Racing Roundup: Thunder Steeler steals the show at Hoosier
April 27, 2013,from harness publicists across North America
Saturday’s Racing Roundup features stories from Hoosier Park, Mohegan Sun at Pocono, Vernon Downs, The Meadows, Buffalo Raceway and Saratoga Harness.
Thunder Steeler steals the show at Hoosier
Anderson, IN — Thunder Steeler made his presence felt in the late stages of the $24,000 Invitational pace at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino as he rallied sharply to take home top honors in the featured event on Saturday (Apr 27). Shipping in from Balmoral Park, the 4-year-old gelding’s 1:50.1 victory marks the fastest mile over Hoosier Park’s oval thus far into the 2013 meet.
Lawrence Van Garrett photo
Thunder Steeler paced the fastest mile this season at Hoosier Park (1:50.1) in the Invitational Pace on Saturday night.
As the gate closed, Ricky Macomber Jr. and I Trust You attempted to get a quick jump on their rivals as they left alertly from post six, however, Paco Labrook and Brad Hanners had the same idea from post nine. The front end was the coveted spot as the early fractions of :27.0 and :55.1 saw much movement. Unable to find position along the rail, Thunder Steeler and Dillander pressed on to the front and reached the top spot as the tightly knit field of ten continued down the backside. Thunder Steeler sprinted to a 1:22.1 third quarter spilt and waited for the cavalry charge from behind as they turned for home. Uncle Smoothie and Sam Widger were in the outer flow with Sammy’s Cool Win and Trace Tetrick in tow. Dillander asked Thunder Steeler for more and he responded with a :28.0 final panel to hold off a hard charging Paco Labrook. Sammy’s Cool Win rallied from off the pace to get up for the third place finish. As the publics’ choice, I Trust You overcame traffic trouble to finish fourth. Thunder Steeler returned $6.60 to his backers for the victory.
Sired by Lis Mara, Thunder Steeler has now won six of ten seasonal starts with over $40,000 on his card in 2013. Owned by Uncirculated Stable and Frank Smyth, the 4-year-old gelding is trained by Donna Lee Ozment. Bred by Concord Stud Farm, Thunder Steeler has now won nine of 30 lifetime starts while amassing over $120,000 lifetime.
On the trotting side of things, Abc Mercedes continued his winning ways in the $24,000 Invitational trot with a sharp, front-running effort for driver/trainer Trace Tetrick.
Abc Mercedes notched his third consecutive victory for the season as he pushed his seasonal earnings over $30,000. The 8-year-old gelding has amassed over $1 million in earnings for owner Larry Miller of Springport, IN. Sired by Abc Garland, Abc Mercedes has won a remarkable 59 times in 106 lifetime outings. With over $1 million in purse earnings, the Indiana standout finds himself in elite company as he ranks as the richest trotter in Indiana history.
The season at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino continues to trend in a positive direction with all-sources handle showing a 17% increase for the first 20 days of the meet.
— Emily Gaskin
Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs
Beatgoeson Hanover put together a stellar effort to win a condition trot on Saturday night at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs and matched a track record for aged trotting mares in the process. The race, a condition for non-winner of $22,500 in the last five starts, carried a purse of $21,000. Leaving from post position #2 in a field of nine as the 2-1 second choice, Beatgoeson Hanover (Andover Hall-Beat The Wheel), a 5-year-old mare trained by Nifty Norman and owned by Neven Botica of Australia, sat fourth early as Dontgetinhisway cut out the opening quarter. Driver Ron Pierce sent the mare on a first-over journey on the Pocono front stretch and had the lead at the half. Beatgoeson Hanover did the rest from there, keeping everyone at bay and powering home for the win by 1-1/4 lengths over Dontgetinhisway. Tui picked up the show. The winning time of 1:52:1 matched the Pocono track record for 4-year-old and over mares on the trot, which was established by Brighten Up in 2010. It was also a career mark for Beatgoeson Hanover, who won for the first time in five tries this season and for the 20th time in her career, giving her lifetime earnings of $982,500. Saturday night was a good night for the pacers as well at Pocono, as horses took advantage of the excellent weather and fast surface to post several impressive times. Pence Hanover, with Andrew McCarthy in the bike for Aaron Lambert, won the $25,000 Preferred pace in 1:49:4, while Steelhead Hanover, trained and driven by Joe Pavia Jr., won a condition pace earlier in the night in 1:49:1. Driver Ron Pierce had the hot hand with six wins through the first 14 races on the card.
