from harness publicists across North America

Saturday’s (June 4) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Pompano Park, Saratoga Casino and Raceway, Vernon Downs, Tioga Downs, Buffalo Raceway, Cal Expo and Scioto Downs.

Sugar’s Pride lights up the toteboard in Pompano feature

Pompano Beach, FL — The trend of double digit longshot winners in the Saturday evening pacing feature continued on the June 4 program at The Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park.

Lap Time Photo — Skip Smith

Sugar’s Pride edged past race favorite Four Starz Bling in the $14,000 feature on Saturday at The Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park.

A ground saving trip from third on the inside proved to be the winning tactic for Sugar’s Pride as he collared the favored pacesetter Four Starz Bling in rein to Wally Hennessey. Chuck Connor, Jr. waited until mid-stretch to fan out widest with Sugar’s Pride, a 7-year-old All American Ingot-Cherchez La Femme gelding, to stop the clock in 1:52.1.

Four Starz Bling set all the pace in :27.2, :56.2, and 1:24.2 and disposed of the first over bid of C A Marauder (driven by Richard Simard) but he could not hold off the late brush of Sugar’s Pride. Four Starz Bling did hold the place position and D’Artagnan (with Veral Bowman in the bike) brushed in sharply for third.

It was the 25th career win for Sugar’s Pride to increase his lifetime earnings to $234,049. Gerald Greer handles the training duties for the Pilgrim Stable of Pompano Beach, Fla.

It was the second straight week for a big odds upset in the top weekly pacing class at The Winter Capital of Harness Racing as Sugar’s Pride was sent off at 13-1. Last week Maxine’s Menace won the $14,000 event at a 15-1 mutuel price.

— Frank Salive

Saratoga Casino and Raceway
Future Character became an Open Pace winner for the first time at Saratoga Casino and Raceway on Saturday night. Rick Dane, Jr. trains and drives the 7-year-old son of Shady Character who is in the midst of the best stretch of his season. After romping in the Open Two by better than seven lengths in 1:52 for his first local win a few weeks back, Future Character was the runner-up in last Saturday night’s Open to Real Nice. This week, with regular Open favorite Rare Jewel scratched, Future Character was the even money favorite and certainly raced like he was worthy of being the public’s choice. Moving first over at the half and benefiting from a fast first lap that went in :56, Future Character powered away in the stretch to record the 1:53.2 victory in the night’s $16,000 Open Pace. Front running Allamerican Daddy (Vincent Ginsburg) held strong in the stretch to finish second while Dollars Bromac N (Mark Beckwith) hung on for third.

Vernon Downs
The steady going pacer Mystical Valentine delivered a seamless 1:52.3 performance while winning Saturday night’s $10,000 featured 10th race at Vernon Downs. Frank Milby, steering for trainer Dave Dewhurst, sent Mystical Valentine ($6.90) to the front from the word “Go” and kept the 5-year-old bay gelding in command through splits of :27.1, :57.2 and 1:26 en route to a 1-1/2 length tally in the week’s Open-1 Pace. It was the second score in succession and the fourth at the 21-program meeting for the son of Dream Work-Sneakheravalentine, who is owned by Philip Hale. The strong showing tied the career winner of 19 races and $282,277 at four with fellow sidewheelers Rosa Villa and Johnny Midnight for most equine tallies at the Downs thus far in 2011.

Tioga Downs
Trainer Tyler Raymer and driver Jimmy Marohn, Jr. made a clean sweep of the opening leg of the William Auto Trot on Saturday night at Tioga Downs. In the first division, Hoboken Sonny went right down the road through fractions of :29, :57.4 and 1:26.4 before opening up on the field and drawing clear to win in 1:55.4. Westside Lindy (Howard Parker) got up for second, while The Count (Greg Grismore) was third. It was the third win in five seasonal starts for the 4-year-old son of S J’s Photo–Yankee Minuet who is owned by Harbor Racing Stable. The second division looked almost identical to the first division as Marohn wasted no time getting P L Conjure to the front and was never pressured through fractions of :27.3, :57.2 and 1:25.3 before trotting away from the field to a new seasonal best of 1:54.3. It was the fourth win of the year in 12 starts for the 5-year-old son of Kadabra–Avie Hanover for the ownership group of Raymer, Solomon and Moss. Polar Rail (Ed Hensley) got up in the final strides despite a tough first over trip, while The Kentuckian (Greg Merton) got third.

Buffalo Raceway
Young reinsman Chris Page is certainly making a name for himself driving exclusively for Ken and Sherry Holiday this year at Buffalo Raceway. On Saturday night, Page steered home six winners, including the $10,000 Open Handicap Pace, where Bruener, a 5-year-old Hot Pans gelding out of the King Gypsy mare Queen Starlet, won in 1:55.3 for owner Joseph Kilburg. It was the fifth win this season for Bruener, who has 27 lifetime wins in 82 attempts. Dismissed by the bettors at 7-1, Bruener ($17.20), leaving from post five in the field of eight, made every pole a winning one, cutting fractions of :28.1, :57 and 1:26.1. A :29.2 last quarter-mile put Bruener 2-1/4 lengths ahead of second place finisher Most Happy Rider (Kevin Cummings) at the finish line. Spode To Be Black (Jim McNeight) came in the show spot. The meet’s leading trainer Sherry Holliday trains Bruener, whose clocking establishes a new season’s mark. The $5,000 share of the purse put Bruener’s season’s bankroll at $31,375 and $90,039 lifetime.

Cal Expo
A field of four reduced from six as a result of two key scratches were featured at Cal Expo over a sloppy oval on Saturday night for a purse of $3,400, in which Red Star Popeye won in game fashion. Claimed out of a $2,500 claiming race on May 20 by Lisa Ehrlich, the Bob Johnson trained and Lemoyne Svendsen driven gelding, off a perfect trip, won ($9.40) by a nose in 1:57.2. Western So fought hard while finishing in second and Satire finished a length farther back in third.

Scioto Downs
An electrical storm with torrential rains and high winds swept over Scioto Downs on Saturday night, knocking out a nearby power grid. That forced Scioto to cancel its 10-race card after just four events. In the evening’s third race, Stubbysleisureguy came from far back to win by a length in 1:54.3. Starting from post 10 in the second tier, the pacer tipped three-wide in the final turn to overtake favored Goin Home Ray. The winner is trained by Eddie Poling and was driven to victory by Kayne Kauffman. The 7-year-old gelding is owned by Shawn Wright and Jacob Ferguson.