from Harness Publicists across North America

Sunday’s (Jan. 24) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Dover Downs and Cal-Expo.

Russ’s Ztam, Four Starz Molly win Sunday features at Dover

Dover, DE — Russ’s Ztam closed with a rush at 24-1 to win the $16,500 4- and 5-year-old pace while Four Starz Molly won the $14,500 4- and 5-year-old mares pace on Sunday at Dover Downs.

Fotowon photo

Russ’s Ztam was a 1:52.2 winner on Sunday at Dover.

George Dennis turned Russ’s Ztam loose at the top of the stretch and the 4-year-old Sportsmaster-Prissy Lady gelding flew past battling leader No Kisses Knowmore (Mike Cole), the second place finisher, and Debs Mack (Tony Morgan), who was third, for a 1:52.2 lifetime best victory in the $16,500 feature. Dave McCaffery trains and co-owns the winner with Z Tam Racing.

Corey Callahan picked up his second win, guiding Four Starz Molly to victory in 1:54.3 in the distaff feature for young pacers. George Teague trains the Four Starzz Shark-Bolero Tam Tam mare for Four Starzzz Stable. Sweet Sobrina (Jon Roberts) held on for second with Red Light N Blue (Tony Morgan) third.

— Marv Bachrad

Easter Call has eggs in winning basket at Cal-Expo

Sacramento, CA — Claiming trotters, racing for a purse of $3,200 over a track listed as ‘good,’ were featured at Cal-Expo on Sunday night, in which Easter Call won for the 33rd time in his career.

Leaving and racing four wide for an eighth of a mile from post position six in the field of the same number, then racing three and two wide until being left uncovered to the quarter-mile pole, timed in :30.1, the 9-year-old didn’t clear a testy lead until the 5-16ths pole. Was there reason for worry from his pilot?

“I was absolutely concerned because of all the horses that left,” stated driver Jim Lackey. “My horse and Ailene’s Prince (Rick Plano) got a little chewed up in the first turn and my horse had to work to get the lead.”

Hitting the brakes once on the lead, Lackey was able to give his charge a :31.1 second quarter breather while reaching the half-mile station in 1:01.2. With the field now less than a half-mile from home, Lackey was cautiously preparing. Asking his trotter via whip taps and moderate wheel-disc urging through most of the final turn and leading by 1-3/4 lengths midway through the final bend, Lackey’s message would soon finally reach its destination.

“Once he finally got the idea and I pulled the earplugs at the three-quarters (1:31), then it seemed like he was giving whatever he had.”

Still under continuous wheel-disc urging, Easter Call responded fully at the head of the lane and opened up by two lengths. Holding pretty firm to win ($5.00) by 1-3/4 lengths, the Mark Anderson owned and trained trotter stopped the timer at 2:00. Ailene’s Prince finished in second, and Frankie’s Pride (Luke Plano) finished just a nose farther back in third.

“The horse seems to have re-found his form in the last two weeks and it was a good race for him,” finished Lackey.

— Scott Ehrlich