TOUGH PLATE FINAL EXPECTED
How would one describe parity in
harness racing?
One way might be a difference of
one-fifth of a second in three elimination races in a Stakes
event.
That's what happened last Friday in the
$5,750 Sandown Plate eliminations for three-year-old colts
and geldings at Fraser Downs. The top three in each elim
qualified for this Saturday’s $36,000 final.
Two wins came by horses trained and
driven by Serge Masse and the other from the Al Anderson
stable, which has been dominant in Stakes events over the
last number of months.
Winter Bliss, a son of Blissfull Hall-Weeko,
owned by Langley's Jim Vinnell, went gate to wire in the
first elim in a quick clocking of 1:56.1.
Vinnell and Masse also found their way
to the winner's circle in the second heat, this time with
co-owner Myron Yurko of Edmonton, when Sergeirachpaninoff, a
son of The Firepan-Take A Pander, extended his win streak to
three in a new life mark of 1:56.2. Both Masse charges were
odds-on favorites.
The final elimination was a mild upset
as driver Bill Davis won with Namedbyfreaks, a son of Kents
On Nuke-Zenobia, who used a final quarter of 29.1 en route
to the one length margin in 1:56.2, also a new life
clocking. J J J Stables of Aldergrove and Anderson of
Willows, Cal. own the B.C.-bred, who registered his first
win of the season.
Winter Bliss had the lead on the
outside at the quarter and cleared just after. He never
relented and tacked on a 29.1 final quarter en route to
posting a half-length decision over the fast-closing Lunar
Tko with J J J’s Wild Rumour third.
The win improved Winter Bliss' 2005
record to 5-4-1 in 10 starts and boosted his season earnings
to $17,075.
Sergeirachpaninoff roared gate to wire
for a 5 3/4-length romp, coming the last quarter in 28.3
seconds. Whaturmoneybought, a 41-1 shot, was second and Dal
Reo Stewart third. Sergeirachpaninoff has fashioned an
impressive 4-2-0 record in seven starts this season in
addition to pocketing $12,675.
Namedbyfreaks, an 8-5 second choice,
was fourth early and followed cover down the backstretch to
move into contention. He grabbed the lead in the lane and
held off the 4-5 favoured Red Star Senator (part of an
entry) in the final strides. Namedbyfreaks travelled the
last quarter in 28.4 while Senator, who started from well
back, came home in 28.3. C C Maxim was third.
Namedbyfreaks will have to do it the
hard way in Saturday's final as he drew the outside eight.
Winter Bliss got the trailing nine hole while
Sergeirachpaninoff will start from the six. The rest of the
field with their post includes Whaturmoneybought one,
Stewart two, Tko three, Maxim four, Senator five and Wild
Rumour seven.
BETTER STILL BEST:
Betterfrombehind just seems to be getting better and better.
That makes her the best -- still unbeaten, nine starts, nine
wins.
The latest victory for the daughter of
Kents On Nukes was last Saturday when she captured the
$33,000 Delta Pace for three-year-old fillies at the Downs.
Co-winner of the B.C. two-year-old
filly pacer of the year in 2004, Betterfrombehind keeps
chalking up stakes win after stakes win. In her short career
she had already won the Sandown Breeders, the B.C. Breeders
and the Sales Stakes, and the elimination legs that may have
accompanied those events.
In her short career she has already won
$84,384.
In last Saturday's triumph as the 4-5
favorite, she again went gate-to-wire although she had to
battle early with Jimmy Jams Jubilee before clearing to the
rail with the lead just after the quarter.
With top driver Bill Davis in the
sulky, Better quickly took a 11/2-length lead and held that
to the head of the stretch. Then she turned it on for a 30.2
second last quarter, a mile of 1:57.3 and a 3 1/4-length
margin of victory.
For the second week in a row, Concrete
Angel, a 7-1 third choice, came from well off the pace to
grab second while Jimmy Jams Jubilee, part of the 8-5 second
choice entry, was third and Alldressedinvelvet fourth.
Even with that performance, Davis
admitted in the winner's enclosure that Betterfrombehind had
him a little concerned early.
"I thought maybe she was a bit off," he
said. "She usually grabs on to the bit but she didn't today
and was even a little lazy. But she got the job done."
Beneficiaries of the win and wearing
the smiles were owners J J J Stables (Rick Mowles) and Alan
and Mark Anderson. Al Anderson also trains the young star.
Betterfrombehind is now aimed at the
Stallion Stakes, which takes place on April 30 at the Downs.
The purse will be a nifty $100,000 plus, and the win streak
will likely still be intact.
It was a double smile day for J J J and
the Andersons - two stakes victories in the same day.
Armbro Bolton, from their barn, had a
big win in Saturday’s $39,900 final of the Borden Park Stake
at Northlands Park.
With trainer Larry Micallef handling
the reins, the four-year-old son of Matts Scooter was
odds-on winner in Saturday’s 1:57 performance. The gelding
was parked through the opening quarter but took charge when
he found the rail enroute to the 11/4 length decision over
Allamerican Dakota with Close The Deal third.
The win improved his record to 5-2-2 in
nine starts and bumped his season earnings to $60,185.
