Friday,
February 18, 2011
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Pinehurst Training Center Report
By Joe Spadaro
Pinehurst, NC–A famous line from the movie Field of
Dreams, "If you build it they will come," comes to mind
when examining the history of the Pinehurst Training
Center. Located in Pinehurst, North Carolina, the track,
which opened in 1915, was turned into a training facility in
the 1920s. It didn’t take long before many prominent trainers of the day gravitated to the facility.
Success soon followed as year after year many of the
horses that wintered at Pinehurst went on to win Grand
Circuit races. So successful were the horses stabled in
Pinehurst during the winter months that the 1937 Christmas issue of The Harness Horse Magazine's banner read
"Pinehurst NC, W here Champions are Made."
The facility continued to evolve and in 1949 the newly
formed Pinehurst Driving and Training Club helped initiate
the creation of the mile track, adding to the track's half and
five-eighths mile ovals.
Under threat of development, "The Friends of the
Pinehurst Harness Tracks" was formed in order to preserve the popular facility, and they were able to convince
the Pinehurst Village Council to purchase the property in
1992. A resolute group, the "Friends’" final accomplishment was to have Pinehurst Harness Tracks placed in the
National Register of Historic Places the same year.
For Standardbred aficionados, the fact that the official
seal of the Village of Pinehurst shows Newport Dream, the
1954 Hambletonian winner, training in Pinehurst with
Trainer/Driver Del Cameron, warms the soul.
HRU is pleased to be covering Pinehurst Training Track,
this season. Here is our report:
Doug & D.R. Ackerman Stable
The father (Doug) and
son (D.R.) team have 25
horses currently in training, including nine
two-year olds. In recent
years, the Ackerman
Team has developed the
likes of W orld Champion
Chocolatier ($1,324,800
- 1:53M) and Judge Joe ($938,792 - 1:55.1F), who was
exported to Sweden. D.R. is especially keen on the
two-year-old colt Cash Value (Cash Hall) and the filly
Fortunista (Credit W inner).
"Cash Value is very steady and likes to go,” D.R.
Ackerman said “He's a half-brother to a stakes winner
(Thro Time - 1:57.1F) and, although a little small, likes to
trot.”
Cohen on Axelrod-Faraldo...p 4
Woodbine cancels Thursday...p 5
HRU’s Finley honored by USTA...p 5
Mach Three Colt Tops Brisbane Sale..p 6
Previews....p 6-7
Bob Bloodgood Stable
The Vernon Downs-based Bob Bloodgood breaks and
develops many horses for the powerful Ken Jacobs stable.
Jacobs's modus operandi is
to have Bloodgood break
most of his yearlings and,
after evaluating their ability,
sends the youngsters to
various trainers, including
Linda Toscano.
"I like the way Heston
Blue Chip (American Ideal)
and Upfrontandpersonal
(Bettor's Delight) are coming along," said the
hard-working horseman.
Bob Bloodgood
Adding: "They've all been
nice right from the start and I've trained all the babies
(nine) between 2:35-2:40.
Pinehurst Report cont. p. 2
HarnessRacingUpdate.com
• 2/18/11 • PAGE 2 of 9
Gates Brunet Stable
Another Vernon
Downs-based trainer, Brunet is pleased with the 10
horses he's broken.
"I have a nice bunch of
trotting fillies with a lot of
upside potential,” he said.
Brunet is especially high
on J'omama (Cash Hall)
and Silica (Cash Hall).
Gates Brunet
"They were reasonably
priced and I couldn't be happier with the way they are
developing,” he said.
Brunet has been around 2:40 with all of the two-year
olds.
Gordon Corey Stable
The sign outside of Gordon Corey's Pinehurst barn says
it all about the Maine native's sense of humor - "Institute of
Equine
Erudition."
A colt specialist of
whom Ted
W ing says,
“Is the
best:,”
Corey
sends
many of
the Institute's graduates to top trainers like Mark Ford,
Dave Spagnola, Jim King.
W hen queried about this year's freshman class of 31
horses, the Maine native replied, "I like a lot of the ones
currently training. For some not at the head of the class,
they will improve, and hopefully will reach the same level
as those slated to graduate with honors."
To this observer, one of the standouts is U-B (Kadabra).
The deliberate taskmaster has been between 2:45 - 2:50
with the current class.
Bill Elliott Stable
"I'm happy with both of my two year-olds and plan to ship
to a Canadian farm nearby Mohawk (Raceway) once I
leave Pinehurst,” Elliott said.
Elliott purchased both horses at the Harrisburg Sale
this past November. He paid $16,000 for Manic Hall
(Dragon Again) and $45,000 for Tymal Ringmaster
(Mach Three).
"I've been in 2:40 with both horses," said Elliott.
