Racing Roundup: Wind Surfer takes $25,000 Meadows trot
March 12, 2010,from Harness Publicists across North America
Friday’s (March 12) Racing Roundup features results stories from The Meadows, Pompano Park, Saratoga Gaming and Raceway, Buffalo Raceway and Cal-Expo. Wind Surfer takes $25,000 Meadows trot Washington, PA — Waiting patiently behind the dueling leaders, Wind Surfer gobbled them up with a third-quarter burst and went on to a comfortable victory in Friday’s $25,000 Preferred Handicap Trot at The Meadows. While Vivid Photo and Speed Bomb exchanged the lead over a wicked front half in :26.4/:55.4, Eric Ledford had Wind Surfer well positioned in third. When Ledford pressed the accelerator, Wind Surfer passed the leaders in an instant and scored in 1:54, a tick off the track record for older geldings. A game Vivid Photo was 3-1/4 lengths back in second while Speed Bomb saved show. Kent Sherman trains Wind Surfer, a 5-year-old son of Muscles Yankee-Windsurfing VC who extended his career bankroll to $293,210, for James Koran and Betty Sherman. Dave Palone drove five winners and Ledford had four on the 15-race card. — Evan Pattak That’s a pair in 1:50.2 for Pavia Stable Pompano Beach, FL — The two fastest pacing miles of the 2009-2010 meet at the Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park are the exclusive domain of the Joe Pavia, Jr. stable.
Lap Time Photo- Skip Smith
Esmeralda Semalu tied stablemate Mc Ryan Michael at 1:50.2 for the fastest mile of the meet in South Florida.
Esmeralda Semalu was just sensational in a 1:50.2 tour of the South Florida oval on the Friday evening program over a track that certainly gave no hint of being dulled by late afternoon heavy rains. The mile equaled the fastest pacing win of the meet turned in on January 30 by another Pavia stable member, 5-year-old gelding pacer Mc Ryan Michael.
Esmeralda Semalu has been back to her dominant ways for the past two weeks at the Isle in the $15,000 Fillies and Mares Open Handicap Pace. She was in command from the outset in this tour as she controlled the pace all the way in :27.3, :55.3, and 1:22.3 prior to an excellent closing panel of :27.4. I’m Just Special in rein to Wally Hennessey followed next under the wire along with Bling partnered by David Ingraham.
The 6-year-old Electric Stena-Anemone Semalu mare is now a 27-time career winner of over $358,000 for the AGC and BJR Stables and she’s the reigning track record holder in her category at 1:49.4 from 2009.
As reflected by the outstanding mile turned in by Esmeralda Semalu, the Friday evening card produced outstanding win times with 8 of 10 winners taking lifetime best speed marks.
— Frank Salive
Dobson wins three more at Saratoga
Saratoga Springs, NY — The opening five nights of the 2010 racing season at Saratoga Gaming and Raceway have belonged to Billy Dobson. The talented young reinsman has been dominant early on and came out of the gate with a lead in the driver standings after a strong opening weekend.
Dave Oxford photo
Shutter Boy held off Big Z Credit in the $15,500 Open Trot.
On Friday night, Dobson piloted three more winners and was only a nose away from a fourth. The evening’s feature saw Dobson drive Big Z Credit for trainer Chris Marino. The invader was off to a strong start after hitting the board in five of his first six of the season heading into Friday’s $15,500 Open Trot.
The 7-year-old mare drew the rail and would come away second behind the race’s favorite, Shutter Boy (Brian Cross). Big Z Credit lost the sprint home, coming up just a nose short of tracking down Shutter Boy in 1:58.2. Shutter Boy recorded his first Friday feature victory since coming to town via private purchase late last fall.
Dobson will look to stay hot in the Saturday doubleheader that takes place at Saratoga with the afternoon program starting at 12:45 p.m. and the nightcap at 7:05 p.m.
— Mike Sardella
Jack Sparrow splashes home in Open Handicap Trot Hamburg, NY — In the $9,000 Open Handicap Trot on Friday at Buffalo Raceway, Jack Sparrow, a 7-year-old chestnut gelding by Humorous Harry out of the Overcomer mare Marie Adonno, loved the off going and recorded his second win of the year in 2:03.3 for owner Michael Calimeri.
Paul White photo
Jack Sparrow was a 2:03.3 winner in the Buffalo feature.
Capably driven by trainer-driver Jim McNeight, Jack Sparrow ($6.00), the favorite in the race, shot right to the lead from post five and set all the fractions in the race, :30.3, 1:02.1 and 1:33.3. A :30 last quarter-mile put the winner 7-1/4 lengths ahead of second place finisher Hello Carlo (Russell Swartz). Last week’s Open winner A Work In Progress (Ken Holliday) came in third.
The $4,500 share of the purse boosted Jack Sparrow’s season’s bankroll to $15,480 and $251,632 lifetime. It was win number three from four on the night for driver Jim McNeight, who shared driving honors with reinsman Jack Flanigen who also had a four win night.
Racing will resume on Saturday, March 13, with first post scheduled for 6:40 p.m.
— Sam Pendolino
Easter Call stays sharp at Cal-Expo Sacramento, CA — Conditioned trotters, racing for a purse of $5,200, were featured at Cal-Expo over a ‘sloppy’ track on Friday night, in which Easter Call won for the 35th time in his career. Leaving with driver Jim Lackey from post five in the field of a half-dozen and racing three-wide for an eighth of a mile, the 9- year-old soon found a seat in third after the first eighth into a :28.3 opening quarter and into a first half timed in :59.3. With the field three-eighths of a mile from home, Lackey got unexpected company when he pulled. “I was surprised when Cherry Tree Luke (Rick Plano) pulled the pocket,” stated Lackey. “When he first came out in front of me, I thought it was going to help. But as it turns out — since he wasn’t doing enough to advance — it was nice that Rick went back to the inside.” Left first-over to the three-quarter station, timed in 1:29.4, was Lackey concerned that the pacesetting The Windsurfer (Rocky Stidham) had gotten away with a 1:01.1 middle-half breather? “The Windsurfer looks like a nice horse, so I thought it would take a pretty good sized effort to pass him off that middle-half. But, my horse felt good and given how he races well every week I figured it would be a race to the line.” Gaining past the three-quarters and closing in determined fashion, but with The Windsurfer digging in, the battle was now on — especially in the final sixteenth of a mile when both trotters were tooth and nail for the lead. “It was basically head and head all the way and with The Windsurfer probably still getting into shape as this was only his second American (pari-mutuel) start, that probably made the difference. But, my horse was still really good down the stretch.” Owned by trainer Mark Anderson, the gelding fought his way to a neck win ($5.20) in 1:58.4. The Windsurfer went down fighting and had to settle for second, and Dreamanotherdream (Dan O’Mara) finished 2-1/2 lengths farther back in third. “He continues to race real good every week,” finished Lackey. — Scott Ehrlich