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Friday, January 31, 2014

YONKERS’ FRIDAY PICK 5 OFFERS $10,000 GUARANTEED POOL

BY FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway

YONKERS, NY, Thursday, January 30, 2014—Yonkers Raceway’s Friday Pick 5 now comes complete with a $10,000 guaranteed pool.

No one waltzed away with Thursday’s gimmick, so Friday begins with a $6,246.86 carryover.

The Pick 5 is a 50-cent base wager offered on races 5 through 9 nightly. It has no consolation payoff, meaning if no one selects all five winners, the entire pool (minus takeout) moves to the next racing program. Friday’s agenda includes both co-featured Open Handicaps (6th  race--Filly and Mare Pace, 8th race—Trot).

The Pick 5 offers a $10,000 “regular” guaranteed pool every Monday and Tuesday (in conjunction with the US Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering Program), with program pages for those days available for perusal at www.yonkersraceway.com.


The Raceway's five-night-per-week live schedule continues, with first post every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:10 PM. Evening simulcasting accompanies all live programs, with afternoon simulcasting available daily.

Joe O’Brien Series finale honors true harness legend

By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness

Saturday night’s Joe O’Brien Pacing series finale is named was one of the most successful driver/trainers in harness racing history. He was born in Alberton, Prince Edward Island in 1917 and passed away in 1984.

In total, O’Brien drove more than 4,500 winners and collected more than $20 million in purses. He is enshrined in both the United States and Canadian Harness Racing Hall of Fame and is fondly remembered as “Little Joe”.

“Joe was the master,” said Cal Expo racing secretary Fred Kuebler. “He would jiggle those lines in his hands down the stretch and never even have to use the whip. He and Shelly Goudreau were the two best drivers I’ve ever seen.”

Joe O’Brien first drove a sulky at the age of 13 and continued to race around the Maritimes circuit with his father and four brothers until 1936, when he landed his first job as a trainer. He soon became well versed in the art of training and racing and was the leading driver in the Maritimes from 1943 to 1947, upon which time he moved south to try his luck on the U.S. circuit.

O’Brien’s success over the next three decades was immense. He won three Little Brown Jugs, five Kentucky Futurity races, drove two Hambletonian winners, and became the second man in harness racing history to hit the 2,000-win mark. He was out to beat not only his opponents, but also to challenge time. In total, he drove more than 500 sub-two-minute miles, at a time when that was something special, setting numerous records along the way.

 He drove Scott Frost to the world’s first two-minute mile for a two-year old in 1955, Steady Star to a new mark for the fastest clocking ever by a standardbred in 1971, and Flower child to the first European sub-two-minute trotting mile in 1975. His fastest season came in 1975, when he drove a world record of 44 sub-two-minute miles and 32 two-minute miles in a single season.

O’Brien drove such fine steeds as Blaze Hanover, Fresh Yankee, and Ambro Flight, but he named Scott Frost as his personal favorite. In 1955, they took the Hambletonian, the Yonkers Trot, and the Kentucky Futurity, making Scott Frost the first horse in history to claim harness racing’s Triple Crown.

O’Brien finale, Sire Stakes, Open Pace set

Cypress Hill Suds, a 23-1 upsetter last week; and Bette Davis, an impressive winner of the first leg, head the cast for Saturday night’s Joe O’Brien Pacing series final at Cal Expo.

There will also be an Open Pace headed by One And Only and a $10,000 California Sire Stakes for the 3-year-old pacing males headed by Rikybrnthegaragdown, with the latter going as a non-betting event.

Looking at the O’Brien, Cypress Hill Suds is a 5-year-old daughter of Fifty Percent who carries the banner of A Piece Of The Action LLC, is trained by Gene Vallandingham and has Tim Maier guiding.  She has drawn the No. 2 post in the field of seven for the finale.

She carved out the middle fractions in the first leg of this series and tired, but then turned things around at a big price last weekend. WitH Maier at the controls last week, she took back early, came first over in powerful fashion at the half and prevailed by a length in a lifetime-best 1:57 4/5 clocking.