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Normand Fluet Stable
The Tioga Downs-based Fluet
teams up with son Philip after
leaving Pinehurst. The younger
Fluet has been the leading
trainer/driver for the last two seasons at Tioga. Norm has seven
two-year olds he's currently developing at the Pinehurst Training
Center.
"I've been in 2:45 with the trotNormand Fluet
ters and very happy with them all
especially Laurie Hall (Conway Hall), Townhall Crier
(Conway Hall) and Elusive Quality (Malabar Man),"
stated the senior member of the team.
High Spirit Stable - Joe Carroll
Carroll has two youngsters from the first-crop of sire
Sand Vic and is high on both of them. They are the filly
Mountain Sand and the colt Your Hired.
"I like the way the Sand Vic horses are training,” Carroll
said. “Both are good gaited and can trot a bit.”
H.S. Certified (Credit W inner) and Rapids N Currents
(Valley Victor) are also training nicely, according to the
Pinehurst native, who is leaning toward shipping the stable to Tioga Downs because of the New York-bred sire
stakes program for the Sand Vics and the Credit Winner.
Dee Hotton Stable
W ith the six two-year olds the Ohio-based trainer is
conditioning, Dee favors taking a slower, more deliberate
approach, explaining, "The most important thing to me is
behavior and manners. They all have inherent speed and
there's no need to elicit that aspect at this juncture." That
said, Dee likes three Jailhouse Jesse trotting fillies - TT's
Lubrikate, TT's Tatorchip and TT's Vortex and has been
between 2:45 to 2:50 with them at this time.
Dave Jannone Stable
The Vernon Downs-based Jannone has one two-yearold American Ideal colt he's training named Maxnifizant.
"I've been in 2:45 with the colt and he shows some ability,” he said. “At first he was reluctant and acted up now
and then, but he's starting to come around nicely."
Todd Johnston Stable
"I love this colt," exclaimed Johnston about Bugsy
Malone (Cambest). The good-looking colt has been in
2:40 and, according to Johnston, has a lot of promise.
Steve Mahar Stable
In 2010, Mahar, another Maine native, drove his 5,000th
winner. The capable horseman is developing three youngsters for the Canadian-based Henry Stable.
"I've been in 2:34 on the mile track with Goldin Opportunity (Lis Mara),” he said. “The colt had a little bit of an
HarnessRacingUpdate.com
• 2/18/11 • PAGE 3 of 9
attitude in the beginning but has come around and is doing
quite well." Mahar also likes the trotter Garbarino (Angus
Hall)
Roland "Polie" Mallar Stable
The Maine native has 11
two-year-olds in his barn
and laughingly says:
"They're about one minute
away from where they'll
have to go."
Mallar has been between 2:45 - 2:50 and likes
One For You Two For Me
Roland M allar
(Rock N Roll Hanover),
Rockin Bell (Rock N Roll
Hanover), Lindwood Player (Ponderosa) and the Mcardle
colt Dial A Win. The affable Mallar races his stock at
Pocono, Chester, Freehold and the Meadowlands from his
barn located on the old Stanley Dancer Farm in New
Egypt, N.J.
Mike Medors Stable
The Scioto Downs-based trainer
has 32 youngsters at his Pinehurst
barn and has been between 2:40 2:45 with most.
"I'm high on the gelding Captain
Jesse (Jailhouse Jesse) and the
fillies Birthday Toots (Chip Chip
Hooray) and Bound To Rock
(Rock N Roll Hanover) at this
time," said the personable
M ike M edors
Medors.
Kimberlie Miller Stable
Another Vernon Downs-based trainer, Kimberlie Miller
and her husband, Jeff, have four two-year olds in their
stable. The Millers are keen on two of the horses they are
developing for owner Mike Polansky, who has a large
stable at Saratoga Harness Track with trainer Dave
Spagnola.
Said Kim Miller: "I like Sissboombah (American Ideal)
quite a bit. He's been in 2:35 on the mile track and he's a
very willing learner."
© Copyright Harness Racing Update.
This newspaper may not be reproduced in any form or by
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written permission of the copyright owner, MB Publishing
Inc. Information as to the races, race results and earnings
was obtained from results charts published by the United
States Trotting Association and utilized here with the
permission of the copyright owner.
Scott Norris Stable
The Pinehurst-based Norris
develops horses for clients who
race at Meadowlands and Yonkers, including Tom Fanning.
Two of Fanning's youngsters top
the list of horses Norris is highest on at this time.
"The Real Artist (Lastingart
Scott Norris
Hanover) and the Artiscape
(Reflection On Me) are doing real good - they've been in
2:40 and expect they'll both have a good two-year old
season," said Norris.
Richard Oldfield Stable
The Indiana-based Oldfield's two-year-olds-in-training
include Awesum Native (All American Native) and Miss
Lucy O (Fox Valley Barzar).
