from harness publicists across North America

Thursday’s (Dec. 1) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Dover Downs, Cal Expo and Plainridge Racecourse.

Idol Kemp is a 13-1 winner in Thursday Dover feature

Dover, DE — Overlooked Idol Kemp stormed down the lane at 13-1 odds to win the $13,500 featured trot at Dover Downs on Thursday.

Fotowon photo

Idol Kemp was a winner in 1:58.1.

After being the favorite last time out, and with a win and two seconds in four starts this meet, Roger Plante steered Carol and trainer Jim Atkinson’s Idol Kemp to a come from behind 1:58.1 victory, equaling his lifetime best.

The Credit Winner-Insider Hanover 4-year-old gelding won for the third time this year while lifting his earnings to $27,565. Photorama (Matt Kakaley) was runner-up. Highway (Daryl Bier) finished third.

Sean Bier guided Shark McGwire to victory in 1:52.3 to win the $20,000 claiming allowance pace. Gene Startt owns and trains the winner who won for the sixth time this season. Gem Heist (Jim Morand) finished second in front of Make It Brief (Matt Kalaley).

Meet leading driver Corey Callahan had two winners, as did Ross Wolfenden, Matt Kakaley and Jon Roberts, who needs only one more victory to reach 2,000 wins. Trainer Joe Hundertpfund also haltered two winners.

— Marv Bachrad

Cal Expo
With his archrival getting used hard for the lead, Franks Best was more than happy to take advantage of a race that shaped up for him. Winners Over trotters, racing for a $4,500 purse, were featured at Cal Expo on Thursday night, in which Franks Best (Lemoyne Svendsen) repeated. Bred, owned, and trained by Bob Johnson, the gelding stopped the timer at 1:57, a lifetime best. Giles L S Hanover finished in second and Shelby County, the lone lady in the race, finished another 1-1/2 lengths farther back in third.

Plainridge Racecourse
It doesn’t happen often enough but it did Thursday for Cornelius Bonetti at Plainridge Racecourse. The Milford, Mass. driver-trainer who comes from a nearby town with many harness fans still recalling the good times over a 50-year span at Foxboro gave his fans something to cheer about. Bonetti wired the field in the first and eighth races on Thursday’s program with driving victories with Valley Logic (1:57.2) in the opener and Mooovrs Bluegrass winning with ease in the eighth race (1:58). Bonetti’s driving double pushed his wins to seven this season.