Truey’s Legacy and Handsome Prince (Jason Bartlett) completing the cashers. Psilvuheartbreaker, a 7-year-old Nobleland Sam gelding from the Rock N Roll Heaven tandem of owner Frank Bellino and trainer Bruce Saunders, returned $6.40 for his eighth win in 38 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $67.50, with the triple returning $338.50.

Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs
Vlos, with a tough second over trip, won another $24,000 Open Handicap Pace at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs on Saturday night. Leaving from the seven post in the seven-horse field, Tony Morgan was second over with Vlos going down the backstretch with Presidential Order (George Napolitano, Jr.) on the front end. Presidential Order got to the opening panel in :26 before relinquishing the lead to Golden Receiver (Joe Pavia, Jr.) briefly. In the retake it was Presidential Order back into the lead with the half clicked off in a brisk :54.2 with Vlos still a couple of lengths off. It was still Presidential Order on top at the three-quarter pole with the timer reading 1:22 and Vlos lurking a couple of lengths back. Morgan and Vlos came flying down the stretch to win by three-quarters of a length over Presidential Order with Golden Receiver only a length back with the final time of 1:50.1 in a driving finish. Vlos has now won five of his seven starts in Open and Open handicap races at the Northeastern Pennsylvania racetrack with a second and one third in eight starts. Eric Mollor trains Vlos, whose last effort here on October 8 equaled the all-time track mark of 1:48.2.

Vernon Downs
Daley Deposit Only continued his standout season with a hard-fought 1:52.3 victory in Saturday night’s $12,000 featured 10th race at Vernon Downs. With trainer Dan Daley urging him on, the 5-year-old son of Artiscape-Sassy Cessiann came three wide from third around the final bend, and kept digging in the homestretch until he had eked-out a head decision over Mackenzie’s Bliss. The pacesetting Stonebridge Wish was a tight third. After a strong 2010 start at Florida’s Pompano Park, Daley Deposit Only ($4.10) has continued to perform at a high level over Vernon’s oval. Five of his 12 season’s scores have come locally for owners Ann-Mari Daley (Dan’s wife) and her partners, Jared Daley, Richard Lombardo and Robert Pergament. The career winner of $248,660 secured his 1:50.4 record here back on July 5. Daley also pinned a career-best 1:51.3 win mark on Ellen McNeil’s pacer Kommander Hawk (trained by John McNeil) in Saturday’s seventh session to record his seventh double at the 81-program meeting. The time was just one second off the track’s standard for older pacing geldings.

Saratoga Gaming and Raceway
Kelly’s Noah continued his dominance of the Open Pace on Saturday night at Saratoga Gaming and Raceway as the 4-year-old cruised to his second consecutive victory in the $16,500 feature. Frank Coppola, Jr. has become the regular driver for owner-trainer James Harvey behind Kelly’s Noah who won for the ninth time this season. Last Saturday, the trip was first over but this week Coppola wasted no time going to the front end with the Dream Away horse before wiring the field in 1:53.3. The versatility and dominance of Kelly’s Noah have him in position to be the favorite for the track’s Horse of the Year honors. Pocket sitting Reminic (Brian Cross) held strong for second on Saturday while invader Keystone Rideau (Brad Kramer) closed late for third.

Batavia Downs
Solidifying his claim as the track’s Horse of the Year, the comeback kid, Two Twentytwo, splashed to his sixth win of the summer-fall meet in the $8,800 Open Handicap Pace at Batavia Downs Casino on Saturday night. Reinsman Jack Flanigen fired the 6-year-old Blissfull Hall gelding right to the front from his assigned outside post and they were quickly in front as six of Western New York’s best pacers headed into the clubhouse turn. Once on top, Two Twentytwo made every pole a winning one, scoring in 1:57.4 over a very sloppy racetrack. Oh Gee Whiz, with Ray Fisher, Jr., went from last to finding the two hole in a quarter-mile and chased the winner home to be second best while Michael Scores and Tom Agosti closed up the inside to be a non-threatening third. Sent off at odds of 2-5 after last week’s narrow defeat in the $40,000 Robert J. Kane Memorial Pace, Two Twentytwo paid $2.90 to win. He’s owned by Dominic Colarusso, Jr. and trained by Richie Mays. In 16 starts this year, the comeback kid has won ten of them and sports career earnings of more than $240,000. He’s named the comeback kid because of being sidelined for more than a year due to an injury.