Dave Oxford photo

Prime Interest just missed his own track record when he scored in 1:55.2 in the Open Trot.

Coppola perched the favorite on the lead and they never had an anxious moment in going wire-to-wire in the feature. Prime Interest was a wrapped up two length winner and stopped the timer in 1:55.2, just a fifth of a second off of the all-time track record that he owns.

The trotting star stole the show on an evening that otherwise went the way of Wally Hennessey. In his return to Saratoga from Pompano Park, Hennessey has thrived. While having a big first month at the Spa, Hennessey had no night bigger than the one he had on Friday when the Hall of Famer piloted four winners on the card. Wally swept the late pick three as he rattled off wins while guiding Rock DJ, Ben-Him and Libra Vita. Hennessey then took the finale behind Miss Mcivor N.

— Mike Sardella

McCedes is triumphant in Chester Open

Chester, PA — With an explosive stretch kick, McCedes ($10.00) prevailed in a $30,000 4-Year-Old Open on Friday evening at Harrah’s Chester Casino and Racetrack, holding off Moon Beam in a 1:50.3 effort.

The McArdle gelding sat well back off a pressured pace, which saw One False Move (George Napolitano, Jr.) park Proper Respect (Carlo Poliseno) to a :54.3 half. Blueridge Western (Tony Morgan) circled the tiring Proper Respect at the race’s midpoint, and Corey Callahan followed cover with McCedes up the backstretch, moving to within four lengths of One False Move at a three-quarter split of 1:22.1.

With the pace beginning to fold in, Blueridge Western struck the front, but McCedes swept up off cover short of the 150-yard mark to take the lead, holding off a late charge from Moon Beam (Eric Goodell) by three parts of a length. Blueridge Western was a game third.

Ron Burke trains McCedes for the Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, the JJK Stables, and James Koran.

— Harrah’s Chester Publicity Department

Mj’s Victory takes Scioto feature trot

Columbus, OH — Mj’s Victory took the Open Trot at Scioto Downs again this week, scoring on Friday night in 1:56.3 for driver Russell Swartz and trainer Steve Carter. The outside post in the field of seven wasn’t enough to stop him from dominating his foes. The favorite defeated Durgin Hanover and She’s Not Red.

The 5-year-old gelded son of Big Victory is owned by Peggy A. Carter. In five starts this season, Mj’s Victory has three wins, a second, and a third and has earned $15,875.

In the Open Pace for mares, Cute And Cruising was driven confidently by Chip Noble as she overtook favored Tu Tu Twain in deep stretch to win in 1:53.3. Joe Essig trains the Yankee Cruiser 4-year-old mare for James P. Wampler. Cute And Cruising paid $59.20 to win. The Western Hanover mare Danika Hanover finished full of pace to nose out the tiring Tu Tu Twain for second. The top three finishers sat well back in the early stages of the race as No Sugar Needed and Purple Diamond battled through an opening half-mile in :54.1 before tiring badly.

Lancer Springs took a leg of the Dream Of Glory trotting series on Friday night with a 1:58.2 win for trainer Chris Beaver and driver Chris Page.

— Dean A. Hoffman

Allamerican Celeb scores at Vernon

Vernon, NY — Allamerican Celeb closed from fourth in a :27.2 final quarter to capture Friday night’s $9,000 featured eighth event in 1:52 at Vernon Downs.

Fotowon photo

Allamerican Celeb was a 1:52 winner on Friday at Vernon.

Third pick in the wagering, Allamerican Celeb bided her time in fourth place as Chantal Hall took the week’s distaff Open Pace field to the half in :56.3. The favorite Bet The Ranch took charge in the final turn and led by a half-length as the select sextet turned for home. With driver Fern Paquet, Jr. urging her on, Allamerican Celeb showed the most lick in the lane, and came on to defeat the crowd’s choice by three-quarters of a length. She paid $9.60 to win.

It marked the third victory at the meet and fourth during the season for the 4-year-old daughter of Pro Bono Best-Cd’s Girl, who is trained by Jamie Paquet and owned by the In Front Racing stable. The career-best tally raised her lifetime winnings to more than $84,800.

Defending dash-winning driving champ Josh Marks posted four wins during Friday’s nine-race card, including a 1:58.3 victory in the final test that enabled Hanger Pride N to tie fellow trotters Crown Rules and Sharpshootennorris, and the pacer Prettyasapageant at three for the meet’s longest winning streak after 23 programs.

