Racing Roundup: Meadows loses six races to lighting problems
February 12, 2010,from Harness Publicists across North America
Friday’s (Feb. 12) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from The Meadows, Yonkers Raceway, The Isle Pompano Park, Cal-Expo and Buffalo Raceway.
Meadows loses six races to lighting problems
Washington, PA — The Meadows Racetrack & Casino canceled the final six races of Friday’s scheduled 15-race card due to problems with track lighting.
While not all track lights were dark, there was insufficient visibility for the safe conduct of racing.
Live racing at The Meadows resumes Monday, Feb. 15, at 12:55 p.m. with a 15-race program.
— Evan Pattak
Lightning Treasure, Beach Nut Brand win Friday co-features
Yonkers, NY — Lightning Treasure (Cat Manzi) lasted on the Friday night lead, winning Yonkers Raceway’s co-featured $32,000 Filly and Mare Open Pace.
Tom Berg photo
Lightning Treasure was a narrow winner in the Filly and Mare Open Pace.
Leaving from post position No. 4, Lightning Treasure led through fractions of :27.1, :56.4, 1:25.1 and 1:54.3. She put away a first-up, 4-5 favorite On The Glass (Greg Grismore), then held off both Twin Oaks Tess (Jason Bartlett) and Perfectionist (Stephane Bouchard). The former finished second, beaten a neck. Little Mermaid N (Jim Pantaleano) and Leanback Coco (Jordan Stratton) completed the cashers.
Lightning Treasure, a 5-year-old Western Ideal miss trained by Pierre Couture for Lightning Stable, returned $8.10 (second choice) for her third win in five seasonal starts. The exacta paid $101.50, with the triple returning $304.
Friday night’s co-featured $32,000 Open Handicap Trot was won by a second-over Beach Nut Brand (Jeff Gregory). Leaving from the outside in a field reduced (by one) to a half-dozen, Beach Nut Brand sat behind 7-5 choice Bet To Win (Brent Holland) as that one challenged early leader Green Day (Pat Lachance).
Green Day led through intervals of :28.4, :59.3 and 1:28.1 but tired into the lane. Beach Nut Brand went wide and went by, winning by 1-3/4 lengths in 1:57.3. S F Aceinthehole (Pantaleano) ralled into second, with Impressive Earl (Bouchard), Victor’s Vicky (Stratton) and Green Day grabbing the small change.
Beach Nut Brand, an 8-year-old Branded gelding trained by Mark Harder for co-owners Stable 45 and Scott Kurzrok, returned $6.10 (second choice) for his second win in five seasonal starts. The exacta paid $78, with the triple returning $330.
— Frank Drucker
Bling repeats in South Florida
Pompano Beach, FL — With trainer Mark Friedman firmly stating six days ago that his prized mare Bling would not leave her home state to race in 2010, she proved again on Feb. 12 that she’s the best there is at this time in South Florida. The 4-year-old mare by Scoot Outa Reach-C The Glory was as determined as ever in the weekly edition of the $13,000 Fillies and Mares Open Pace with a terrific two-move win.
Lap Time Photo – Skip Smith
Bling got through late on the inside to catch Major Trap in 1:54 over a sloppy track in the Mares Open Handicap.
The field was reduced to six starters with the scratches of Alice Springs and Flip For Love, and Bling was fired to the front by her regular pilot David Ingraham from the outside post position to the front quarter in :27.1 over the surface dulled by early evening heavy rains. In the middle stages, Major Trap was moved to the top by George Napolitano, Jr. through stages of :57.3 at the half and a final turn arrival in 1:25.4.
In late stretch, it appeared as though Major Trap would hang on but Bling was shown a narrow clear lane down on the pylons. She strolled on through to catch Major Trap in 1:54 to follow up her victory in the Feb. 6 feature for $30,000 on the undercard of the Bernard Goldstein Memorial in fine fashion. Coreys Apache, in rein to Dan Clements, brushed up from a second over trip behind Hypnotize and Bruce Ranger to secure the show position.
The possibility of a career best year is looming large for the strapping mare Bling. As a Florida Breeders program champion of 2008 and 2009 she’d banked just under $100,000 for Polo Stables of Boca Raton. Already in 2010 she’s earned over $30,000.