Bette Davis Eyes is looking to make amends after checking in fifth in that affair as the 4-5 favorite. The 4-year-old Moxie offspring races for Toman Enterprises LTD, takes her lessons from George Anthrop and Mooney Svendsen has the assignment. She was an impressive come-from-behind winner of the opening O’Brien leg in a solid 1:56 tour.

Rounding out the field are Skyway King, who leaves from the rail with Robert Roesch giving directions; Fox Valley Dylan off the claim for Steve Wiseman; Lebo Jones, James Kennedy; Daggy with Patrick Galbraith; and Looks Don’t Count has the outside slot and Luke Plano at the helm.

In the Open Pace, One And Only will be shooting for his fifth straight trip to the winner’s circle for the combination of owners Richard Morita and David Yamada, trainer Lino Pacheo and pilot Luke Plano. He has been assigned the demanding No. 10 post position in hopes of leveling the playing field for this go-around.  

NOT -SO PRESIDENTIAL PACE” NEARLY A GO AT MONTICELLO ON FEB. 17

If all who say they are coming do so,  Monticello Raceway is currently just one driver short of having an eight horse field for its “Not-So Presidential” Pace on Presidents Day, February 17.

“To recap…eligible drivers are those whose surnames are the same as former U.S. Presidents,” noted   Eric Warner, Monticello Raceways director of racing.  “With a possible, or maybe probable, seven saying that they want to drive in our race we’ll have a contest although I’d really like to have eight in the race.”

Those who expressed desire to compete include;  local drivers, Cedric and Dennis “George”  Washington, along with Howard “Zachary” Taylor, Allan “Lyndon”  Johnson, Scott “ Zachary” Taylor, George “James, K”  Polk, Jr. along with Don “Herbert” Hoover, the former driver now the current racing secretary at Saratoga Raceway..

“I know there are more drivers with presidential names who could join us including the many Jackson’s. Johnson’s, Grant’s, Kennedy’s and Wilson’s with licenses,” Warner added.


However, should anyone with a presidential name like to join the race , he or she, is urged to contact Warner in the race office at the Mighty M by calling 845.794.4100x557; or they can contact the tracks publicity office at ext. 455.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Buffalo Raceway Cancels Racing for January 29

Buffalo Raceway has been forced to cancel racing tonight.  The 12 race card scheduled for this evening Wednesday January 29 has been called off.  With temperatures in Western New York around 0 degrees and high winds the track has become unsafe for horsemen and horses.

Racing at the Hamburg Oval will continue this week Thursday with a first post of 5:00pm, Friday and Saturday 6:40 pm. 


A Stitch In Time draws praise from Svendsen at Cal Expo

    By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness

A Stitch In Time has won 13 of his 19 starts, with a growing number of stakes trophies on the mantle, but his runner-up finish in last week’s Open Pace impressed pilot Mooney Svendsen as much as any of those victories.

The 4-year-old homebred son of Kent’s On Nuke, who carries the banner of Mark Anderson and hails from the Gordie Graham barn, flew home for Svendsen in last week’s assignment but came up short of catching the free-wheeling front end favorite One And Only that evening.

“That was as a good a race as he’s ever gone for me,” Svendsen related. “He came that final quarter in :26 2/5 and he would have definitely won if we would come first over and not had a roadblock ahead of us.

“This is one of the best horses I’ve driven since I’ve come out here and an amazing California-bred. I knew he was something special right off the bat, when he broke his maiden at Running Aces last year in 1:54 and absolutely flew by everybody once I pulled him out.”

A Stitch In Time has rattled off four straight Sire Stakes victories since the middle of November, proving clearly best on each occasion as the prohibitive favorite. “He just stands out with that group,” Mooney noted. “You can pretty much do anything you want with him. I just want to make sure I don’t make any mistakes and he’s going to do the rest.