Bolton won the Pat Brennan Memorial at the Downs in
February.
CAN’T CATCH COLA: When Haras
Colta Cola wants to leave, let him. His trainer/driver Paul
Harrison knows that and last Sunday they left and were never
caught.
Despite starting on the outside of the
six-horse field, the six-year-old son of Armbro Operative
out of Celes Lady, went gate to wire to capture the feature
winners over event last Sunday at Fraser Downs.
And despite, a quick 56.3 half, they
didn’t slow down much, winning by a length in 1:55.4. Cola,
the longest shot on the board at 14-1, registered his second
win in eight starts in 2005.
The previous week he made his first
start in a month and drew the outside (eight). Harrison
explained that he intended to take Cola back to start.
However, there was a recall and when they restarted there
was no holding Cola. He strived to get the lead but he was a
little short after the layoff and finished well back.
This time he got to the front and
stayed. Cola, owned by the Off Track Stable, pushed his
career earnings to more than $200,000.
Track record holder Infinite Dreams,
closed strongly for second while The Bruster, the 3-5
favorite who was first or second in the last four features,
had some traffic problems and had to settle for third.
NOISY RETURN: She slipped into
town quietly but it didn't take her long to be seen and
heard on the track.
She is Make Some Noise. The
six-year-old daughter of Camluck made her first start last
Sunday at the Downs after several months of campaigning in
Alberta and streaked to victory in the fillies and mares
open.
Owned by Robert Murphy, Make Some Noise
last won on Sept. 10 in Calgary and after a couple of so-so
starts following close to five months off, she returned to
the Downs and the barn of trainer Bob Merschback.
With Jim Burke in the bike, the
combination clicked. Starting from the outside of the
six-horse race, Make Some Noise was well back early and was
still fifth, outside, at the three-quarter pole. From there
she flew, catching Ivys Wine who had taken the lead on the
backstretch, covering the last quarter in 28.4 seconds and
winning by a length in 1:56.1.
Make Some Noise now has won more than
$220,000 in her career.
Heart And Style picked up third while
slight favorite Princess Jessica was fourth.
DAVIS ON TOP: Bill Davis is back
on the beam, not that he was that far off anyway.
The perennial leading driver at Fraser
Downs was the best last weekend, picking up eight wins,
including four on Sunday.
Jim Marino, who has also been on a tear
in 2005, had to share the runner-up honors, capturing four
victories as did Jim Burke and Barry Treen. Serge Masse and
Scott Knight were deadlocked at three while Dave Hudon and
Dave McKellar had two apiece.
Barry Treen led all conditioners last
weekend with four visits to the winner's enclosure. Erik
Neyhart had a good weekend with three along with Davis,
Masse and Bob Merschback. Hudon and Alan Anderson each had
two triumphs.
Mike Bourgeois, now a conditioner for
Lil Dude Ranch's stable picked up his first win of 2005 when
Lildudeskickinash raced to victory on Saturday.
CRUISER CREDITABLE: Anyone
watching races from Woodbine racetrack now knows that Seven
Seas Cruiser did not return to B.C.
The on-again, off-again return of the
B.C.-bred and owned - John Heras - star did not happen. In
fact he raced last Friday in a non-winners ($23,000 last six
etc or optional claiming $75,000) for a $28,000 purse.
He didn't win or place in the money but
he did race not badly. With Chris Christoforou in the sulky
for trainer Joe Stutzman, Cruiser finished fifth in the
field of seven. He started from the rail, was third at the
half, sixth at the three-quarter mark and finished 4 1/2
lengths behind the winner, No Free Parking.
The winning mile was a quick 1:51.4,
which means Cruiser's mile was 1:52.4 and he covered the
last quarter in 26.4 seconds.
An old friend, B.C-bred Rich Cam, was
also in the race, and was second after starting from the
outside.
CAL FAIR GETS HARNESS: The
California Horse Racing Board approved, on March 24, the
2005 harness racing dates for the Sacramento Fair in
California.
For the past 37 years, the Sacramento
Fair has held a summer thoroughbred meet.
The decision by the CHRB will allow a
one-year switch to harness racing. The meet will operate at
Cal Expo racetrack from July 31 through Sept. 27, with State
Fair racing held Aug. 12 through Sept. 5. The new Sacramento
Harness Association would assume control of the meet to run
Sept. 23 through Dec. 18.
The United States Trotting Association
reports that California horseman Dave Elliott will be the
director of racing for the fair meet. He said the fair
session will guarantee $60,000 a night in purses over a
minimum of 26 live racing dates.
"This will allow the harness horsemen
to participate in Sacramento on a year round basis," Elliott
told the USTA. "It will also enable the harness people to
race their horses in front of crowds, since we do one
million people [in racing attendance] during state fair. We
want to provide exposure of sport in the Sacramento market
during fair time."
The Cal Expo board requested the breed
switch at the 2005 State Fair to help stabilize the
California harness industry - which currently is based in
Sacramento - and promote new operator Sacramento Harness
Association, which takes over Sept. 23.
Capitol Racing operates the present
meet, which will run until July 20.
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