J J J STRONG BUT
UPSETS SHARE SPOTLIGHT
What follows is blanket coverage – or
more precisely -- coverage of blankets.
After winning three of five Sales
Stakes races for two-year-olds on Friday, the ownership
combo of J J J Stables and Alan Anderson swept both races
for three-year-olds on Saturday.
The wins continued their domination in
stakes events over the past two years in B.C. A domination
that has prompted Rick Mowles, the man behind J J J to say
that he is turning the latest set of blankets into curtains
– for his trophy room one would suspect.
Wild Rumour and Active Pass, both
odds-on favorites, were the best in the eliminations for
three-year-old colts and geldings.
Driven by Serge Masse, Wild Rumour, son
of Key Prospect, overcame the outside eight post to win his
elim by half a length over Better Days.
It was the seventh win in 19 starts in
2005 for the Al Anderson-trained Wild Rumour, who now has
won more than $114,000 in his career.
Luckys Lil Dude, a 60-1 shot, came from
well back to finish third.
As impressive as Wild Rumour was,
stablemate Active Pass was probably as good or better.
Active Pass, a son of Kents On Nuke,
went gate to wire in 1:55.2, closed in 28.3 seconds and won
by four lengths for driver Bill Davis. The 1-5 betting
choice has now won eight of 14 starts this year and more
than $109,000.
C C Maxim finished second and We Winnie
Winston was third.
The top nine finishers will now advance
to the $30,000 final on Dec. 11. On the fillies and mares
side, there were fewer than 10 entries so nominees advance
directly to the final.
J J J etc showed their Stakes race
success with three victories Friday in the eliminations for
two-year-olds but two upsets in other elims garnered much of
the attention.
Mendosino County, a 25-1 shot, got his
maiden victory, winning by a nose in an exciting stretch
battle in one of three events for colts and geldings. The
son of Stutzpan-Nuclear Freedom is owned by Ann and Jackie
Scheepbouwer, trained by Jackie and was driven by Jim Marino
and covered the mile in 2:01.3. He now has a win, second and
third in seven starts.
Rogerthedodger was second and
Superfecta Kid was a half length back.
Solar Wind, a 13-1 shot, was the other
upset winner for E S Stables, trainer John Currie and driver
Dave Hudon. The son of Usher Hanover-Rather Regal made it
two wins in a row, prevailing by 3 ½ lengths in 2:01.2. He
now has two wins, a second and a third in six career
starts.
Red Star Gladiator, the Breeders Stakes
king and a 9-5 favorite, was second and Double Stutz third.
Badtimingthatsall won the other colt
and gelding event for J J J et al. The son of Kents On Nuke-Scruffian
went gate to wire to win by five lengths in 2:00.3. He is
trained by co-owner Al Anderson was driven by Marino. It was
the third career win for BTTA who has already earned more
than $30,000.
Silk Puddles was second and Cash
Account third.
Muddy Waters also went gate to wire to
win a filly division for the blanket-crazed J J J crew. The
6-5 second choice, by Kents On Nuke out of Sparks Will Fly
N, covered the mile with driver Bill Davis in 1:59.3 and won
by 3½ lengths.
Even-money favorite Furious Five was
second and A Midnight Promise third.
Rounding out the J J J and Anderson
triple – and upsetting a 1-9 favorite – was Whisper What
Then. The daughter of Scruffy Hanover-Shirlene Lobell got
her first win in seven career starts, winning by two lengths
in 2:01.3.
Favored Sweetypea was second and
Silvery Belle, a 40-1 shot, third.
The top nine from the fillies will go
right to the Dec. 11 final but the boys will need another
set of elims this Friday.
DUKE CAPTURES OPEN: Duke Is Duke
was king in the open event last Friday at the Downs.
The seven-year-old son of Jennas Beach
Boy made it two wins in a row as he beat a strong field of
nine. (The event was also missing such stalwarts as Armbro
Bach and Seven Seas Cruiser).
Duke Is Duke, owned by Joe Lin of
Edmonton and trained and driven by Serge Masse, won by ¾ of
a length in 1:55.3 on a track only rated as good. It was his
seventh win of the year and pushed his earnings for 2005 to
more than $50,000.
Lil Dude Starrbuck, the 1-5 favorite,
went to the front from the gate with Duke Is Duke, an 18-1
shot, rushing up from the six-spot on the gate to get the
two-hole. It stayed like that until Duke Is Duke started a
challenge late on the backstretch.
Duke Is Duke caught Starrbuck turning
for home and held off a challenge from the late-charging Red
Star Senator. Armbro Bolton was third.
The race marked the return of Starrbuck
to the local racing scene after a fine stint in Ontario.
Owned by Lil Dude Ranch, the son of Threefold, set a
lifetime mark of 1:49.3 on the eastern circuit. He tired
Friday in his first start in a month and finished fifth.
Alldressedinvelvet, a three-year-old
daughter of Richess Hanover, was impressive Thursday with a
lifetime mark win of 1:57.4. Velvet is owned by Crimson
Racing Stable, trained by Jane Kelly and was driven by Jim
Burke.
I The Undersigned, returned to her
winning ways Saturday after having to settle for second the
week before. The six-year old daughter of Thatll Be Me won a
fillies and mares $6,000 claimer for trainer Wayne Isbister
and driver Gord Abbott. Claimed by owner Robert Murphy on
Oct. 14, she now has eight wins and a second in her last 10
starts.
Murphy’s Red Star Turbulent captured
his third win in a row, taking a $6,500 claimer for trainer
Bob Meschback and driver Jim Burke.
MARINO WEEK’S BEST: Jim Marino
led all drivers last weekend with a six pack although it did
not make a huge bite into the lead of top driver Serge
Masse.
Marino’s six victories gave him 26 for
the meet but Masse was able to collar five wins, pushing his
leading total to 31.
Bill Davis and Jim Burke also had five
wins apiece as the Downs’ top drivers had good weekends.
Davis is tied with Marino while Burke, who had a slow start,
now has 18. Tim Brown and Dave Hudon each picked up three
triumphs and now have 21 and 19 respectively. Scott Knight
had two wins.
With Stakes events large on the cards,
Alan Anderson continued his strong showing among the
trainers. Anderson had five wins, all in the Sales Stakes
eliminations.
Masse still leads the meet – at 28 --
after getting four wins last weekend while Wayne Isbister
had three. Davis, John Currie and Bob Merschback each had
two.
CALLING ALL HANDICAPPERS: Fraser
Downs will have a new one-day handicapping contest this
meet. Entrants will handicap races from several harness
tracks on Feb. 3 and the winner and runner-up will represent
the Downs at the National Harness Handicapping Contest at
the Meadowlands in New Jersey in April. More details are to
come.
The contest will replace the Downs’
Harness Pool, which has been held the past few years.
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