Racing Roundup: Monday, November 17, 2008
November 18, 2008,from Harness Publicists across North America
Monday’s (November 17) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Dover Downs, The Meadows, Pompano Park, Monticello Raceway, and the Billings Series.
Winbak Speed captures Delaware Special
Dover, DE — Winbak Speed won the $32,500 Delaware Special while Cool Cal and Print It turned in victories in the sub-featured races at Dover Downs on Monday.
Fotowon photo
Winbak Speed was a 1:51.3 winner in the Delaware Special.
In the Delaware Special, Brandon Givens took Winbak Speed to the front and kept the opposition at bay the rest of a 1:51.3 mile. A :26.2 last quarter was too much for his seven rivals, ensuring the Winbak Speed triumph. Thin Blue Line (Ron Pierce) closed strongly for second while Devil’s Ivy (Tim Tetrick) hustled home to finish third.
Niel Gargiulo and trainer Wayne Givens own Winbak Speed, a Village Jove-Purrfect Kitty gelding who won for the sixth time this year, bringing his seasonal earnings to $138,165. The win was the first of two for driver Givens.
Cool Cal received a perfect trip racing on the outside, following Wynnfield Flash (Pierce), second-over until Tim Tetrick took the Cole Muffler-Annacrombie gelding three-wide around the final turn and then disposed of eight rivals for a 1:52.1 victory in a $23,000 Winners Over Pace.
Three Point Acres owns Cool Cal, who scored his sixth win of the season and $126,226 in earnings. Wynnfield Flash held on for second. Village Blitz (Tony Morgan) was the show finisher. Tetrick completed the program with three wins.
Eric Goodell dashed away from post eight with Print It to get the lead early and then set all the fractions in a 1:51.1 victory in a second $23,000 Winners Over Pace. Sheer Brilliance (Vic Kirby) stalked the winner all the way and finished second, holding off Radar Installed N (Pierce). Goodell had a driving double.
— Marv Bachrad
Abraxas finishes strongly to take Meadows pace
Meadow Lands, PA — Abraxas, loving the duel for the lead in front of him, used his customary late kick to capture the $25,000 Preferred Handicap Pace on Monday at The Meadows.
When Hennessy Hanover grabbed the early lead and wouldn’t release challenger KF St Patrick, the two battled through a first half of :55.2, a demanding pace over the sloppy track. Abraxas and Rodney Bolon picked up first-over cover from Tarver Hanover, then passed that rival in the stretch.
Abraxas scored in 1:53.1, 1-3/4 lengths better than Tarver Hanover, with War Boots third.
Jeff Fife trains and Ed Moritz owns Abraxas, a 5-year-old gelded son of Dragon Again-Dandy Dana who has been first or second for six consecutive starts.
— Evan Pattak
Gale Warning takes top trot again on Monday
Pompano Beach, FL — Can’t say you weren’t “warned” the first time!
Gale Warning ($8.40) gave warning last week when he won the $16,000 Open Trot and the 5-year-old gelding did it again Monday at the Isle Pompano Park, going off once again at odds of 3-1.
Lap Time Photo – Skip Smith
Gale Warning won the featured trot at Pompano Park for the second straight week.
The sixth race feature started off with the lone mare in the field, K M Sweet Dreams (Joe Pavia, Jr.) going to the early lead with Karpathos (Denis St. Pierre) grabbing the two hole spot. But by the opening quarter in :28.1, Battleshoe Victor and driver Bruce Ranger were on the move and took command of the race.
Past the half-mile marker in :58, Battleshoe Victor held the field at bay but that was short lived as Gale Warning and driver Wally Hennessey started charging on the outside and they were able to clear to the lead by the three-quarter pole in 1:26.4 with Karpathos right on their backs.
Then down the stretch it was an easy victory for Gale Warning who pulled away from the field to win by five open lengths. Karpathos was second with K M Sweet Dreams third. The race favorite, Indian Hill Rocket, and second choice in the race, Brick, made breaks at the start of the race.
