Racing Roundup: Ingraham wins four at the Rock
July 10, 2009,from Harness Publicists across North America
Friday’s (July 10) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Rockingham Park, Yonkers Raceway, Harrah’s Chester, Cal-Expo and Saratoga Gaming and Raceway.
Salem, NH — David Ingraham, the back-to-back champion driver at Rockingham Park in 2005-06, posed for winner’s circle pictures four times on Friday afternoon and moved into a tie for second place in the standings for the current meet.
With his quartet of victories on Friday’s 11-race card, Ingraham boosted his total wins to 33 while Richard Wojcio, who began the day in second place, won three races to also bring his number to 33 wins. Both drivers are now equal in the second spot behind Bruce Ranger, who won one race on Friday and stretched his lead to 38 wins with 20 days of the current 50-day meet completed.
— Lynne Snierson
Batalj Launcher, “Pancleef” win Yonker’s features
Yonkers, NY — Batalj Launcher (Jason Bartlett, five winners on the 13-race card) caught pace-setting rank outsider Stonebridge Diablo (Stephane Bouchard) at the wire Friday night, winning Yonkers Raceway’s co-featured $48,000 Open Handicap Trot.
Mike Lizzi photo
Batalj Launcher (2) defeated Celebrity Playboy by a head in 1:57.3.
Batalj Launcher won by a head in 1:57.3. Celebrity Playboy, Tell Me a Story (Cat Manzi) and Armbro Barrister (Steve Smith) completed the cashers.
For Batalj Launcher, a 10-year-old Tap In gelding co-owned by (trainer) Josh Green and Meadowbranch Stables, he returned $5.20 for his fifth win in 17 seasonal starts.
Friday night’s co-featured $48,000 Filly and Mare Open Handicap Pace saw Pancleefandarpels (Jordan Stratton) prevail as the tepid 2-1 choice.
The Blue Chip Matchmaker winner out-gamed Hannah Isabel (Pat Lachance) by three-quarters of a length in 1:53.2, with J K Pure Pearl, Saymynamesaymyname (Grismore) and Mightymachthree (Bartlett) grabbing the small coin.
For “Pancleef,” a 5-year-old state-bred daughter of Noble Ability trained by Erv Miller for Peter Pan Stables, she returned $6.90 for her seventh win in 20 seasonal starts.
— Frank Drucker
Next Adventure takes Valiant Bret at Chester
Chester, PA — Beating top company two starts back, Larry Baron’s Next Adventure ($5.00) made his eleventh trip to the winner’s circle in the $30,000 Valiant Bret for 4- and 5-year-old pacers on Friday (July 10) evening at Harrah’s Chester Casino and Racetrack.
The 5-year-old Real Artist rated a sensible first half of 56.2 before Blueridge Western (Tony Morgan) applied first-over pressure up the backstretch. The two battled to three-quarters in 1:23.3, with McCedes (Corey Callahan) stalking comfortably in the pocket. Blueridge Western began to fade at the apex of the far turn, and Next Adventure was again tested by McCedes in the stretch, prevailing by a length under mild urging. Franco Natura N (Brandon Givens) was a ground-saving third.
Eric Goodell, who drove five winners on the card, had the assignment on Next Adventure for trainer Josh Green.
— James Witherite
Don’t Tempt Me, Rick Plano shine at Cal-Expo
Sacramento, CA — A combination of Filly & Mare Open Handicap pacers & Cal-bred boys were co-featured for a purse of $7,100, on which Don’t Tempt Me was victorious off a mini vacation.
Under a drive to hold off Dynamite Express, Don’t Tempt Me would win ($11.80) by a half of one-length. Owned by Keith Ballard, Lester Hunsucker and James Yates, Don’t Tempt Me stopped the timer at 1:53.4. Dynamite Express finished in second, and Silver Bloom finished another 1-1/2 lengths farther back, in third.
Co-featured in another $7,100 purse were Open Handicap trotters, on which Cherry Tree Luke was one cog in the Rick Plano show.
Owned by Clint Lugar, Cherry Tree Luke stopped the timer at 1:56.2, a lifetime mark and his 39th career victory. TV Mom (Lemoyne Svendsen) finished in second, and I Look Special (Dave Siegel) finished just a neck farther back, in third.
For Rick Plano, the driving triumph was the third of eight winners on the 13-race card, giving him 13 wins over the last 25 races, all while equaling his personal best for one card.
“I won eight back in Cleveland (Ohio) at Northfield Park in the (19) 70’s,” noted Plano. “When I had seven tonight with a few mounts that had a chance, I thought I could break my own record. But I had a couple of seconds and won just one more – – so beating eight didn’t happen.
“I’m very grateful to be on quite a roll right now, that’s for sure,” concluded the meets leading driver.
— Scott Ehrlich
Coppola Jr enyoys big night at Saratoga
Saratoga, NY — The only thing that could overshadow the big night driver Dan Cappello Jr had on Friday at Saratoga Gaming and Raceway was the evening that Frank Coppola Jr had.
Cappello, currently second in the driver standings to Coppola, had a big night on Friday recording four wins on the thirteen race card. Coppola though did one better as he got up to win the evening’s finale, his fifth score on the card.
Coppola was back in the winner’s circle with Prime Interest after going wire to wire in the night’s open trot. It was a familiar trek to victory lane for the tandem that teamed up for fourteen wins in 2008 and has followed that up with six more open victories thus far in ‘09. Prime Interest was named the Horse of the Year at Saratoga last year while setting the track record in August with a 1:55.1 score. Cappello drove the runner up in the night’s $17,000 feature while sitting behind Pablo Angus and Bubba Dunn (Mark Beckwith) ran third.
— Mike Sardella