"At this stage both are getting along fine. I've been in
2:30 with them on the mile track," he said.
Ray Paver Stable
"They're all doing real good, which is unusual," stated
Paver. "I really can't separate them at this point."
Paver, who has 31 horses in his Pinehurst stable, of
which 15 are two-year olds, will head to the Meadows
Racetrack in early spring. Paver has driven 3,762 winners
to date, and has topped the $1-million purse earnings
plateau with his drives the last six seasons.
John Roach Stable
Recently asked by his mentor Hall of Fame
Driver/Trainer Howard Beissinger (four time winner of the
Hambletonian with Lindy's Pride, Speedy Somolli, Lindy's
Crown and Speedy Crown) how the stock was going
Roach stated: "They're all good gaited, have good mouths
and are well behaved," to which Beissigner replied, "At
this point and time, how can you expect anymore?" The
Vernon Downs-based Roach's three youngsters, who
have been between 2:40 - 2:45, are the filly Prosperity
(Revenue S) and the colts Rockway (Conway Hall) and
Tempus Fugit (Andover Hall).
Mark Walker Stable
The Pinehurst native has two fillies he's presently conditioning and stated: "Nothing really to report because I'm
just taking it slow with both of them." Walker plans to ship
to the Circleville County Fairgrounds, located south of
Scioto Downs in Ohio at end of April.
Dave Wade Stable
The western Pennsylvania-based trainer has two trotting colts in his barn - Better On Broadway (Broadway
Hall) and Willheparkher (SJ's Caviar).
"I like the way both of these colts are developing - good
attitudes and willingness to learn," he said.
Both have been around 2:45.
Photos by Joe Spadaro
HarnessRacingUpdate.com
• 2/18/11 • PAGE 4 of 9
Editor’s Note: The USTA announced yesterday that
Joe Faraldo will challenge incumbent Ivan Axelrod for the
position as USTA Chairman of the Board when the USTA
board convenes at its annual meeting in Columbus on
March 13. Phil Langley will run unopposed for the position
of USTA President. Below is Andrew Cohen’s take on
Faraldo v Axelrod.
Introducing Aunt Tilly
Late last week, via email to some (but not all) of his
fellow members of the Board of Directors of the United
States Trotting Association, New York horsemen’s chief
Joe Faraldo became the latest in a long line of politicians
who have made their first campaign speech before first
declaring their candidacy. In a letter curiously titled “Five
Racetracks My Aunt Tilly,” Faraldo ripped into USTA
Chairman Ivan Axelrod last Thursday for a column the
latter wrote in the most recent issue of Hoof Beats magazine. And then, the next day, just before an expiring directors’ deadline, Faraldo formally notified the USTA that he
plans to run against Axelrod for the chairmanship of the
organization.
Must have been some horrible Axelrod column, right?
Actually, no. Not at all. I read it last week, thought it was
one man’s vision for what the future of horse racing might
portend, and then continued on through the rest of the
magazine (which was, as usual, very good). I don’t agree
with Axelrod on some of his details-- for example, he says
he “envisions… approximately 5 racetracks” around the
country-- but I wasn’t offended by the expression of his
point of view and certainly didn’t see it as any sign of
disrespect or discourtesy toward any of the chairman’s
constituents. The man was looking ahead, that’s all. Some
of us will be right. Some of us will be wrong. I’ve read a
whole lot worse, in other words, and I bet you have, too.
Faraldo, on the other hand, evidently saw in Axelrod’s
work product some sort of threat and some form of weakness. In his letter, Faraldo wrote: “Unfortunately, it has
come down to this: Our Chairman as a USTA leader
seems to be undermining the efforts of many of our other
leaders and directors who wish to repulse the downsizing
of our industry from those who would profit greatly if race
days were reduced or tracks were eliminated” (my emphasis). The letter also repeated many of the points we’ve
come to expect lately from Faraldo—as well as much of
his rhetoric. For example, he accused Axelrod of making a
“flippant suggestion” and of sending the “wrong message”
using an “unfortunate choice of language” in a way that
was “not conducive” and “unnecessarily divisive.” You get
the idea.
Axelrod can speak for himself, of course, and I hope he
does, publicly. In an email earlier this week, Axelrod told
me that he and Faraldo have a “difference of opinion”
(duh) but that he, Axelrod, has no further comment on the
matter. I also hope that Faraldo’s already-famous “Aunt
Tilly” letter, and his upcoming response in the next issue
of Hoof Beats, is made available to all members of the
USTA before the March 13 election, which will determine
who leads the organization moving forward. I think these
writings should be out in the open so that as many people
as possible—and not just USTA directors--can form an
educated opinion about what this coming leadership battle
is all about.
