from Harness Publicists across North America

Saturday’s (May 16) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Running Aces, Northfield Park, Scioto Downs, Yonkers Raceway, Tioga Downs, Vernon Downs, Balmoral Park, Cal-Expo, Buffalo Raceway and Saratoga Raceway.

2009 Opening Night at Running Aces

Columbus, MN — Opening night of the 2009 season started out wet but even that was not enough to discourage people from enjoying a night at the races. Rain began in Columbus, Minnesota by mid-afternoon and the intensity peaked with a downpour just as the Starter called the first race to the gate.

Driver Nick Roland crossed the finish line first with the Robert Lems trained Whirling Sam. That would be the first of four wins for Roland on the night, giving him an early jump on the competition in the driver standings. The team of Roland–Lems produced another winner in the fourth race (Sammy Kankan) and Roland was the trainer as well as the driver of Blues Hot Clues in the fifth and Rena’s Star in the night cap.

— John Betts

Classical Man takes Northfield Open Trot

Northfield, OH — Bill Bercury’s Classical Man ($2.80) put in a virtuoso performance to win Saturday’s $5,500 Open Trot at Northfield in 1:58.1 despite not seeing the pylons until the final turn.

Aaron Merriman floated the winner off the gate early as Lucca’s Revenge took charge early. He posted a 27.4 opening panel and was challenged by Classical Man as they approached the half, which was timed in 58 seconds. The pair battled throughout the third panel, clicking the timer in 1:27.4 with Bercury’s trotter a head in front. He drew off to win by a comfortable 2-1/2 lengths.

Master Wheels closed for second and Giulio finished third. Classical Man is an 8-year-old Malabar Man gelding who won for the third time this year and pushed his career bankroll to just under $347,000.

— Keith Gisser

B T Attack fastest at Scioto Downs

Columbus, OH — B T Attack paced the fastest mile of the evening on Saturday at Scioto Downs when he drew off from his pursuers to win in 1:53 for driver Chris Page and trainer Richard Todd, Jr.

It was the first win of the season in five starts for the 5-year-gelding owned by James F. Morris of Chillicothe. Painted Speed was second and Super Kid N finished third.

— Dean Hoffman

Blue Boy an easy winner in Open Handicap at Yonkers

Yonkers, NY — Blue Boy, who swept though this season’s Sagamore Hill Pacing Series, earned a place at the adult table Saturday night, winning Yonkers Raceway’s featured $44,000 Open Handicap Pace.

With Brent Holland driving for trainer Julie Miller, Blue Boy–away third from post position No. 3–went up and over Real Nice (Stephane Bouchard) down the backside the second time.

The latter, as the 17-10 choice from post No. 2, had led through intervals of :27.1 and :56.4. However, he offered minimal resistance when Blue Boy came calling.

Blue Boy opened daylight by the 1:23.4 three-quarters, slapping 3-1/2 lengths on his foes pointing for pay dirt. He won by two lengths in 1:52.3. King Cat Anvil N (Jordan Stratton) knifed through to grab second, with an off-the-pace Four Trumps A (Larry Stalbaum), BB Torio (Ryan Anderson) and Classic Line N (Pat Lachance) completing this week’s cashers.

For Blue Boy, a 4-year-old Real Artist gelding owned by Mack Racing Stables, he returned $13.20 (fourth choice) for his eighth win in 14 seasonal starts.

Saturday night also saw Northfield-based Matt Kakaley make his first Yonkers visit, going winless in six drives with one third-place finish.

— Frank Drucker

Golden Falcon N hangs on to win Tioga feature

Nichols, NY — Golden Falcon N picked up where she left off last summer at Tioga Downs, in the winner’s circle.

Golden Falcon N won the featured $14,000 fillies and mares Open Handicap pace by a nose in 1:54.3.

In the featured $14,000 fillies and mares Open Handicap pace Corey Braden sent Golden Falcon N three-wide down the backside and she responded. Grabbing the lead at the top of the stretch, Braden and Golden Falcon N fought tough through a stretch duel with Impressive Char and Mike Merton to hang on by a nose in 1:54.3. It was the second win in sixteen seasonal starts for the 10-year-old Falcon Seelster-Kanegold mare that is owned by Berry Stables of Staten Island, NY and trained by Paul Bernardo.