Vernon Downs
To Beach His Own re-set the Vernon Downs current speed standard to 1:50.4 with his dominating victory in Saturday night’s 10th race as driver/trainer Ray Schnittker completed a second-leg sweep of the new Anthony J. Farina Memorial Pacing Series. Schnittker, who captured the opening Farina flight with Red Rock in race one, roared back in the final elimination round with To Beach His Own to not only pin a fresh win mark on the fleet-footed youngster, but also come within 3/5ths-of-a-second of the track’s record for 3-year-old gelding pacers. The sizzling score was the first win in six current outings and the second lifetime tally for the bay son of Rocknroll Hanover-Beachy Lady, who is shared in ownership by Schnittker, Theodore Gewertz, Dean Davis and Steven Arnold. Schnittker, who has recorded three doubles at the six night meet, is also a partner, with Dr. John M. Egloff, in Red Rock, who secured a 1:52.2 win-mark and his third triumph in four season’s outings. Two of the sophomore gelding’s tallies have come in the Farina series. Earlier in Saturday’s 13-race program, the pacers Ourea Nourrir and Western Trademark had each lowered the track’s current speed standard to 1:51.4 with their respective scores in races six and nine. Veteran trainer Tracy Brainard harnessed three Saturday winners, the trotter Tioga Thunder (1:56.3), as well as the pacers Ourea Nourrir and Our Ella (1:55.1).
The Meadows
On April 20 at The Meadows, Paulette Revere stalked Unefoisdansmavie from the pocket, then brushed by her in the lane to capture the Filly & Mare Preferred Handicap Trot. On Saturday, it was déjà vu all over again, as Paulette Revere once more used a pocket trip and the Lightning Lane to defeat Unefoisdansmavie by a neck in 1:55.2 and take the $22,500 top distaff trot. RT Sun Poco finished third. Mike Wilder drove the 5-year-old daughter of Victory Sam-Hopeful Joy, who won for the 18th time in 2012-2013, for trainer Mike Palone and owner Brian Gillespie. Elsewhere on the card, Beach Memories romped to victory in a NW5 event in 1:50.2, fastest this year by a 3-year-old gelding on a five-eighths-mile track. Dave Palone piloted the son of Somebeachsomewhere-Allamerican Memoir for trainer Brian Brown and owners Strollin Stable, AWS Stables, King McNamara and Country Club Acres. It was one of four wins on the 12-race card for Palone.
Buffalo Raceway
It was déjà vu all over again for Adelia’s Prince, a 7-year-old Allamerican Native gelding, as he won the $11,000 Open Pace in the exact same time of 1:55.1, just like he did last week, for owner Russell Trumbo Russell, of Harrisburg, PA, here at Buffalo Raceway Saturday night (April 27). It was the fourth win in nine attempts this year for Adelia’s Prince. With the scratch of number one What The Sheik, Adelia’s Prince ($6.30) and reinsman Jim McNeight found themselves leaving from the rail in the field of seven. Fantasy Pan (James Dunn) left sharply from post two and set all the fractions in the race, :28.2, :57.4, and 1:26.2. As the field hit the top of the stretch, McNeight swung Adelia’s Prince to the inside passing lane, just like he did last week, and with a :28.3 last quarter-mile beat second place finisher Machman (Ray Fisher, Jr.) by 1-1/4 lengths at the finish line. King Otra (Shawn McDonough) came in third. Trained by Brenda Ohol, the $5,500 share of the winning purse put Adelia’s Prince’s season’s earnings at $19,662 and $82,633 lifetime.
Saratoga Harness
May Day made his local debut a winning one last Saturday night for trainer Ron Ingrassia and driver Jimmy Devaux. On Saturday night, the 3-year-old rising star took on the Open pace at Saratoga for the first time and proved up to the task. May Day (Modern Art) marched out to the early lead in the $20,000 Open Pace and did not look back. Despite setting fast fractions along the way, the sophomore pacer had plenty left for the stretch run and wound up stopping the timer in 1:52.1, matching his career mark that he set last week at the Spa. The win time also matched his previous effort for the fastest of the season thus far at the Spa. Western Victory (Jim Hardy) charged hard for second in the feature while Long Fight Hanover grabbed the third spot.