You all may come to your own conclusions about the
latest iteration of L’Affair Faraldo, but here are mine. I
didn’t read Axelrod’s Hoof Beats column as directly advocating the downsizing of anything and I certainly didn’t
infer any malevolent intent on Axelrod’s part which would
merit Faraldo’s charge that Axelrod is “undermining” constructive change in the industry.” Instead, I found Faraldo’s
response overblown, a cannon dispatched to hammer
home a nail, and an excuse to justify his reasons for
throwing his hat into the ring for the USTA chairmanship.
In this regard, Axelrod now officially joins a distinguished
team of leaders in our sport, including, of course, Jeff
Gural, who have earned Faraldo’s public wrath. In fact, at
times, the Aunt Tilly letter reads more like a missive at
Gural’s purse plan than a complaint about Axelrod’s column. In any event, I will have more to write about the
surprise contest in the coming weeks. (The entire text of
the letter appears below News and Notes.)
News and notes: Congratulations to the boss, Bill
Finley, for receiving the President’s Award from the USTA.
Same for my pal Frank Antonacci, Jr., who in addition to
being a vibrant trainer also is a wonderful young tribune
for our sport… Good for the Association of Racing Commissioners for talking about exchange wagering at their
upcoming annual conference. Ed Martin, head of the RCI,
says “the time is now to focus on a workable regulatory
framework that will protect fans and racing participants.”…
I’m told that it is now almost certain that the Dan Patch
Awards next weekend will be streamed live online, thanks
to the good work of the folks at USHW A, the USTA, and
Pompano Park. W hich winner will come to the podium and
say “I’m happy to have taken my talents to South Beach”?
Below is the full text of Faraldo’s “Aunt Tilly” letter:
Five Racetracks my Aunt Tilly!
Once again, I feel compelled to take issue with statements made by our Chairman of the Board (February Hoof
Beats).
As I previously stated, I do not share the belief publicly
espoused by our Chairman that we would be better off
having a powerful centralized czar to govern all aspects of
our industry, including the establishment and "coordination" of race dates. Now, allow me to additionally go on
record as strongly disagreeing with the rather flippant
HarnessRacingUpdate.com
• 2/18/11 • PAGE 5 of 9
suggestion that perhaps the industry or a czar or a National Racing Compact could also be charged with determining which race tracks should even exist in the future
(as the Chair has offered up for discussion a severe downsizing that would surreally result in a nationwide industry
with only five track venues). W hile we all struggle with how
to improve our business, I personally feel that these are
the wrong messages to be sent by anyone in a leadership
role in our association, and especially the USTA Chairman. Furthermore, the unfortunate choice of language in
some prior published comments - including talking about
the "haves and have nots" in terms of slots vs. non-slots
racing venues - is not conducive to bringing us together,
but rather creates an atmosphere that is unnecessarily
divisive.
This type of rhetoric plays right into the hands of those
who believe that all costs and expenses of "the industry"
are actually the sole responsibility of the horsemen and
the horsemen alone, and it's one of the fights I haven't
been afraid to take on here in my home state of New York
on behalf of the horsemen. On issues ranging from guaranteeing minimum race days to fighting unfair surcharges
on horsemen, I have spent countless hours advocating in
the halls of the Capitol against those both within and without the industry that seek to persuade our elected officials
that the horsemen alone should make all the sacrifices
and bear all the costs associated with plans to save our
industry.
Recently, it was suggested that costs of marketing our
sport should be borne solely by the horsemen from their
purse account. There is too much talk of late trying to
redefine the "industry" as just the horsemen when it comes
to sacrifice or costs. Further, marketing our sport is the
responsibility of ALL who profit from racing. The horsemen
and their purse accounts become easy targets of those
seeking to protect their own pocketbooks. W hen racing at
a venue gets more profitable, everyone in the industry
benefits. The industry is all of us. Unfortunately, it has
come down to this: Our Chairman as a USTA leader
seems to be undermining the efforts of many of our other
leaders and directors who wish to repulse the downsizing
of our industry from those who would profit greatly if race
days were reduced or tracks were eliminated.
Many of us are deeply opposed to the espoused positions of the Chair, or anyone else for that matter, that give
even the slightest credence to the idea of reducing racing
opportunities for horse owners by either reducing race
dates or culling the industry down to five racing venues. I
am an advocate for as many racing opportunities as a
purse account can competitively sustain to satisfy the
needs of our owners who have a substantial investment in
our business, and I do not believe in artificially reducing
those opportunities in any way, shape or form. An owner's
ability to race and earn a living simply cannot, nor should
not, be tinkered with and consolidating tracks may only
consolidate the same wagering dollars. The effect may be
very adverse to various smaller tracks and the horsemen
who were racing at them.
Obviously, we all want to see patrons return to the tracks
and of course we should work constructively towards that
goal. However, we can't ignore the fact that life today for
our industry is different than it was thirty years ago. People's connections to our industry have evolved - they
wager over different media devices and access the sport
in entirely new ways - so now is the time to be innovative
and capitalize on every new means of accommodating
fans possible. It's time for creativity and commitment, not
fewer race tracks and/or a centralized national czar.
