Racing Roundup: Hidden Viggorish storms to victory at The Meadows
June 12, 2009,from Harness Publicists across North America
Thursday’s (June 11) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from The Meadows, Scioto Downs, Vernon Downs, Saratoga Raceway, Cal-Expo, and the NAADA Series.
Hidden Viggorish storms to victory at The Meadows
Meadow Lands, PA — World champion Hidden Viggorish appeared in top form Thursday at The Meadows as she knifed through the slop and serious squalls to capture the $27,500 Filly & Mare Preferred Trot.
Conditions were so forbidding that four of the nine Preferred mares broke stride. Not so Hidden Viggorish, who went right to the top for Brian Zendt and opened her lead thereafter. She scored in 1:55.3, 5-3/4 lengths better than Go Get Blanche, while Wildfire Julie was third.
Bill Zendt trains Hidden Viggorish, who pushed her career bankroll past $400,000, for Harmony Spring Stable. The 6-year-old daughter of SJ’s Caviar-Tia Maria holds the world record for 3-year-old trotters — irrespective of gender — on a five-eighths-mile track (1:53.1) as well as The Meadows track records for 4-year-old mares (1:54.1) and older mares (1:54.1).
Mike Wilder drove four winners on the 16-race card.
— Evan Pattak
Special D, Aloha Hooray take Scioto series finals
Columbus, OH — Special D took control from Crime Scene Cruzer in the third quarter and went on to win the $9,000 Steamin Demon series final at Scioto Downs on Thursday night.
The sophomore pacer was sent off as the odds-on favorite and driver Chris Page raced him with confidence. They hit the finish wire 1-3/4 lengths ahead of Crime Scene Cruzer and Romeo’s Touch. Brian Brown trains the pacer for owners James Koehler, Daniel Wozniak, and William Robinson. The winning time over the sloppy track was 1:53.2.
In the $7,500 B F Coaltown final for trotters, Aloha Hooray continued to be unbeatable as he scored in 1:56.4 for driver Ryan Stahl and trainer Scott Cox. He moved to the lead before the half-mile marker and then the issue was never in doubt. The 2-5 favorite drew off to a big lead before coasting to the wire to win by 1-1/4 lengths. Aloha Hooray is owned by James Shipley, Wayne Zollers, and Towering Oaks Farm. He defeated Don’t Know Chip and the 44-1 longshot Bouttofindout.
— Dean A. Hoffman
Baileysirishdream scores at Vernon
Vernon, NY — Baileysirishdream wore down the early leader in the third quarter before trotting on to a 1:57.3 victory in Thursday night’s fourth race at Vernon Downs.
Fotowon photo
Baileysirishdream was a 1:57.3 winner on Thursday night at Vernon.
Jimmy Whittemore, the meet’s second-leading dash-winner, did the teaming for trainer Ray Van Dreason as Baileysirishdream advanced from sixth at the quarter to fourth at the half, timed in :58 over a “sloppy” track. The brown daughter of Matchem Hanover-Lady Isabeau then went head to head with the pacesetting favorite Marian’s Man in a leadership battle before taking charge turning for home and drawing off to win by nearly three lengths.
The 4-year-old mare’s career-best clocking resulted in her initial season’s score and 18th lifetime tally. Richard and Barbara Bailey own the all-time winner of more than $182,000.
Chris Lems, currently third in races won at the meet, collected a pair of first-place finishes (Beauclaire Bono and L’Argent Hall) during Thursday’s nine-race card, as did driver Bill Bailey (Neptune T and Crowbar Hotel).
Beauclaire Bono’s 1:56.3 maiden-breaking victory in Thursday’s second race proved to be the evening’s fastest mile. The 3-year-old Pro Bono Best colt is trained by Jessica Okusko and owned by Wanda Polisseni’s Purple Haze Stables.
— Jim Moran
Coppola, Hennessey triple their pleasure at Saratoga
Saratoga Springs, NY — Frank Coppola, Jr. and Wally Hennessey each tallied hat tricks on the Thursday night card as two of Saratoga’s best reinsmen enjoyed a big night.
Coppola, the meet’s leading driver, started out the evening with a win in the opener while piloting invader Fast Vacation to the trotting win. Coppola later guided Cataroesa and Jackpot Riz to victories with Jackpot Riz’s win coming in lifetime best fashion. Jackpot Riz took advantage of some early speed in the night’s 11th race and he swept by his rivals to stop the timer in 1:57.2.
Hennessey’s big win on the night came with Flip For Love. The Perry Simser trainee was only a few weeks removed from a lifetime mark win when she wired the field in 1:55.2 back in May. Hennessey picked up the catch drive on Thursday and again sent the mare to the lead and they wouldn’t look back, stopping the timer in 1:56 and rewarding her backers that released her at 3-1. The win was the fastest of the night by a full second on an evening that saw a light rain fall for much of the race program.
— Mike Sardella
Sintillating outclasses her foes at Cal-Expo
Sacramento, CA — A field of mostly conditioned ladies, and one in for a tag, were featured at Cal-Expo on Thursday night for a purse of $5,300, in which Sintillating took full advantage of her trip.
Leaving and racing three-wide from post position four in the field of six for trainer Tim Maier, the pair dropped into the pocket well after an eighth of a mile, then would gap two lengths after 3-16ths of a mile into a :28.1 opening quarter. Narrowing the gap after 5-16ths of a mile into a :56.4 first half, Sintillating would receive a one-hander midway through the final turn when Mamahaswhiskerstoo (Steve Wiseman) started to come out from third, yet would stay in the pocket.
Now about to be in need of room at the three-quarter marker, timed in 1:26, Maier would think of moving to the outside with the field in the upper stretch, but there wasn’t enough room. Forced to duck inside at the seven-eighths pole and finding racing freedom, the 5-year-old would respond to the urging of Maier and take over the lead with a sixteenth of a mile to go before drawing clear late while not urged late.
Owned and bred by Alan Kirschenbaum and Denise Maier, Sintillating, in winning ($3.20) for the 21st time in her career, stopped the timer at 1:55. The pacesetting I Give Youmy Word (Rocky Stidham) finished in second, and Mamahaswhiskerstoo finished one length farther back in third.
— Scott Ehrlich
David Yarock wins NAADA Spring Pacing Series Final
Monticello, NY — David Yarock took no prisoners and sent Shania Twain down the road from post position six and made every pole a winning one en route to a 1:59.4 victory in the $10,000 final of the North American Amateur Drivers Association’s Spring 2009 Pacing Series at Yonkers Raceway on Thursday.
Shania Twain, an 8-year-old Keystone Raider mare, poured it on down the lane to defeat Arts Regards and driver Bob Hechkoff by three lengths. Look Sharp Jack, with George Newell, Jr. aboard, took home the show dough.
The NAADA Spring Series was comprised of three legs and a final. The $3,500 preliminary legs were contested on April 18, May 16, and May 30, and the highest point earners in the series won berths in the $10,000 final.
Yarock, a financial planner from Tenafly, N.J., also earned the most points in the preliminaries. It marked his fourth driving victory in 11 seasonal amateur starts.
— John Manzi