As conditions improved for the final half of the program, I’m Just Special continued her march up the class scale with another blowout win in 1:53 for the evening’s fastest mile in a $6,000 conditioned test. The Camluck-Ladys Special Girl 5-year-old mare is nearing $480,000 in life’s earnings for Susan and Ted Colby. This older sister to track record holder Special Sweetheart is also trained by Tom Artandi. The conditioner has won with six of eight starters he’s sent out at The Isle this meet.
The weekly edition of the Florida Amateur Driving Club race was won by Gro Formia, as Amazing Hanover went a wide trip to prevail over his $4,000 claiming trot rivals in 2:01.1. Whiteland Will, in rein to Dein Spriggs, cut the mile and stayed for second with the Daniel Harvey driven Bluff Springs up for third.
— Frank Salive
Ivegotwhatuneed wires Cal-Expo field
Sacramento, CA — A mixture of Filly & Mare Open pacers, combined with four colts & geldings, in for a base claiming tag of $20,000, were featured at Cal-Expo on Friday night for a purse of $6,100, in which Ivegotwhatuneed never looked back.
Not leaving from post two, driver Lemoyne Svendsen called an audible a sixteenth of a mile after the start.
“I had no intentions of cutting the mile, but since no one else wanted it I just took it,” stated Svendsen.
Getting the lead after an eighth of a mile into a :28.3 opening quarter, Svendsen gladly took advantage of what was handed to him in a very easy second quarter of :29.2.
“If they were going to give it to me I was going to take it. I knew it would be a dash for cash then off that second quarter and first half (:58), and I liked his chances.”
Not getting a challenger until Ideally Magic (James Kennedy) came calling past the midway point of the final turn, Svendsen asked, then popped the earplugs of his charge just before reaching the three-quarter station in 1:26.
“I knew we were going to start scooting and that it would be a sprint from there. Since he always comes home good I thought they’d have a hard time catching him.”
Drawing clear by 1-1/2 lengths with 3-16ths of a mile to go and under pretty strong line-lifting in the lane, Svendsen only had to resort to one wheel-disc urge late before putting the whip away.
“He was excellent down the stretch, especially considering I only discovered after the race that he threw a shoe at the top of the lane.”
Owned by Marty Garey in partnership with trainer Bob Johnson, the 7-year-old held firm in a :27 final quarter to win ($5.00) by three-quarters of a length in 1:53, a seasonal best and his 24th career triumph. Ideally Magic was a good second and Biggest Big Bertha (Rick Plano), who sat in the winner’s pocket, finished 1-1/4 lengths farther back in third.
“It was a very good mile,” finished Svendsen.
— Scott Ehrlich
Pembroke Primo and Hello Carlo take Buffalo features Hamburg, NY — In the $9,000 Fillies and Mares Open Handicap Pace on Friday night at Buffalo Raceway, Pembroke Primo made every pole a winning one in beating six rivals in 2:01. It was the first win of the 2010 campaign for the 6-year-old Ditch Em offspring, who campaigns for owner-trainer John Cummings Sr. and Mark Jakubik.
Paul White photo
Pembroke Primo scored in 2:01 in the Fillies and Mares Open Handicap Pace.
Capably driven by Kevin Cummings, Pembroke Primo ($4.70) cut all the fractions in the race, :29.4, 1:00.4 and 1:31.3. Two lengths back in second were last week’s winner Newberry Winner and driver Jamie Dunlap, while longshot All Deuce (Ray Fisher, Jr.) came in third.
“She got some soft fractions early,” said Cummings. “It made all the difference in the stretch.”
The $4,500 share of the purse put Pembroke Primo’s season’s bankroll at $6,660 and $202,344 lifetime.
In Friday’s $9,000 Open Trot, Hello Carlo ($3.90) received a perfect garden spot trip from driver Russell Swartz, then unleashed a :29.4 last quarter-mile to edge second place finisher Australian Stock (Ron Beback, Jr.) by 1-1/2 lengths to register his first win of the year for owner Mario Caponi.
“The race didn’t really go the way I planned,” said Swartz. “When I pulled going to the half, I was lucky enough to tuck in second, and got some nice cover to the top of the stretch.”
Trained by Larry Clabaugh, the $4,500 share of the purse put Hello Carlo’s season’s bankroll at $8,250 and $89,400 lifetime.
— Sam Pendolino