Joe Faraldo District 8A
Woodbine Cancels Thursday Card
Toronto, February 17 - W oodbine Racetrack was forced to
cancel its Thursday night program due to unsafe track
conditions. Unseasonably warm temperatures in the Toronto area affected the surface and despite the best efforts of W oodbine's track crew, the track was deemed
unsafe for both horses and drivers. Racing is scheduled to
resume Friday evening with a first race scheduled for 7:10
p.m.
HRU's Finley Among President's Award Recipients
Bill Finley, the co-publisher of Harness Racing Update,
has been given a 2011 President's Award by the United
States Trotting Association. The award is handed out to
those who have made outstanding contributions to the
sport of harness racing.
The award will also be presented to Frank Antonacci Jr.,
Jim Coulter and VIP Stable. It will be presented at a Monday, March 14 luncheon during the U.S. Trotting Association's Board of Directors annual meeting in Columbus,
Ohio.
"This is an incredible honor and nothing I ever expected," Finley said. "To be mentioned in the same breath
as people like Frank Antonacci Jr, Jim Coulter and the VIP
team is remarkable to me. I may have come to this sport
late after concentrating on Thoroughbreds for many years,
but I made the right decision when I decided to focus more
of my time and attention on harness racing. As I once told
Ellen Harvey, I've yet to meet anybody in this sport who
isn't a terrific person."
In addition to his duties at Harness Racing Update,
Finley writes regularly for ESPN.com and the New York
Times and co-hosts racing broadcasts on Sirius XM radio,
where he and his broadcast partners devote hundreds of
hours to harness racing.
(Cont. P. 6)
HarnessRacingUpdate.com
• 2/18/11 • PAGE 6 of 9
President’s Award, cont.
Antonacci is a trainer who recently launched Bourbon
Slush Stable, an effort to get newcomers into the sport by
offering them shares in horses for as little as $500. Coulter
is an owner, trainer and driver who has operated out of the
spotlight in Iowa, but has nonetheless been an influential
member of the harness racing community who has served
on the USTA Board. VIP Stable and its managing director
Ed O'Connor has developed one of the sport's top racing
partnership groups, which has won nearly $8 million in
purses and brought numerous new fans into the sport.
Mach Three Colt Tops Brisbane Sale
A colt by Mach Three topped last Sunday's Australian
Pacing Gold-Brisbane sale, selling for $38,000 (Australian
dollars). The yearling was bought by Graeme Bowyer. A
McArdle filly was next, selling for $32,000. The third spot
went to a Badlands Hanover colt that sold for $28,000.
Though the sample size was a small one, McArdle was the
leading sire at the sale in terms of the average price of his
offspring. Two McArdles sold for an average of $24,000.
Up and Comer Laughandbehappy Tops Cape
& Cutter
By Mike Farrell
Laughandbehappy (Badlands Hanover) has picked up
the slack for trainer Jeff W ebster following the retirements
of Tug River Princess (Badlands Hanover), a career
winner of $1.8 million, and Southwind Tempo (Bettor's
Delight) at the end of last season.
“Seeing that we retired two great mares, she's really
going to have to step up and perform well," W ebster said.
So far, Laughandbehappy has answered the challenge.
Laughandbehappy, a 5-year-old mare who started on the
Iowa fair circuit, has delivered three wins in four starts this
year.
"From 2 to 3, from 3 to 4 and up to 5, you hope to see a
steady improvement, and she has," W ebster said.
She is one of the top contenders Friday night at the
Meadowlands in the $89,000 final of the Cape & Cutter for
pacing mares.
It is ladies night at the Big M as the supporting events
are the $49,000 Tender Loving Care for 3-year-old filly
pacers and a $27,500 Preferred Pace for fillies and mares.
Laughandbehappy, starting from the three hole, has a
slight post advantage over Ideal Newton (Western Ideal)
in post No. 6. Those two look like the top pair in a field that
also includes opening round winners Red Star Hottie (As
Promised) and Symphony In Motion (Bettor's Delight).
Laughandbehappy and Ideal Newton both delivered
solid wins last week to put their stamp on the final.
After reeling off
a pair of wins in
the Meadowlands
Mares Invitational,
W ebster gave
Laughandbehappy
a brief break before the start of the
Cape & Cutter on
Feb. 4.
She suffered her Laughandbehappy
Lisa photo
only loss of the
campaign in that opening round, rallying to miss by only
nose behind Symphony In Motion.
"I just think she was a little out of position and she
missed a week there," W ebster said. "W e tried to race her
from behind. She still had a shot to win that race. W hy she
didn't, I don't know. She keeps herself pretty tight. I don't
think it was a fitness thing; she was just a little bit out of
position. Against mares like that, you've got to be close."
