from Harness Publicists across North America

Editor’s Note: The USTA Newsroom is pleased to debut “Racing Roundup,” a daily look at overnight result stories from the sport of harness racing.

Thursday’s (July 10) inaugural edition of Racing Roundup features result stories from Saratoga, Harrah’s Chester, The Meadows, Vernon Downs, Cal-Expo, Scioto Downs and Ocean Downs, as well as Billings results from the Afton Fair.

Whycantiforgetyou equals track record at Saratoga

Saratoga Springs, NY — Whycantiforgetyou equaled the Saratoga Gaming and Raceway track record for a 4-year-old pacing mare on Thursday when stopping the timer in 1:53.1 to take the featured $15,000 Fillies and Mares Open Pace for the second straight time.

Dave Oxford photo

Whycantiforgetyou equaled the track record for a 4-year-old pacing mare when taking the $15,000 Fillies and Mares Open Pace at Saratoga Gaming and Raceway in 1:53.1.

Driven from post four by Frank Coppola, Jr., Whycantiforgetyou was not content to settle through the early stages of the Thursday feature, battling with Maranello N (Jim Devaux) through an opening quarter in :27.1 before clearing the front to cut middle fractions of :56 and 1:24.3.

After turning back a moderate first-over challenge from Dandy’s Jewel (Brian Allen), Whycantiforgetyou entered the stretch with a one length lead, and the result was never in peril as the daughter of The Panderosa sprinted clear of her rivals to score by two lengths at the wire.

Whycantiforgetyou returned $3.00, $2.50, and $2.10 for the victory. Dandy’s Jewel paid $3.10 and $3.10 for second, while Maranello N brought in $2.80 for third.

Owned by Sotirios Anastasopoulos and trained by Kelly Clark, Whycantiforgetyou has prevailed in five of 10 starts this year, with a career record of 15 victories from 48 outings and a lifetime bankroll in excess of $236,000.

Whycantiforgetyou’s winning time of 1:53.1 matched the previous track record for a 4-year-old pacing mare that was set by The Isle Of Pan on June 7, 2008. The Isle Of Pan, incidentally, crossed the wire fifth in the Thursday feature.

— Mike Costanzo

Chester Open to Four Starz Robro

Chester, PA — The Thursday afternoon feature at Harrah’s Chester — the $40,000 Open Trot — saw Gabby Glide make his 2008 seasonal debut. However, the prohibitive 4-5 favorite came up short to Four Starz Robro ($20.80) in a 1:55.2 mile.

Tony Morgan sent the 6-year-old Conway Hall stallion immediately to the front, with early speed as well from Ripped (Greg Grismore) and Angelo Kosmos (Daniel Dube). After a quarter of :28, Four Starz Robro faced constant pressure, with Jabez (George Napolitano, Jr.) making an extended first-over bid and Gabby Glide (David Miller) sweeping three-wide up the backstretch. After reaching the three-quarters in 1:25.4, these three were practically on level terms, before Jabez began to fade at the head of the stretch.

The battle continued through the final 150 yards between Four Starz Robro and Gabby Glide, with Ripped tipping to the open stretch. Despite racing all-out in the final strides, Four Starz Robro prevailed by a half-length. Gabby Glide was second and Ripped finished third.

Judy Welty trains Four Starz Robro for owner Kelley Rogers.

— James Witherite-Rieg

Stately Art scores in Meadows Series opening leg

Meadow Lands, PA — Stately Art worked out a winning second-over trip to capture a division of the Watson Provost Pace for freshman colts and geldings on Thursday at The Meadows. The series was named for the late Watson Provost, longtime Meadows trainer and one of the pioneering group that helped found the track in 1963.

Stately Art, who sharpened up for the series with three starts in Pennsylvania Fair stakes, moved behind Promiscuous under Brian Zendt’s urging. She drew clear late to down that rival by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:56.2. D I Hanover was a closing third.

Robert Krenitsky trains the Arturo-Stately colt and owns with Barbara Krenitsky. Stately Art has been first or second in all four career starts.

Chanels Dragon (Dragon Again-Chanel Dene) and Mattifioso (Western Ideal-Mattmoiselle) captured other $8,000 divisions of the series opening leg.

In the $23,000 Preferred Handicap Trot, Dyno Trevor used a powerful first-up move for Mike Wilder to fashion a victory in 1:56 over Green Dot and Show Me The Monet. The 8-year-old son of Conway Hall pushed his career bankroll to $313,893. Roy Mac Davis trains Dyno Trevor for Brent Davis.