Golden Falcon N has shown that she loves racing at Tioga Downs by posting ten wins in twenty two career starts at the Nichols, NY track. In 2007 she etched her name in the Tioga Downs history book by earning co-horse of the year for the summer meet. With the victory she now sports thirty wins in one hundred and three lifetime starts with earnings of more than $239,000.

— Dustin Ross

Empire Breeders Classic elims contested at Vernon

Vernon, NY — Honorable Daughter, Donttellmywife and Matchplay Volo were elimination divisional winners in $12,500 flights of the Empire Breeders in racing action at Vernon Downs on Saturday night (May 16).

Fotowon photo

Honorable Daughter started her sophomore campaign with 1:58 triumph in Saturday’s first Empire Breeders flight for New York-bred fillies.

Honorable Daughter, a winner in nine of 11 starts last season, started off her sophomore campaign with 1:58 triumph over a sloppy course in Saturday’s first flight for New York-bred fillies. Jim Morrill, Jr. steered the daughter of Malabar Man-Honorable Mother to the front early in the sixth race and she continued on to a 1-1/2 length triumph. The career-winner of $841,805 is shared in ownership by Paolo Rosanelli and John Siena.

Noted trainer Larry Remmen earned a double in the distaff competition when Matchplay Volo, a daughter of Conway Hall-Stroke Play he conditions for Norman Smiley, Gerald Smiley and the Mystical Marker Farms, won the eighth event in 1:59.1. Morrill again urged his charge to the lead early in the mile and they finished first by a length to remain unbeaten after two current outings, including a career-best 1:56.4 score at The Meadowlands on May 10.

Donttellmywife, undefeated in seven starts last year, started his current campaign on a winning note with a 1:57.4 score in Saturday’s seventh session, the event’s colt/gelding division. Jeff Gregory steered the son of Malabar Man-Nowerland Sweet T into the lead before the half and the gritty gelding motored on to a half-length triumph. Trainer George Ducharme shares ownership of the lifetime winner of $227,165 with Nicola Oliva and Shannon Di Antonio.

Joining Honorable Daughter and Matchplay Volo in the EBC filly final, to be raced at Vernon on Memorial Day afternoon, will be Porque, The Ice Queen, Beachcomber, Contag Way, Sister Marcy, Social Butterfly and New Hampshire Girl. Snowblind Lindy will be the first also eligible.

The male EBC championship race here on May 25 will also feature Russell Hill, Calchips Brute, South Jersey Flash, America, Danger Hall, Tip The Tide, Brother Nick and Dillar A Dollar.

— Jim Moran

Special Joe takes Balmoral free-for-all in 1:49.4

Crete, IL — The first sub-1:50 clocking of the 2009 Chicagoland racing season was recorded on Saturday night as Gary & Kent Kreischer’s one time claimer, Special Joe, continued to amaze his owner and trainer taking Saturday’s featured $18,000 Free For All by 1-3/4 lengths in a blazing 1:49.4.

In his latest triumph the gelded son of Jody’s Cam-Specially Fine stormed from fifth to first after an opening quarter in 28.0. Perfectly rated by driver Josh Sutton the good looking 4-year-old then proceeded to cruise through splits of :55 & 1:23 before storming home in 26.4 to wrap up the victory. Well To Do Guru (Casey Leonard) was second while Boo Bug (Todd Warren) finished third.

Special Joe, who captured the Rambling Willie Stake here on May 2, now boasts a record of six wins, four seconds and one third in 15 starts this season with earnings of $67,371.

— Tom Kelley

Split Ticket leaves no doubt at Cal-Expo

Sacramento, CA — Open 1 Handicap pacers, racing for a $6,800 purse, were featured at Cal-Expo on a hot (96 degrees) Saturday evening (May 16), on which Split Ticket was much the best.

Under just moderate urging until Lemoyne Svendsen tucked the whip with just less than a sixteenth of a mile to go, Split Ticket would report home by 2-1/2 lengths. Owned by Richard Morita, David Yamada, David Ohara & Kaiton Wong, Split Ticket would win ($3.40) in 1:52.4, equaling a lifetime mark. Star Time Kid (Rick Plano) finished in second, and Youbetterbelieveit (Steve Wiseman) finished in third, another 1-1/2 lengths farther back.

“It was a monster race,” concluded Svendsen.

— Scott Ehrlich