Laughandbehappy left no doubt who was the boss last
week, rebounding with a pacesetting win in 1:51.4, finishing totally under wraps with David Miller at the lines.
She should be right in the mix in the final.
"Racing in front, or close to the front, is her game,"
W ebster said. "With the competition the way it is, you can't
be second or third over with bad cover. You want to eliminate as many bad things that can happen. Being up close
to front, you do that."
Like Laughandbehappy, Ideal Newton bounced back to
win last week. A 6-year-old trained by Noel Daley, Ideal
Newton was fifth in the opening round to Red Star Hottie
in her first race since late December.
She was much sharper last week, scoring the win in
1:50.3 to set the stage for the final.
"In a final anyone can pop up; you know crazy things
happen in finals " W ebster said. "These two are both
tough mares who can rough it up a little bit. I don't think
the draw put her (Ideal Newton) far enough out where you
can say we have an edge over her or that she has an
advantage over us. The two mares will be working out a
trip and it will be a footrace to see what happens. They
both come in at the top of their game."
Red Star Hottie might have the best chance of out muscling the two headliners. She has a win and a pair of seconds in the last three starts and forms a Ron Burke stable
entry along Go On BB (Dontgetinmyway).
Burke also hitches up an entry for the Tender Loving
Care, sending out Some Girls Do (American Ideal) and
Hello Camie (Cambest).
Some Girls Do was a monster in the both legs, winning
by 4 1-2 and 5 1-2 lengths. Her win last week was a lifetime best 1:54.
Hello Camie is certainly no slouch. An opening round
winner, Hello Camie was second last week to Sagebrush
Susie (Red River Hanover) who won by 2 1-4 lengths
while lowering her mark to 1:53.3. (Cont.)
HarnessRacingUpdate.com
• 2/18/11 • PAGE 7 of 9
The Cape & Cutter-Final. Open Mares. Purse: $89,000.
Race 6
PP PN
1 2
2 1
3 3
4 4
5 5
6 6
7 7
8 1A
9 8
10 9
Horse
Symphony In Motion
Red Star Hottie
Laughandbehappy
Cuz She Can
Shanghai Lil
Ideal Newton
Jasper That A
Go On BB
Omen Hanover
Shacked Up
Sire
Trainer Driver
Odds
Bettor’s Delight Harder Berry
8-1
As Promised
Burke
Sears
9-2
Badlands HanoverWebster D Miller 9-5
Cambest
McDermottPierce 5-1
Jenna’s Beach Boy Ford
Campbell15-1
Western Ideal
Daley
Tetrick 7-2
Village Jasper
AndersonSimpson 15-1
Dontgetinmyway Burke
Gingras 9-2
Western Hanover Surick
Kakaley 15-1
Western Terror Green
A. Miller 10-1
Friday, Feb. 18, Woodbine
Horseplayer Interactive-Final. Purse: $60,000. Race 5
PP Horse
Sire
Trainer
1 P Note Blue Chip Western Ideal
Montini
2 Holiday Shopper Camluck
J.M. Brewer
3 Didrickson
Keystone Raider Goodwin
4 Miss Maverick
Western Maverick St. Charles
5 Flip Flop Summer Jennas Beach Boy Chupp
6 Ardor Locke
Million Dollar Cam Peters
7 Mi Amada
Grinfromeartoear Gillis
8 Miss Sand Creek Red River Hanover Lilley
9 L H Nenia
Astreos
Freeze
10 Catch A Dragon Dragon Again
Steacy
AE Full Circle Faith Albert Albert
Megens
Driver
Oliver
J.J. Brewer
Waples
Saftic
R. Zeron
MacDonald
Jamieson
McNair
Hudon
Filion
Christoforou
Odds
4-1
5-1
3-1
15-1
5-1
9-2
15-1
20-1
8-1
20-1
NA
Didrickson (Keystone Raider) continues her assault on
Canada as the 3-1 morning line favorite Friday night in the
$60,000 Horseplayer Interactive Final for pacing mares at
W oodbine.
The 5-year-old is a perfect 5 for 5 in 2011, a streak that
started as the mare from Michigan reeled off three in a row
at Windsor Raceway.
Owner, trainer and co-breeder Kelly Goodwin then took
aim at W oodbine and Didrickson hasn't missed a beat.
She followed a conditioned win on Jan. 28 with a 1 1-2
length victory in last week's Horseplayer Interactive eliminations. She ranged up second over with Randy W aples
at the lines to win in 1:54.3, kicking home in a 27.4 final
quarter. P Note Blue Chip (Western Ideal) was second in
her season debut with Catch A Dragon (Dragon Again)
third.
She got a major vote of confidence when Randy W aples
elected to steer her in the final.
