Inside Track with Dan Jukich

March 15, 2012

Inside Track
For Thursday, March 8/12

They say good luck comes in three’s and that was clearly the case for J J J Stables and trainer Ty O’Neill at Fraser Downs Racetrack last Friday night. It was their own version of a triactor with wins in the 7th, 10th and 11th races.

That Space ($5.40) launched the sting with Keith Clark in the sulky then Jim Marino capped things off by driving Limit The Risk ($3.00) and Major Indiscretion ($3.10) to victories in the final two races on the card.

Trainer Mate Hecimovic should be so lucky. Talk about patience. Hecimovic celebrated Western Baron’s ($72.80) his first win in his seven-year-old career when his homebred Western Baron ($72.80) scored a sizzling upset in the second race with Grant Hollingsworth driving. Think about it. This was only Western Baron’s second lifetime start as a seven-year-old Talk about perseverance. Hecimovic and Keith Linton have teamed up in the past with great success but being a homebred this was even sweeter for Mate.

Our friends with Standardbred Canada came up with an attention-getting headline following Sunday’s action that said: Fraser Card Begins with ‘Terror’ & ‘Panic’.

I’m happy to relate that the clever play on words referred to the winners in their respective $7,500 Muriel Fornwald Memorial Stake eliminations for three and four-year-old fillies and mares that are B.C. owned, bred or sired.

Phone Terror ($4.20) won for trainer/driver Serge Masse in the opening division while Panic At The Disco ($14.80) took the second split for trainer/driver Jim Marino.

Thus the headline about ‘Terror” and ‘Panic’, something I’m sure got more reaction from readers than is normally the case.

Trainer, breeder and co-owner Rod Therres was the winning driver with favoured Primary Purpose ($5.50) in Sunday’s $12,500 Open Pace.

Looking forward to more excitement at The Downs on Friday night (7 p.m.) and Sunday afternoon (1:45 p.m.).

See you there!

djukich@fraserdowns.com