The Dennis Whittemore owned and trained pacing mare My Girl Lora became the initial five-time winner at the Downs this season following a 1:54.3 triumph for Jimmy Whittemore in Friday’s $5,000 seventh session.

— Jim Moran

Pacer turned trotter captures Buffalo feature

Hamburg, NY — In the featured $9,000 Open Trot, Baby Boy Grin, a 4-year-old Grinfromeartoear gelding out of the Jate Lobell mare Orillia Babe, set a lifetime mark of 1:58.2 for the Nasty Boys Stable at Buffalo Raceway on Friday night.

If the breeding sounds a little off for a trotter, you’re absolutely right. Baby Boy Grin ($11.00), leaving from post one in the field of eight with trainer-driver Jerry Nugent, Jr. in the sulky, settled in third as Craiger (Rich Mays) set the early fractions of :28.3 and :58.4. Going down the backstretch the second time, Baby Boy Grin unleashed a powerful backside brush which saw him hit the three-quarter pole with the lead in 1:28.2. A :30 last quarter-mile put the winner 7-1/2 lengths ahead of second place finisher Sir Prize Hall (Jack Flanigen) at the finish line. Speed Pilot (Tom Agosti) came in third.

“Wow, what a story this is,” said Nugent. “We purchased him at the Delaware sale as a 2-year-old. He wouldn’t pace with the hobbles on. He was terrible and I got so mad I took the hobbles off and tried him free-legged and he was still bad.

“All he wanted to do was trot. That same day I trained him trotting, looked at my watch, and it read 2:05. He was just perfect trotting, and much happier. His first schooling race out of the eight hole, he went in 2:03, and he officially became a trotter.”

The winner’s $4,500 share of the purse put Baby Boy Grin’s 2009 bankroll at $12,920 and $21,832 lifetime. It was his fourth win of the year.

— Sam Pendolino

Silver Bloom gets the gold at Cal-Expo

Sacramento, CA — Filly & Mare Open Handicap Pacers, racing for a $7,100 purse, were featured at Cal-Expo on Friday night in which Silver Bloom was solid in victory.

In advance of starting from her assigned post four in the field of six, trainer Rick Plano wasn’t concerned that his sophomore lass was moving up to face the Open mares.

“No, I thought she played very strong in there because she came off of a very strong 1:54 flat winning mile,” stated Plano.

Leaving nicely and getting the lead as the field entered the first turn, Plano would yield an eighth past the start before eventually ending up in the three hole while Reno Rose (Jim Lackey) had to work for the lead into a :27.4 first quarter.

“I knew that the :27.4 had to soften up Reno Rose. At that point, I was just hoping that no one came early from behind and forced me to come out earlier than I had intended.”

Remaining in the three while Reno Rose got a :29.2 second quarter breather, Plano had no concerns at the half-mile juncture, timed in :57.1.

“I really wasn’t worried that Reno Rose had gotten a breather because my filly felt strong. I figured I’d move after the five-eighths.”

Moving a bit earlier than planned, that being past the 9-16ths pole, Plano would attack Reno Rose as he’d have his charge flying at the five-eighths-mile marker.

“I decided to come hard and might have caught Reno Rose by surprise in doing so.”

Clearing to the lead past the three-quarter station, timed in 1:26, Plano would pop the earplugs of his 3-year-old and Silver Bloom responded by opening up a two length advantage.

“She was pacing pretty hard after I popped the plugs and it was going to take a very strong move to get her.”

Now leading by three lengths to the seven-eighths pole, Plano would encounter a minor issue with an eighth of a mile to go.

“I reached up and gave her a hard right and she went to the left on me. It, however, didn’t concern me because there was nobody over there. I kind of thought inside the eighth pole that she was home, and she was.”

Only urged a bit with a sixteenth of a mile to go, there’d be no catching Silver Bloom as she’d go on to win ($6.40) by 2-1/4 lengths. Bred in part by owner Wayne Knittel, Silver Bloom stopped the timer at 1:54, equaling a lifetime best. Don’t Tempt Me (James Kennedy), who got pushed back at the top of the lane, came on in an excusable mile to be second and Dawnlikeslillies (Steve Wiseman) passed a tired Reno Rose to be third, another five lengths farther back.

“It was a very good mile for a 3-year-old Cal-bred versus the best older mares on the grounds,” finished Plano.

— Scott Ehrlich