W aples had been the pilot for Ardor Locke (Million
Dollar Cam), third behind Miss Maverick (W estern Maverick), a 17-1 upset winner last week. It was her first victory
in four tries this season.
Ardor Locke, the beaten 2-5 favorite, could not build on
her victory the previous week in W oodbine's Filly and
Mare Open. Mark MacDonald picked up the open drive.
Holiday Shopper got the place spot in that elim.
Flip Flop Summer (Jennas Beach Boy) extended her
winning streak to two in the other elimination, with L H
Nenia (Astreos) second and Mi Amada
(Grinformeartoear) third. The time was fastest of the three
elims: 1:52.4.
–Mike Farrell
I read with great interest the recent article and follow-up
letters on Stan Bergstein. His on-the-mark insight and
commentary added so much to the televised Racing from
the Meadowlands and Hambletonian cards in years past.
I recall that he once described John Campbell as harness
racing's "greatest THINKING driver" after Campbell, in a
very competitive race, "just sitting there" won easily.
Although our paths never crossed Stan and I shared the
same dentist in Parsippany, NJ (Dr. Robert King) and we
both never succeeded in getting Bob interested in the
sport (as far as I know.)
Back in the 70's and 80's there was annual handicapping book called SULKY that assigned every harness
horse in America a numeric rating based on a system that
included both breeding and past year's performance, and
which also provided a formula for updating those base
numbers using today's track program. Having had much
success at the betting window with this publication, I was
disappointed one year when I did not receive a renewal
notice and communications went unanswered. The publisher was located in Bernardsville, NJ and none other
than Stan Bergstein lived in the area. So I called Stan as
a last resort and after questioning me further he said he
was pretty sure he knew who the publisher was and that
he would stop by IN PERSON and get back to me (which
he did.) I thought to myself - here is a person really dedicated to harness racing! (Just as an aside I received only
one more issue of SULKY. If anyone out there knows if it
was ever revived or is available today I would love to hear
from them.)
Here's hoping that Stan will eventually put pen to paper
and give us his life story in harness racing - what a great
read that would be.
--Richard Bigness
Tune in to the Bob Heyden Report for the best in
harness racing talk, every Saturday at 10:15 a.m.
Eastern on the Eclipse Award-winning
horse racing radio program
DOWN THE STRETCH
every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern
SIRIUS Channel 126 & XM Channel 243
Hosted by Dave Johnson and Bill Finley
Call in with your questions to 866-900-6451
For SIRIUS/XM radio go to www.siriusxm.com
HarnessRacingUpdate.com
• 2/18/11 • PAGE 8 of 9
Monday’s Results:
10, DD, 2-14, $35,000, Pace, Open Preferred Handicap
Post Positions 1 & 2 Drawn Post Positions 3 thru 6 Drawn
Post Position No. 7 Assigned, 26.3, 54.2, 1:23.4, 1:52.3,
FT
1-Devil's Ivy (g, 8, Camluck--Idylwood Legend, by
Ralph Hanover). O-Arty L Foster. B-W inbak Farm.
T-Arty Foster. D-Eric Goodell, $17,500, Lifetime Record:
172-25-29-33, $374,670 * Full to Lady Graceful,
$938,164.
2-Southwind Lynx (h, 7, Real Artist--Luxury Class, by
Jate Lobell), $42,000 2005 LEX-SEL. O-K & R Racing
LLC & Teague Inc. B-Southwind Farm. T-George
Teague Jr. D-Montrell Teague, $8,750.
3-Harlingen Hanover (g, 5, Badlands Hanover--Hermosa
Hanover, by Big Towner), $25,000 2007 NJ-CL.
O-James A Behrendt. B-Hanover Shoe Farms Inc.
T-Roger Plante Jr. D-Roger Plante Jr, $4,200
Calls: 8Q, 7H, 2H, 1, NK
Finish Order: Three Of Spades, Schoolkids, That's Justice,
Jeremy's Successor.
Eric Goodell and Devil’s Ivy, overlooked at 12-1, nipped
veteran Southwind Lynx at the wire in 1:53.3. Harlingen
Hanover closed strongly to finish third. The victory was the
second of the year for the Arty Foster owned and conditioned Camluck gelding. W ith the exception of one start,
Devil’s Ivy has been second or third in his other six 2001
starts. For Goodell, it was his first of two wins during the
program.
8, DD, 2-14 $32,500, Pace, Delaware Special Handicap
Post Positions 1 Thru 6 Drawn Post Positions 7 & 8
Drawn, 27.1, 55.2, 1:23.3, 1:52.2, FT
1-Astounding Hanover (g, 5, Allamerican Native--Aw
Shucks Hanover, by Grinfromeartoear), $39,000 2007
SHS-HBG. O-James T King Jr & Joseph L Johnson.
