Shaker Rei scores again at Rosecroft

Ft washington, MD — Owner-trainer-driver John Gazzerro added the 5-year-old mare Shaker Rei to his stable late in the summer and hoped she would fit into the conditions that Rosecroft Raceway would have during the Fall 2012 meet.

The mare showed immediate improvement for Gazzerro in a bottom level conditioned race on September 18 when she charged up first over and continued to advance to the wire when second. In her next start she moved up in class, faced the boys and got shuffled completely out of the race but passed a couple late.

On October 2 Shaker Rei drew the rail and alertly left, grabbed the two hole and was along in time for the lifetime mark setting score in 1:56.3, once again facing males. Gazzerro then dropped her in a higher class but one restricted to the ladies. Shaker Rei faced the classy GE’s Alex in this one but once again unleashed a furious rally to score while equaling her lifetime mark.

The following week Rosecroft was able to card a Winners Over for the ladies. Shaker Rei sat patiently and closed solidly to just miss against the absolutely white-hot Rocket Rosy who was winning her fifth in a row. The next week Shaker Rei tried if first over against a well rated Rocket Rosy and was closing late but unable to reach Rocket Rosy, who scored win six in a row.

This week Rocket Rosy shipped to Harrah’s Philadelphia and the Filly and Mares Winners Over didn’t fill. Gazzerro decided to try racing against the boys again, but the move didn’t appear to be working when she drew the seven post.

As Dr Lon and Frank Milby were hard used to make the lead and under hounding pressure (:27.1, :56.2 and 1:25.2) the entire mile, Shaker Rei sat patiently last, 11 lengths back at the quarter, almost nine back at the half and then began to reel in the field as it hit the final turn, Shaker Rei then angled four wide and unleashed a lethal final eighth to gun down the entire field despite having to mildly alter course in the stretch.

After the win in a lifetime mark setting 1:54.4, Gazzerro remarked, “I’m the oldest driver competing here tonight and it’s nice to have a horse like this so that I can be competitive.”

Gazzerro even managed to pose in the final strides as he and Shaker Rei had circled the solid field.

In other Rosecroft results, drivers Justin Vincent and Frank Milby had driving triples, while Mark Gray had a driving double.

Monticello Raceway
Talk about consistency. How about the seasonal resumes of a pair of pacers owned by the Baron Racing Stable who were both victorious on Nov. 13 at Monticello Raceway. Art Glass, a 7-year old Art Major gelding, scored his 16th victory of the season, stopping the clock in 1:58.1 while stablemate Arts Day, a 10-year-old Artsplace gelding, notched his 14th victory of the year, winning in 1:58.2. Both pacers are trained by Pete Pellegrino and were two of driver Greg Merton’s four winners on the card. But a closer examination of each of the aforementioned horses’ statistics shows that along with his 16 wins, Art Glass also recorded eight seconds and two thirds in 35 starts. Likewise, Arts Day’s 14 wins are supplemented by six seconds and three thirds in 31 seasonal outings. The latter has earned $33,636 while the former’s yearly bankroll is $40,928. But Pellegrino’s fortunes extend far beyond this pair of horses. Court Jester, who’ll be presented with the Mighty M’s Horse of the Year honors at the Monticello-Goshen Chapter USHWA’s 54th annual awards banquet on Nov. 18, has won 10 times in 20 starts including an unprecedented — at Monticello Raceway — five consecutive victories in 1:54.3 or faster. He, too, is owned by the Baron Racing Stable. At the current meeting Pellegrino has won 106 races in just 250 trips to the post. Still, with about one-third the amount of starts he’s seriously challenging Gary Messenger for leading trainer honors.