from harness publicists across North America

Saturday’s (June 15) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Hoosier Park, Yonkers Raceway, The Meadows, Buffalo Raceway and Saratoga Casino and Raceway.

Rompaway Beau upsets in featured event at Hoosier Park

Anderson, IN — Rompaway Beau stepped back into the top class and took home top honors in the $24,000 conditioned trotting event at Hoosier Park Racing and Casino on Saturday. With Tyler Smith at the lines, Rompaway Beau notched his first win of the season in record setting fashion with a lifetime best effort of 1:53.4.

Linscott Photography

Rompaway Beau was a 1:53.4 winner on Saturday.

Leaving from post four, Rompaway Beau settled fourth along the rail while the nine horse field battled for early position through an opening panel in :27. ABC Mercedes would win the early battle and assume his regular position on the front, reaching the half-mile time in :55.4. Hava Kadabra and Ricky Macomber, Jr. were well placed in second while Prayer Session and Ed Hensley followed intently in third. Last week’s winner, Southwind Pepino, was well off the pace in eighth.

ABC Mercedes continued to call the shots around the three-quarter mark in 1:25 as the rest of the field closed in on the veteran trotter. It was a cavalry charge to the wire as the field spanned out across the track, but it was Rompaway Beau who would reach the wire first. With a :28.1 final panel, Rompaway Beau was able to hold off a hard charging Southwind Pepino who finished a game second. Hava Kadabra took advantage of a pocket trip to round out the trifecta.

As the public’s fourth choice, Rompaway Beau returned $9.20 to his backers for the upset. Trained by Krista Williams, Rompaway Beau scored the first win of his 7-year-old campaign and his 41st career victory from 128 lifetime outings. Sired by Chip Chip Hooray, Rompaway Beau has bankrolled more than $380,000 for his connections of Rompaway Farms LLC.

On the pacing side of the racing action, Paco Labrook continued his winning ways in the $24,000 featured pace with a sharp 1:50 score for driver/trainer Brad Hanners.

Paco Labrook notched his sixth win of the season as he pushed his seasonal earnings over the $100,000 mark. The 5-year-old gelding has amassed more than $480,000 in earnings from 50 lifetime starts. Owned by James Baucher, Paco Labrook has now recorded two consecutive victories in the top class at Hoosier Park.

— Emily Gaskin

Yonkers Raceway
First-up Shoobee’s Place (George Brennan) was razor-sharp Saturday night, winning Yonkers Raceway’s $46,000 Open Handicap Pace. Sitting chilly early from post position No. 4, Shoobee’s Place watched as the three inside entities — Eighteen (Mark MacDonald), even-money favorite Keystone Velocity (Dan Dube) and Pan From Nantucket (Brian Sears) — all took turns on a first-half lead (:27.1, :56.1). Shoobee’s Place prompted the people’s preference through a :27.2 third quarter (1:23.3), then put him away early in the lane. Shoobee’s Place went on to win by a comfy 1-3/4 lengths in a season’s-best 1:51. Eighteen showed good speed on both ends of the mile to grab second, while Pan From Nantucket and Fat Mans Alley (Larry Stalbaum) wound up in a heater for third. Shoobee’s Place, a homebred 6-year-old son of Artsplace owned by David McDuffee and trained by Nifty Norman, returned $10 (third choice) for his third win in 15 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $81, with the triples returning $164 (Pan From Nantucket third) and $351 (Fat Mans Alley third).

The Meadows
Magic Starlight made the lead with a quarter-pole move and rolled to a comfortable victory in Saturday’s $18,000 Filly & Mare Preferred Handicap Pace at The Meadows. Away third for Mike Wilder, Magic Starlight wrestled the lead from Do Me Honor and defeated her by a half-length in 1:52.4. Ole Miss rallied for show. Ron Burke trains the 4-year-old daughter of Real Desire-Starlight Justice, who has finished first or second in four straight starts, for Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi LLC and Phillip Collura. Burke and Aaron Merriman each fashioned a triple on the 12-race card.

Buffalo Raceway
Racsan Steve, a 7-year-old gelding by Three Olives, won the $11,000 Open Pace in a lifetime best 1:54.4 for owner Winfred Answeeney at Buffalo Raceway Saturday night. It was the seventh win in 20 attempts this year for Racsan Steve. The winner ($11.20), dismissed by the bettors at 9-2, settled in second from post one with Jack Flanigen in the bike as eventual second place finisher OK Braveheart (Shawn McDonough) cut all the fractions in the race, :28, :56.4 and 1:25.3. As the field hit the top of the stretch, Racsan Steve swung to the outside and with a :29 last quarter-mile nipped OK Braveheart by just a nose at the wire. Western Alumni (John Cummings, Jr.) came in third. Trained by Christopher Naedele, the $5,500 share of the purse put Racsan Steve’s season’s earnings at $45,155 and $124,382 lifetime. It was his 21st win in 142 lifetime starts. Ron Beback, Jr. led all drivers with three wins on the card.

Saratoga Casino and Raceway
Bet On Roulette (Bettor’s Delight) was up to the task on Saturday night as he recorded a 1:52.4 score in the evening’s featured Open Pace. Hall of Famer Wally Hennessey piloted the 7-year-old pacer for trainer Paul Kelley and moved the gelding to the lead in a sizzling opening quarter of :26.2. Bet On Roulette had plenty left for the stretch drive and scored impressively at odds of 3-1. Money Twitch A (Stephane Bouchard) hit the board for the sixth consecutive time and was the runner-up in the $20,000 Open while Recent News (Shawn Gray) earned the show spot. Bet On Roulette went over the quarter-million dollar mark in career earnings after his second victory of the season and 19th in 107 starts for his career.