It was the eighth win this year for Gale Warning, who is trained by Michile Lorenzo and co-owned by Rod Lorenzo, Ciro Gentile and the Pomtambo Stable.
— Steve Wolf
Dobson wins six at Monticello
Monticello, NY — If east coast racing fans haven’t heard of Billy Dobson it’s because he has spent most of his career racing in the Midwest.
A few weeks ago he arrived on the east coast with just his colors and his driving gloves and the talented reinsman is opening the eyes of railbirds, especially at Monticello Raceway. On Monday, the 24-year-old reinsman put on a driving clinic when he scored six driving victories on the Mighty M race card.
Dobson’s first victory came when he drove Dominic and Nancy Ann Allegro’s Southwoodsgranslam ($25.20) to a 2:04.3 triumph and he followed with a 2:02.1 score in the following event behind Eddie Reich’s Julias Girl ($13.80).
Dobson then won the fifth race behind Mike Cosgrove’s MVP’s Royal Lillie ($7.00) in a 2:00.4 clocking and put back-to-back triumphs when he won the eighth race with Carl Gillespsie and Betsy Phillip’s Blue Creek Angie ($6.60) in 1:57.4 and the ninth behind Ben Versaci’s Bacon Hill Dannie ($25.80) in 2:03.1.
Dodson capped his day with a 1:59 victory with Greg Gardner’s Ruby C ($8.30) in the 10th race and he missed victory number seven when he finished second with Caman in the 13th and final race on the card.
— John Manzi
Trio of Billings winners at Yonkers Raceway
Monticello, NY — The final three events in the regular season of this year’s C.K.G. Billings Amateur Driving Series were contested at Yonkers Raceway on Monday and when the races were declared official Dave “Yes It’s True” Offenberg and Terry “the Dairy Queen” Donnelly each won their respective non-wagering divisions and “Hot-Handed Harry” Pozefsky emerged victorious in the Billings contest that was on the betting card.
Moreover, as a result of the final contests, Todd “the Downeaster” Whitney, despite finishing third with Red Lace in his split, will take home the trophy as the eastern region points champion. In a season long battle with Tony “the Capo” Verruso, Whitney’s 132 points outlasted the 126 rung up by Verruso, who, by the way, finished seventh in his division that evening.
For Dave Offenberg, who was the Monticello-Goshen Chapter USHWA’s Amateur Driver of the Year, he finished in fine style, winning the last two Billings races he competed in with his summertime acquisition Double Strength.
After cruising along in third position most of the mile, Offenberg waited until the long Yonkers Raceway homestretch before he moved Double Strength and when he did the trotter did the rest and scooted by the leaders before holding off a fast-closing Sizeisnteverything and driver “Dynamite Dave” Drew to register a 2:02.3 victory. In that event, the aforementioned Todd Whitney finished third with Red Lace.
With his victory Offenberg ended the regular season with 91 points, good for sixth on the east region leaderboard.
The Billings’ most prolific lady driver this season, Terry Donnelly, notched her third victory of the year with a come-from-behind 2:04.1 triumph with her Jay A Novak, collaring pacesetter R Miracle Missy and driver Simeon “Hot Rod” Hunsdon by a head at the wire. George “the Brooklyn Cowboy” Casale finished third with Perfect Gerry.
Donnelly’s final total of 80 points placed her in ninth place on her region’s leaderboard.
Though he only drove six times in the Billings Series this year, Pozefsky certainly was hot-handed, winning four times including his 2:01.4 triumph with Stormont Wok on the betting card at the Hilltop oval on Monday night.
Pozefsky made a laugher out of it after Stormont Wok gained command at the quarter pole and then continued to open more daylight at each ensuing stanza. At the finish, Pozefsky and Stormont Wok were a nifty six lengths ahead of At A Boy Eric and driver “Iron Mike” Strada. Third place went to Over The Wire, who was driven by Bob “the Headhunter” Hechkoff.