Make Some Noise wins Miss Cloverdale
Make Some Noise did so again – for that
matter she just continues to do so.
For the second time in less than four
months Make Some Noise has won a stakes event at Fraser
Downs. Last Friday she captured the $34,000 Miss Cloverdale
Classic, for all-aged fillies and mares, defeating a field
of seven.
Make Some Noise also won the $31,300
Surrey Cup final Nov. 28. In between she has triumphed three
times, been second three times and third once in nine
starts.
The daughter of Camluck out of the Life
Sign mare Sign In The Sand won by a length and a half while
covering the mile in a new life mark of 1:54.3. That is just
one fifth of a second off the track record for aged mares.
Make Some Noise was half of the Robert
Murphy-owned, Bill Davis-trained duo of five-year-olds,
along with Arturos Choice, which carried the 1-5 favorite’s
role.
As expected Arturos Choice – from the
seven hole – raced to the front with Yumyum Candy in close
pursuit. They stayed that way to the head of the stretch.
Make Some Noise, meanwhile, did not get in the mix early
although she did not get as far behind as she has in the
past. She was fourth at the quarter (5½ back) and third (3½
behind the leader) at the head of the stretch.
Arturos Choice and Yumyum Candy, a 9-1
third choice, fell back as Princess Jessica N, part of the
Garden Gate-owned, Jim Wiggins-trained 5-2 second choice
entry, came on for second in what was really a four-horse
race. Others in the field were Red Star Niecy, Dealmeahos
and Dal Reo Millee.
Make Some Noise now has earned more
than $26,000 in 2004 and $177,000 lifetime with 12 career
wins.
Davis admitted that the 56.4 half might
have helped Make Some Noise.
“She (Arturos Choice) only knows one
way and that is up front, she likes to be out front, and she
may have had to pay for that,” he said. “Jimmy (Burke,
driver of Arturos Choice) knows her and tries to her get her
all the way.”
Davis also admitted about his horse,
“She can pick up the pieces.”
HUDON STILL OWNING INVITE:
Trainer Dave Hudon keeps improving his Invite success
factor.
Last Saturday at the Downs, Hudon had
an entry in the event for winners over $7,500 in their last
six starts. The entry finished 1-2 with Red Star Justice
edging stablemate Infinite Dreams by a length.
On March 6 his entry finished 1-3 (this
time Infinite Dreams winning). Prior to that he had
alternated entering his dynamic duo, starting and winning
with Infinite Dreams on Feb. 14 and with Justice on Feb. 7.
(Hudon, the trainer, is also astute
with his driver selections, picking pilot Dave Hudon on all
those winning occasions).
Justice, the six-year-old son of Just
Camelot out of Bradner Helvetia who holds a share of the
Downs track record, started from the two post last week. He
slipped into the two-hole from the start, watching
Maxamillenium take the lead, and then stayed there all the
way to the stretch.
He passed Maxamillenium heading for
home covering the last quarter in 28.4 seconds and the mile
in a quick 1:54 (just 3/5 of a second off the track record).
Infinite Dreams, with Jim Marino in the bike closed in 28.1
to beat third-place C Lec Machine by a half length.
Justice now has three wins and two
thirds in six starts in 2004 with earnings of more than
$16,000. Infinite Dreams, meanwhile, has three wins and
three seconds in seven starts and earnings of $23,000.
Dreams’ quick time was just one of many
as good weather helped track super Darcy Perdue fashion a
fast track.
On the weekend seventeen horses, eight
on Saturday, established life marks.
Rocketdoodledo, the three-year-old son
of Pacific Rocket out of Atlantic Avenue, owned by Lance
Goshko and trained and driven by Rick White, went the mile
in 1:56.1. It was only the third start, all wins, of his
career.
The amazing Chute Again, owned by
Robert Murphy and trained and driven by Bill Davis, covered
the mile in the $11,000 claiming event in 1:55.2. The
seven-year-old daughter of Witsends Fiddle, raced on Nov. 28
for $4,000. (She has been claimed six times in her last 10
starts.)
DAVIS BY A NECK: Leading
driver/trainer Bill Davis had another good weekend last
weekend although several others also had reason to smile.
Davis led all drivers with seven wins.
Scott Knight was also sharp, winning five times while Dave
Hudon and Jim Burke had four victories apiece and Brad Watt,
Dave McKellar and Rick White had three each.
Davis was also top conditioner with
five two more than Knight, Hudon and Andy Arsenault. Rene
Goulet had two.
The big winner was owner Robert Murphy
who had five of his horses pay a visit to the winner’s
enclosure on Sunday.
NO DELTA ELIMINATION: There will
be no need this weekend for elimination legs leading to the
March 27 final of the Delta for three-year-old fillies.
Only eight horses’ names were placed on
the last nomination day.
And, only six will be able to start in
the final because four of those named all race out of the
Robert Murphy stable. Red Star Marianne, Cowgirl, Suesue and
Skylight will have to be pared to an entry of two as per
Stakes race rules.
As this was written, the decision had
not been made and none raced last weekend.
Others nominated include Rooibos Tea;
Da Lil Dudett, two-year-old filly of the year in 2003 as a
two-time Stakes winner; Celtic Rayne, Sales Stakes winner in
December; and Miss St Labush, winner of the Stallion Stakes
for three-year olds on Jan. 17.
MATALLA LEADS POOL: Dennis
Matsalla has moved into the lead after the third week of the
second half in the $10,000 KENO Harness Pool at Fraser
Downs.
Matsalla picked up 16 points last
weekend and now has 50 for the three weeks. He has a
two-point lead over Koji Kariya and Allan Lester who each
have 48.
