Racing Roundup: Looking Hanover wins second straight Dover Open
December 10, 2009,from Harness Publicists across North America
Wednesday’s (Dec. 9) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Dover Downs, The Meadows and Monticello Raceway. Looking Hanover wins second straight Dover Open Dover, DE — For the second straight week, Looking Hanover won the $26,000 Open Trot, the featured event at Dover Downs on Wednesday. Fotowon photo Looking Hanover was a repeat winner in the Open Trot at Dover. In the week’s top trot, Ron Pierce (one of his five winners) got the call to drive Looking Hanover to a 1:55 victory. After Chosen Voyageur (Corey Callahan) and Zitomira (Jacquie Ingrassia) dueled through a :26.3 opening panel and to the half, Chosen Voyageur opened up a comfortable lead at the three-quarters. Pierce, the meet’s leading driver, was then on the move with Looking Hanover and the 4-year-old altered son of Muscles Yankee quickly surged up and passed the leader. In the stretch Looking Hanover was all alone with Starsel and Daryl Bier coming on for second in front of Super Chuck and John Wagner. Ed Gannon trains Looking Hanover for Dawn Gannon and Yannick Gingras. He has now won seven times this year and been in the money 21 of 29 starts while winning $148,870 in purses. In the $18,000 sub-featured trot, Pierce took Sunland Dakota right to the front and was untested until reaching the last turn when JM Vangogh (Jim Morand) came out of second to come at the leader. Sunland Dakota survived the challenge and easily won in 1:56.1 with JM Vangogh a strong second, three-quarters of a length behind at the wire. Rose Run Flash (Mike Cole) took show honors. Bruce Saunders trains Sunland Dakota, a 4-year-old Corleone-CC Wild Falls gelding owned by Frank Bellino. It was the seventh triumph this season for the $119,995 winner. — Marv Bachrad Heza Challenger rallies in Meadows Preferred Trot Washington, PA — Forced three wide early and chasing an untested leader, Heza Challenger kicked it into high gear in the lane Wednesday at The Meadows to capture the $27,500 Preferred Trot. While even-money favorite Master Begonia worked out a comfortable first half in :59.3 over a “good” surface, Heza Challenger and Brett Miller languished 6-1/2 lengths back before picking up live three-wide cover from Voila American. Heza Challenger charged through the stretch to nail Master Begonia by a half-length in 1:57.2, with Voila American a game third. Bruce Riegle trains Heza Challenger, a 5-year-old Chip Chip Hooray-Ten Queens gelding who won the Preferred for the third time in his last four starts, for Robert Kauffman. Mike Wilder drove four winners on the 14-race card, leaving him seven victories shy of 5,000 for his career, while Dick Stillings and Brett Miller enjoyed driving triples. — Evan Pattak Jamie Dunlap wins three at Monticello Monticello, NY — During this time of the year Monticello Raceway is one of the few racetracks that still has harness action. Because of that, drivers from many closed-for-the-season tracks are making their presence known at the Mighty M. Director of Racing Eric Warner handles over 220 entries for every race card and local fans, as well as those who watch and wager off-track, are treated to the talents of others who are not regular competitors at Monticello Raceway. Take the Wednesday afternoon card at the Mighty M for instance. Five races were won by what could be considered out-of-towners. Todd Warren, a leading driver-trainer from the Chicago circuit who recently moved in with a barn full, won a $7,500 claiming event with Western Gambler in 2:03.2 over the muddy racetrack and Mike Carrubba, a talented reinsman from Western New York, scored on his initial drive when he won a claiming event with Midnight Eyre N in 2:04.1. And though Mike MacNeill didn’t win a race that day he has won several since moving in from Canada. But the star of the show on Wednesday was Jamie Dunlap. The former Western New York driver who now calls Monticello Raceway home, notched three victories on the December 9 program, all of them catch-drives. His first triumph came with Charlie Del Gatto’s trotter Rose Run Hotrod in 2:05.2. His next victory was behind Robert McHugh’s pacer Elitricity in 2:04.1 and win number three was with Dave Yarock and TR Racing Stable’s pacer Benzorama A in 2:02.1. — John Manzi