B-Hanover Shoe Farms Inc. T-Jim King Jr. D-Tim
Tetrick, $16,250, Lifetime Record: 77-12-10-15,
$261,832
2-Theredandpanlines (g, 9, Artsplace--You Can Fly, by
Nihilator). O-Andrew R Glassmeyer. B-Peter Pan
Stables Inc. T-A Bobby Glassmeyer. D-Jonathan
Roberts, $8,125
3-Eagle All (g, 5, Allamerican Ingot--It's Gina, by
Albatross), $700 2007 PA-Pref. O-Arty L Foster.
B-Dettore Farms Inc. T-Arty Foster. D-Eric Goodell,
$3,900
Calls: 1H, 1, HD, 1H, 2Q
Finish Order: Kelly's Spur, Nova Artist, Funny Deacon, Go
W est Lucky Cam, Solano.
Tim Tetrick hustled Astounding Hanover into the lead in
front of the grandstand and then set all the fractions en
route to a 1:52.2 triumph, his second of the year, in the
$32,500 Delaware Special. Joe Johnson and trainer Jim
King own the Allamerican Native gelding.
Theredandpanlines was second in front of Eagle All.
Tuesday’s results:
10, DD 2-15, $26,000, Pace, FILLIES/MARES Open
Handicap Post Position No. 1 Assigned, 27.0, 54.2,
1:23.1, 1:52.0, FT
Lightning Treasure (m, 6, Western Ideal--Treasure The
Best, by Cambest), $41,000 2006 LEX-SEL. O-Lightning
Stable. B-Brittany Farms. T-Anthony Mannino. D-Jonathan
Roberts, $13,000, Lifetime Record: 77-23-10-13,
$451,449.
Monday’s Results:
11, YR, 2-14, $20,000, Pace, CLAIMING ALLOW ANCE
$40,000 3 YO 50% 4 YO 25% F&M 20%, 7, 27.0, 55.1,
1:24.4, 2:01.2, FT.
Mr Terry Fra (g, 5, Artsplace--Christine's Return, by
Cam's Card Shark). O-P T Stable. B-Angelo Frassetto.
T-Lou Pena. D-George Brennan, $10,000, Lifetime Record: 68-11-6-9, $129,968.
Monday’s Results:
4, Mea, 2-14, $22,500, Pace, **W /O $10,000
LIFE/PREFERRED HANDICAP** P.P.1-2 DRAW N; 3-6
DRAW N, 27.4, 57.3, 1:25.2, 1:54.0, FT
Object Of Art (g, 8, Camluck--Artful Angel, by
Artsplace)
O-W illiam T Bercury. B-Michael Dockendorf & Douglas
John Mcintosh, CA. T-W illiam Bercury. D-Aaron
Merriman, $11,250, Lifetime Record: 126-34-17-17,
$447,050.
Wednesday’s Results:
7, Mea, 2-16, $22,500, Trot, **PREFERRED HANDICAP** P.P.1-2 DRAW N; 3 ASSIGNED 4-8 DRAW N; 9
ASSIGNED, 28.0, 57.3, 1:26.2, 1:55.2, FT
Bettis (h, 6, Sierra Kosmos--Sj's Shad Roe, by S J's
Photo) O-David W W ade & W illiam F Peel III & Gerald W
Brittingham. B-David W W ade & Jacquelyn S Brittingham
& W illiam F Peel III & Gerald W Brittingham. T-David
W ade. D-Aaron Merriman, $11,250, Lifetime Record:
68-26-11-9, $201,472.
HarnessRacingUpdate.com
• 2/18/11 • PAGE 9 of 9
HARNESS RACING UPDATE IS:
Sunday’s Results:
10, FrD, 2-13, $35,000 Pace, Miss Valentine Final 4Year-Old Mares BC owned, bred or sired, 27, 56.4, 1:26.1,
1:55.4 GD
Mystic Maiden (m,4, Camystic--Artfromtheheart, by
Artsplace) O-Barry Macfarlane, Crimson Racing Stable.
B-Crimson Racing Stable. T-Justin Currie. D-Jim Marino,
$17,500, Lifetime Record: 24-22-0-0, $186,541.
Monday’s Results:
8, Wdb, 2-14, $30,000 Trot, Preferred, 27.4, 56.4, 1:26,
1:55.1 FT
Aisling (g, 7, Conway Hall–Heaven Tonight, by Victory
Dream) , $135,000, 2005 LEX-SEL. O-Steve Calhoun. BRiver Ridge Farm. T-Casie Coleman. D-Mark MacDonald,
$15,000, Lifetime Record: 76-18-13-9, $256,031.
Mike Farrell, co-publisher
Bill Finley, co-publisher
Lucas Marquardt, night editor
Andrew Cohen, colum nist
Robert W illiam s, IT
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