Last week’s leader Michael Copeland is
next at 47. Mahmoud Hasan and Rob Roxburgh each have 44
while tied at 43 are Tyler McDougall, Nobby Mori, Fred
Sheppard and Bob Spiers.
The Harness Pool has contestants pick a
stable of horses and each contestant earns points based on
their performance (five for win, three for place and one for
show).
The second half concludes on April 4
but during a half, contestants are permitted one trade with
the deadline Friday.
At the end of each half, the top three
contestants will win prize money. At the end of the contest,
both halves will be added and the top 40 players, including
ties, will share in the $10,000 prize pool.
They will receive prizes as follows:
first $2,500, second $1,500, third $1000, fourth to 10th
$250 and 11th to 40th $75. Prizes will be awarded to the
top three players in each half: first $250, second $150 and
third $100. Winners of first half top-three prizes are not
eligible for second half top-three prizes.
SIZZLE CLAIMED: Smoke N Sizzle,
partly owned by Jim Vinnell of Langley, finished fourth last
Sunday in a claiming handicap $65,000 to $90,000 at
Woodbine.
Sizzle, third choice at 4-1, pressed
the pace in the garden spot from the quarter to the head of
the stretch but tired coming home. Living Well was the
winner in a time of 1:52.3.
Smoke N Sizzle, a son of Rustler
Hanover out of I Sizzle, is trained by Craig Beelby and was
driven by Mike Saftic. Smoke N Sizzle was claimed out of the
race for $87,500.
Mandys Rich, a former young star at
Fraser Downs, won a $10,000 claiming event last Saturday at
Cal Expo in Sacramento. Mandys Rich, owned by JJJ Stable of
Aldergrove and trained by Mark Anderson, was second choice
at the window and covered the mile in 1:54.2.
Red Star Fiddler, also owned by JJJ,
was fourth in a $16,000 claimer.
Red Star Minckler, the fastest
B.C.-bred ever, was sixth in a $44,000 claimer at Woodbine
in Toronto last Saturday. Minckler, trained by Mike
Vanderkamp, was claimed out of the race, which went in
1:52.3.
Camlucks Dominator, owned by the Lil
Dude Ranch of Surrey, was second in a $12,500 purse
(optional claiming $20,000) event last week at Georgian
Downs in Ontario. Camlucks Dominator finished 2¼ lengths
back of winner Mautilus Angus, who paced the mile in 1:57.
War Bonds, trained by former Downs
trainer Jim Koelln, was ninth in a $33,000 claiming race at
Woodbine where the winner went the mile in 1:53.4.
VARTY FINED, SUSPENDED: Trainer
Nat Varty was handed a hefty $5,000 fine March 11, in
addition to a 45-day suspension for "an act of misconduct
injurious to racing using an inhumane head pole."
Varty has filed an appeal with the
Ontario Racing Commission.
"The horse [Millenium Ball] broke and
the driver [Michael Langdon] had to pull her out of the
way," Varty explained the next day. "She had some blood on
her neck at the end of the race and the groom for the people
claiming her complained."
According to Varty there are standard
variants to head poles: plain, dull, sharp and extra sharp.
"It's a safety issue on the track more than anything else,"
he explained. "Millenium Ball had a sharp head pole, end of
story, but sometimes you have to do that to make sure they
go dead straight on the track. I have a couple of horses who
are strong-willed enough that you have to use sharper head
poles. One of the best horses I ever had [CPW], had to have
a sharp head pole. He was dangerous without it.
"The suggestion that I would be
inhumane to my horses is ludicrous. This is my livelihood. I
want my horses happy, healthy and willing. And before every
race I say to everyone, 'Be safe boys.' The drivers need to
know that if they're three deep coming around the turn that
the horse they're behind is rigged to keep them straight.
The drivers and the betting public know that my horses will
get around the track."
CASE MAKES CASE: Walter Case
Jr., the driver with the second most wins in harness racing
history, is attempting to restart his career as a trainer
according to a recent story in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Case, 43, who gave up his Ohio State
Racing Commission licence last spring - a tradeoff for
having 178 days of suspension for racetrack driving
violations remitted – was to meet with the OSRC.
"He's asking for a licence as a
trainer, not as a driver," said the commission's Tom
Michael.
Case, who has an admitted drinking
problem, has been jailed and spent 90 days in a
chemical-dependency treatment facility in Akron since his
last driving appearance in April.
He has 11,027 career victories. Herve
Filion is the all-time leader with 14,890.
WINS, THEN SOLD: Less than 24
hours after his impressive 1:51.2 victory in the opening leg
of the Cam Fella Pacing Series Saturday at Woodbine, So
Lucky Hanover was sold for $160,000 on Sunday in London,
Ont.
The four-year-old gelding by Camluck-Soaring
Graces was sold by Mike Saftic and Cyril Hayes at
Standardbred Canada’s Mixed Sale. Trainer Joe Stutzman was
the successful purchaser.
A winner of three of seven starts in
2004, So Lucky Hanover has $96,000 earned lifetime. His time
last night represents his life best. He was purchased by
Saftic and Hayes at the 2001 Harrisburg sale for $30,000.
A total of 96 horses went through the
ring that day for an average of $9,848.
DID YOU KNOW: That on March 18, 2000,
John Campbell became the first driver or jockey to win $100
million lifetime at a single racetrack, reaching the
milestone at The Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J.
MAINMAN’S MOONSHOT: Last week
our choice, Whispers, left the gate at 21-1 and gave it a
good try, just missing the board at fourth. This time let’s
try Tinkers Magic, a 12-1 shot in the eighth race Saturday.
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