— Evan Pattak

Desperatehousewife captures Vernon feature

Vernon, NY — Driver Todd Ratchford and the high-class trotter Desperatehousewife each earned their second appearance in the winner’s circle at Vernon Downs following a fast-closing 1:57 effort in the track’s $10,000 eighth event on Thursday night.

Leaving from the outside post against five tough and talented rivals, Desperatehousewife rallied from fourth in the early going to second at the top of the stretch, then powered though the lane to record a one length triumph in the week’s top Miracle Mile class for diagonally gaited equines.

A 1:56.3 winner here on June 26, Desperatehousewife now sports a 2-5-4 summary line and earnings of $39,610 after 19 current outings for owners Jean MacDonell, Carol Campbell, Wayne Corini and Scott Jaconetty.

Ratchford also conditions the career winner of $237,884.

— Jim Moran

Hitchiker makes it eight in-a-row at Cal-Expo

Sacramento, CA — Winners over handicap trotters, racing for a $7,700 purse, were featured at Cal-Expo on Thursday night, in which Hitchiker was superlative.

Assigned the outside in the field of five, driver Etienne Desomer had an idea that he felt could strengthen his speedy charge when it counted.

“Going into the race, I was actually thinking of racing him from behind because I simply just wanted him to finish stronger,” said Desomer. “But when Easter Call (Rocky Stidham) made a break behind the gate, I decided to get around everybody and go for the lead.”

Hitchiker was on top at each of the quarters, then opened up the lead in the lane to win ($2.80) by 5-1/4 lengths in 1:56.4. I Look Special finished in second and Jam And Jelly finished one length farther back in third.

Bred and owned by the Desomer Stables, and trained by Vickie Desomer, Hitchiker would record his 18th victory in just 23 career starts, of which the last four were this year, and the previous four were covered over the final three months of 2007.

“He was very strong down the stretch and raced very well,” Desomer said.

— Scott Ehrlich

Two in a row for Letscallhimjoe

Columbus, OH — Letscallhimjoe won the Thursday night feature at Scioto Downs for the second consecutive week, this time trotting his mile in 1:59.3. The sophomore son of Broadway Hall has now won three of his eight starts this season.

Driver Darin Mouser sent Letscallhimjoe to the lead at the start and never relinquished it. The colt hit the wire 2-1/2 lengths ahead of Mr Cruise with Boy Meets Grill getting up for third. The winner paid $7.40.

Letscallhimjoe is trained by John R. Eades for Sunbird Stable and James R. Gluhm.

— Dean A. Hoffman

Alice’s Restaurant wins stakes final at Ocean Downs

Berlin, MD — “I think she’s a full package. She’s got a lot of ability.”

Ocean Downs’ leading driver Eric Ledford assessed Alice’s Restaurant after piloting the Mike Hall-trained filly to a win Thursday night in the final of the Austin Thomas Memorial Pace (1:56.4, $2.40). The 3-year-old Western Ideal-Alice Alice filly finished the series two-for-two and has now posted five victories this year.

“She’s bred good,” trainer Hall said. She’s got a full brother named Western Ace who’s won well over a million. Just a real nice horse and she’s finally starting to act a little bit like him.”

Gloria’s Girl (Jim Porter), who had first and second leg series wins started well in the final, but finished out of the money. Bring It Home (Brandon Givens) finished second Thursday and completes the series with one win and two places.

— Jim Whittemore

Hoover wins Billings race at Afton Fair

Monticello, NY — After he attended the Hall of Fame Banquet in Goshen, N.Y. last summer, Don “I’m Ready To Draw” Hoover said he was again bitten by the racing bug and longed to return to the sulky where, during his youth, he spent some informative years owning and driving harness horses.

This season Hoover, the racing secretary at Saratoga Harness, fit the criteria and has joined the Billings Series and on Thursday afternoon he scored his initial Billings triumph when he guided Pocket Pita to a 2:07 eastern region victory at the Afton (NY) 4-H Fair.

“I didn’t realize how much I missed driving until I drove at the fairs last season,” Hoover related. “I drove for the first time in the Billings at (Mohegan Sun at) Pocono in mid-May and then again at Goshen on July 4th where I finished third with Pocket Pita after I led the entire mile. But together Pocket Pita and I redeemed ourselves and got the job done at Afton.”

Hoover again used the front-end route but this time none of his competitors could catch him and his trotting mare and together they scored an easy three length triumph in a 2:07 clocking. Eric Taddeo, who also competed in the Billings at Historic Track on July 4, finished second with Highmaker and George “the Brooklyn Cowboy” Casale took home the show dough with Perfect Gerry after the trotter regained stride after making a break before the start.

— John Manzi