from harness publicists across North America

Friday’s (June 17) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Yonkers Raceway, Hoosier Park, Tioga Downs, Vernon Downs, Scioto Downs, Saratoga Casino and Raceway and Cal Expo.

T J’s Mr Lavec scores in Yonkers Open

Yonkers, NY — T J’s Mr Lavec (Jason Bartlett) skimmed the cones Friday night, winning Yonkers Raceway’s $43,000 Open Handicap Trot.

Tom Berg photo

T J’s Mr Lavec scored in 2:02.4 in the Open Handicap Trot.

Leaving from post position No. 6, T J’s Mr Lavec was nowhere to be found early as Coach Fox (Larry Stalbaum) was a horse on a mission. He vaulted through intervals of :27.3, :55.3 and 1:24.1, with 19-10 choice Flex The Muscle (Jeff Gregory) chasing from the pocket. However, the wheels began to wobble in and out of the final turn, company was coming in mid-stretch and the two leaders were gasping.

T J’s Mr Lavec took the short way, with KLM Express (Jim Marshall III) arriving overland. The former and latter had all the momentum past the 1:55.3 mile, with T J’s Mr Lavec prevailing by a half-length in 2:02.4 for the mile and one-sixteenth. Whata Winner (Jim Doherty), Cold Winner (Daniel Dube) and I Know Magic (Eric Goodell) grabbed the remainder.

T J’s Mr Lavec, a 7-year-old Mr Lavec gelding trained by Scott Blackler for co-owners Beverly and Gary Paganelli, Allen Kaplan and Leon Schickman, returned $15.40 (fourth choice) for his third win in 13 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $121.50, the triple returned $527 and the superfecta paid $5,732.

Friday night’s co-featured $43,000 Filly and Mare Open Handicap Pace saw Ramona Disomma (George Brennan) rally from third-over.

Leaving from post No.5, Ramona Disomma was in no early hurry, watching as Symphony In Motion (Gregory) made the lead around Bet The Ranch (Cat Manzi). After a :27 opening quarter and :56.1 half, outside assignees Monochromatic (Jim Pantaleano) and 4-5 fave Tomorrowpan (Dube) — sitting fourth and fifth, respectively — made their second moves.

Monochromatic engaged the leader going toward the 1:24.2 three-quarters, with Tomorrowpan three-deep. However, Symphony In Motion maintained a two length lead turning for home. That’s when Tomorrowpan made an ugly break.

Undaunted, Ramona Disomma went wide around that one and kept going. Sixth off the final turn, she collared the pacesetter after the 1:53.1 mile marker, winning by three-quarters of a length and getting the added distance in 2:00.3. Bet The Ranch, Sold Out (Patrick Lachance) and Monochromatic completed the cashers.

Ramona Disomma, a 6-year-old homebred daughter of Pacific Fella owned by Anatolia Racing Stable and trained by Jake Hartline, returned $15.80 (third choice) for her fourth win in 23 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $118.50, with the triple returning $1,119.

— Frank Drucker

Hoosier Park
Hoponit and driver Peter Wrenn surprised a field of nine in the featured $24,000 Fillies and Mares Open Pace at Hoosier Park on Friday. The duo closed in quickly late in the race to win by three-quarters of a length in a time of 1:52.4, a new lifetime mark. Wrenn had Hoponit in a slow gear at the start of the race, getting away in mid pack as race favorite Go On BB and Ricky Macomber rallied to the lead. Fractions of :27, :56 and 1:24.3 were placed on the board before Hoponit came up to Go On BB’s wheel and posed a threat for the front. In the stretch, Hoponit kept digging in gamely and eventually took control of the race, only to find another fight brewing as last week’s winner, Sugar Nips and Mark Evers, inched closer to the leaders. In the end, Hoponit was able to hold off all challengers for the win over Sugar Nips. Ultimate Velocity and Trent Stohler used their usual late rush to move into third. Owned by Don and Rosie Eash’s Eash Racing Stable, Hoponit moved over the $200,000 mark in career earnings. The 4-year-old daughter of Kingsbridge now has 13 career wins and three for the year under the conditioning of Don Eash. Hoponit paid $31.00 to win.

