from harness publicists across North America

Saturday’s (Feb. 22) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Buffalo Raceway, Yonkers Raceway and Miami Valley Raceway.

Le Reina Road takes Buffalo Raceway Open Pace

Hamburg, NY — Le Reina Road made the jump into the $10,500 Open Pace at Buffalo Raceway Saturday night a successful one by scoring a 1-3/4 length victory over Every Girls Desire in a seasonal best of 1:56.4 over a “good” track.

Steve Roth photo

Le Reina Road rolled to a Buffalo Raceway Open Pace win.

Last week, Le Reina Road and driver David McNeight III stunned the field in the Open II with a 33-1 win and thus took his chances against the best pacers on the grounds this time around. It paid off.

The 9-year-old gelding used a first-over, methodical grind on the outside just before the three-quarter pole to wear down pace-setting Every Girls Desire (Billy Dobson). Le Reina Road ($13.60) was never threatened in the stretch as Every Girls Desire held on for second while Goodnite Goodluck (Ron Beback, Jr.) took the show position.

Le Reina Road has now won three times in six starts in 2014, earning $13,922 and increasing his lifetime bankroll to $251,391. He is owned by the Limerick Racing Stable and trained by David McNeight, Jr.

The semi-finals in the Niatross Knockout Claiming Series were also contested on Saturday night and a pair of longshots took the two divisions. In the first leg, Major Glass (Kevin Cummings) scored a $139.50 win in 1:58.3 while in the second leg, George P Hanover (McNeight III) took the victory in 1:58.3 and paid $22.80.

Besides the two winners, others qualifiers for the $27,500 final this coming Saturday include Card Dealer, Kamanche Sun, Dawn Of Trey, Spacehill, Nutmeg’s Gem and American Sway.

— Brian J. Mazurek

Yonkers Raceway
It was “new barn, old result” for Domethatagain (Ron Pierce) Saturday night, winning Yonkers Raceway’s $33,000 Open Pace. Unhurried from post position No. 4, the 13-10 choice watched as invading Texican N (Matt Kakaley) made the lead around pole-sitting, defending champ Pan From Nantucket (Eric Goodell). Texican N made the lead before a :28 opening quarter-mile and seemed comfy going toward the half. Domethatagain was out and moving when Texican N apparently jumped a shadow on the track. Regardless, he bolted inside the cones as Domethatagain found the front just after a :57.2 intermission. That left Pan From Nantucket pocketed and Money Twitch A (Jordan Stratton) first-up. Domethatagain maintained his advantage in and out of a 1:25.2 three-quarters, taking a 1-1/2 length lead into the lane. The people’s preference widened to a couple of lengths at the wire, which he found in 1:52.4, matching a season’s-best. The feature win was one of five for Pierce on the 12-race card. Pan From Nantucket was a loose-pocket second, with American Rage (Brian Sears), P H Supercam (Jason Bartlett) and Sapphire City (Eric Carlson) rounding out the payees. Domethatagain, a 5-year-old statebred son of Bettor’s Delight now co-owned (as Allard Racing) by trainer Rene Allard, Bob Hamather and Bruce Soulsby, returned $4.70 for his third consecutive win in four seasonal starts. The exacta (two wagering favorites) paid $12.80, with the triple returning $63. The handle of $1,026,419 was the fifth-highest total of the season.

Miami Valley Raceway
Heavy favorites had won the first two weekly $10,000 Open Paces at Miami Valley’s inaugural meet, establishing track records in each, but that certainly was not the case Saturday night as Master Of Desire pulled a giant upset and rewarded $2 backers with a $72.80 mutuel return. The 7-year-old Illinois invader, racing for the Chupp Racing Stable of trainer Merv Chupp, sat fifth at the :27.1 quarter-mile marker and :55.1 halfway point, then was guided by reinsman Josh Sutton into the outer flow. Still fourth at the 1:23.2 three-quarters and double-wide the son of Real Desire exploded with a final panel of :28 to stop the clock in 1:52, just one-fifth of a second off the track standard. I’m Feelin Good (Tony Hall) and Carmens Best (Pat Berry) were seven lengths back at the wire but earned the place and show checks. Earlier on the card a $7,000 conditioned pace produced a 1:53.2 winner as Fly Away (Berry) topped Justa Cowboy (Robert Smolin) and Spill The Beans (Kayne Kauffman). Sherif Cunmulaj trains the 5-year-old son of All American Native for the Baron Racing Stable.