from Harness Publicists across North America

Saturday’s (Jan. 2) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Dover Downs, Pompano Park and Cal-Expo.

S J Mr Prince, Foggy Lane K win Dover features

Dover, DE — S J Mr Prince won a tight photo and Foggy Lane K was an easy winner in the Dover Downs twin featured trots on a cold and blustery Saturday, Jan. 2.

Fotowon photo

S J Mr Prince defeated Over Ruled by a nose in the $14,000 Dover feature.

In an exciting three-horse finish, S J Mr Prince, apparently beaten nearing the wire, came back in the last stride to overtake Over Ruled (Eric Goodell), closing along the passing lane to win the $14,000 4- and 5-year-old trot by a long nose in 1:58.3. Bob Reeser leases, trains and drives the 4-year-old Prince Pine-Patti Morr gelding, a winner of three of his last four races. The Vatican (Corey Callahan) was a neck back in third.

Robert Key’s homebred Foggy Lane K started off the New Year on a winning note, coming from behind to score a 1:59 triumph in a $12,500 sub-featured trot. It was Corey Callahan’s third win on the card. Wayne Long trains the Lindy Lane-American Misty 5-year-old. Jon Win (Vince Copeland) overtook third-place finisher Vicki Gram (Art Stafford, Jr.) in mid-backstretch and led until the field entered the stretch before finishing second.

Capote, a recent acquisition by Ken Wood, Brian Gordon and Toby Rekoon, made his local debut a success as Ross Wolfenden recorded his second win of the day with a 1:53.2 victory in a $13,000 male pace. Capote, an altered son of Space Shuttle-Dynamite Dee, took the front early, shook off a bid by Idle Hour (Montrell Teague) on the backstretch, and then cruised home an easy winner with Grand Duke Hanover (Frank Milby) a convincing second. Idle Hour finished third.

— Marv Bachrad

Gale Warning gets the photo

Pompano Beach, FL — The top event of all 16 races contested on the January 2 double card at The Isle Pompano Park was the $13,000 Open Handicap Trot. After travelling a mile it took the photo finish camera to show Gale Warning, with Tom Sells in the bike, barely edging Andover America and Bruce Ranger right on the money.

Lap Time Photo – Skip Smith

Gale Warning rallied in the lane to win the Open Handicap Trot.

The top two finishers were actually back in the pack most of the way. Battleshoe Victor, with Anthony Napolitano in tow, posted the early fractions and held on for third after the ferocious late finishes by Gale Warning, coming from second over, and Andover America, splitting rivals after a following trip.

Gale Warning is trained by Michile Lorenzo for Ciro Gentile and Rod Lorenzo. The Strong Gale-Liz’s Promise gelding, now 7, was laid off for almost seven months last year after a sickness episode in the spring. He still managed to win four of 10 starts in that abbreviated 2009 campaign and his career earnings are now more than $334,000.

It was interesting to watch driver Tom Sells take Baseball Express to the starting gate in a $7,000 conditioned trot on the Saturday evening doubleheader, and the post race TV interview comments by trainer Mike Deters were just as compelling.

“He’s a peculiar horse and often keeps us holding our breath from the time the gate moves until the time it swings away,” Deters explained. “Basically, he (Baseball Express) insists on being his own man. If he’s on the gate you know you’re leaving…three men and a boy in the bike wouldn’t be able to duck him into a hole.”

For all of his quirks, there’s no disputing Baseball Express is talented and on his way back up the class ladder. The Conway Hall-Pine Booth gelding won comfortably in 1:57 this time out after capturing seven of 26 starts last year and took a Pompano speed mark of 1:55.3 for owner Kevin Burch. He’s now on a two race win streak and could soon be competing at the top class level in South Florida where he last appeared in late November.

— Frank Salive

All hail to Claudius Augustus at Cal-Expo

Sacramento, CA — Open handicap trotters, racing for a purse of $6,800, were featured at Cal-Expo on Saturday night, in which Claudius Augustus never looked back.

Prior to starting from his assigned post five in the field of a half-dozen, driver Steve Wiseman was respectful, while confident.

“I thought it was a pretty equally matched group of horses and we’d all been off about the same time (2-3 weeks),” said Wiseman. “But I figured on class alone that my horse should be able to prevail.”

Leaving and racing three-wide until entering the first turn, the 6-year-old cleared to the lead 3-16ths of a mile past the start into a :29 first quarter and into a :59.1 opening half-mile for his pleased pilot.

“He felt strong and very good at the half and I wasn’t concerned at all about anybody.”

Trotting an effortless :29 third quarter, Claudius Augustus reached the three-quarter marker in 1:28.1.

“He still felt real strong and I hadn’t even pulled the earplugs yet. I thought I had a good shot from there.”

Drawing clear with 3-16ths of a mile to go and expanding that margin to the seven-eighths pole, Wiseman points out he was simply a passenger.

“He’s all class and was opening up on his own.”

Yet to be asked with a sixteenth of a mile to go, Wiseman took a look back and saw Calzone (Rich Wojcio) flying. Was he concerned?

“I know Calzone can come home final quarters pretty strong, but all I had to do was give a couple of wheel-disc shots to my horse to keep his attention.”

Owned by Debbie Budahn and trained by Bob Johnson, Claudius Augustus responded when asked late by Wiseman and won ($3.20) by two lengths in 1:57, thus recording his 15th career triumph in just a limited 33 starts. Calzone closed very nicely to be second and TV Mom (Lemoyne Svendsen), who sat a pocket to the winner, finished another 1-1/4 lengths back in third.

“It was a very good race for him, especially for not having raced in three weeks. I’m very fortunate that I’m able to drive him and I thank Debbie (Budahn) and Bobby (Johnson) both,” finished Wiseman.

— Scott Ehrlich