Tioga Downs
It was finally Leanback Coco’s night on Friday in the $16,500 Fillies and Mares Open Handicap Pace. In the last five starts at Tioga Downs in the Open Leanback Coco had been twice on two occasions and third on three. However, regular pilot Phil Fluet put the 8-year- old mare in perfect striking position second over behind the first over Lizzie’s Dream, chasing down Slomotion on the front. As the field tipped off the final turn and headed down the stretch Fluet fanned Leanback Coco four wide to win by a head in a new seasonal best of 1:55.2 over a track rated sloppy. Lizzie’s Dream (Michael Merton) held tough for second, while late closing Hello Great Mate (Lewayne Miller) found some room on the pylons to get third. The win was the second of the year for the 8-year-old daughter of Cambest–Racin For Angie for trainer-owner Ken Anderson. With the victory Leanback Coco increased her seasonal earnings to more than $52,000. Jimmy Marohn, Jr. posted a driving triple on the night’s 11-race card and gets within one of leading driver Ed Hensley for the top spot.

Vernon Downs
The speedy veteran Scorpion Moon recorded the fastest trotting mile of the season (1:53.4) en route to his 78th career victory in Friday night’s $10,000 featured ninth race at Vernon Downs. Leaving from the outside nine post, Scorpion Moon ($5.00) shot right to the front and beat back all challenges on the way to a 1-3/4 length decision over the pocket-sitting Aruba Vacation in the week’s Open-1 trotting contest. Jack Rice did the steering for trainer Tracy Brainard as the 10-year-old son of Armbro Scorpion-Angies Nugget logged his second win at the meet and raised his career earnings to more than $859,000. Brainard owns the bay battler along with Andrew Herzog. Brainard, the defending training champ, earned another first place credit when the trotter Queen Creek that she also owns with Herzog captured the evening’s 10th race in a lifetime best 1:55.1 performance for driver Frank Milby.

Scioto Downs
Elleofnxample won the featured Fillies and Mares Open for pacers at Scioto Downs on Friday night in a sizzling 1:52.2, defeating TT’s Little Lass and Shell I Attack. Dan Noble, the track’s leading driver, steered the 5-year-old for leading trainer Virgil Morgan, Jr. and Gerrie Tucker. The daughter of N Xample out of Farline Hanover by Big Towner was making her first start for trainer Morgan. She defeated a field of six rivals in the evening’s fifth race by 6-3/4 lengths after surging to the lead during the third quarter and leaving her rivals in the dust. Shell I Attack and driver J.D. Wengerd had the early speed in the race and TT’s Little Lass sat on her back. Then the winner blew past both of them with a third quarter faster than :27. TT’s Little Lass rallied to edge Shell I Attack for second. It was the second win in five starts this season for Elleofnxample. She was sent off at 3-2 odds. Earlier on the 10-race card, driver J.D. Wengerd piloted his trotter Not To Be Denied to an eight length triumph in 1:57.1.

Saratoga Casino and Raceway
It was a big night for driver-trainer Brian Cross on Friday night at Saratoga Casino and Raceway. The longtime Saratoga regular is in the midst of another solid campaign at the Spa and had one of his best evening’s on Friday. Cross piloted three winners on the trotting heavy card, two of which were Cross trainees, and all three secured lifetime marks. Claiming trotter Rose Run Hot Rod was coming off of back-to-back second place finishes when he went wire-to-wire for Cross in the evening’s seventh race. The win time of 1:58.3 served as a lifetime mark for the 8-year-old son of Armbro Laser. Cross claimed Rose Run Hot Rod in April and has enjoyed two wins and three seconds with the veteran trotter in six starts since acquiring him. Alexa’s Pride (Village Jolt) made her lifetime debut on Friday night. The Cross trained 2-year-old wasted no time in breaking her maiden, making every pole a winning one and hanging on for a 1:59 score. Cross completed his hat trick by catch driving the Maureen Salino trained Triple Tab (Cantab Hall) to a career best 1:59, down the road score, opening up late to win by a commanding six lengths. Cross currently sits in fifth in the driving standings at Saratoga.

Cal Expo
A “friendly” trip and 990 feet of homestretch worked out very well for Amigo De Garcia and driver Luke Plano. Conditioned-claiming pacers were featured at Cal Expo on Friday night, in which Amigo De Garcia won for the third time in his last four outings. Getting up on the wire, the Robley Johnson owned and trained gelding won ($4.80) by a neck in 1:56.1, a lifetime best. Achy Breaky Art had to settle for the place honors and Spoons finished two lengths farther back in third.