“You have to remember that he’s only just turned 4 and is lightly raced, so his best races figures to be still ahead of him. He’s a real nice one to have and it should be a lot of fun down the road.”

A REMINDER THAT THERE ARE THREE RACES EACH NIGHT THAT OFFER A REDUCED 16% TAKEOUT RATE. THEY ARE THE 50-CENT PICK 5 WITH A GUARANTEED $10,000 POOL; THE 20-CENT PICK 4 WITH A $20,000 GUARANTEED POOL ON FRIDAY AND A $25,000 GUARANTEE ON SATURDAY; AND THE 10-CENT HI-FIVE ON THE NIGHTCAP.

Open Trot, Distaff Pace, Sire Stakes set


An Open Trot that pits El Azteca versus a strong Bob Johnson pair; an Open Distaff Pace and a trio of $10,000 California Sire Stakes are the featured attractions on Friday night’s Watch and Wager LLC program at Cal Expo.

First post for the 14-race program is 5:20 p.m. The Open Trot will go as the third; the Distaff Open occupies the fourth-race slot; the Sire Stakes for the 3-year-old pacing fillies is set as the eighth and the other two Sire Stakes will be decided as non-betting events prior to the regular card.

Freedombird looks for another trophy and headlines the 4-year-old trotting stakes, while Snuff N Beer eyes an encore in the 3-year-old trotting contest. Looking at the sophomore pacing fillies Sire Stakes, De Valeria edged out odds-on J’s Littlerockstar in the first added-money clash for the division two weeks ago.

De Valeria is daughter of Little Steven and the Cr Fandango Fella mare Princess Kiara who is owned by Eugene Afentoulis and is reined and trained by Luke Plano. She sat a stalking trip in that first stakes gathering, rallied second over to the lane and overpowered the pace-setting J’s Littlerockstar.

The latter is another by Little Steven and she is owned, trained, driven and was bred by James Kennedy. She carved out all the fractions in that event two weeks ago as the 3-5 chalk, dug in late but could not quite hold off the winner’s rally. She was a sharp 1:57 4/5 victress on January 3 to earn her maiden diploma.

Looking at the Open Trot, El Azteca is a 5-year-old son of Panama Hanover and the Jonathan Lobell mare Jonathan’s Girl who made a very impressive 2014 debut in the most recent gathering for the head of the class. Marco Rios owns, trains and bred the performer and Luke Plano will handle the lines.

Sent off the 3-2 favorite in the most recent Open Trot despite the fact that he was making his first start since June at Hoosier Park, El Azteca was a solid first-over victor and had a length and three quarters advantage at the wire. A multiple Sire Stakes winner here in California, he is working his way to the $100,000 earnings plateau and sports a 1:55 mark.


Tuesday, January 28, 2014

YONKERS SET TO GO TONIGHT AS SCHEDULED

BY FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway

YONKERS, NY, Tuesday, January 28, 2014—Just like the mailman, Yonkers Raceway is making its appointed rounds—all 12 of them—tonight.

Despite the, ahem, brisk temperatures, the Raceway’s program is forging ahead as scheduled this evening, with the usual 7:10 PM first post. The card includes a $10,000 guaranteed Pick 5 pool.

The Pick 5 is a 50-cent base wager offered on races 5 through 9 nightly. It has no consolation payoff, meaning if no one selects all five winners, the entire pool (minus takeout) moves to the next racing program.

The Pick 5 offers a $10,000 guaranteed pool every Monday and Tuesday (in conjunction with the US Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering Program), with program pages for those “guarantee” days available for perusal at www.yonkersraceway.com.


The Raceway's five-night-per-week live schedule continues, with first post every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:10 PM. Evening simulcasting accompanies all live programs, with afternoon simulcasting now available daily.

Meadowlands Adds Thursday March 13th to Live Calendar

Due to the cancellation of racing on Thursday, January 2nd due to a winter storm, The Meadowlands and the Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association of New Jersey have reached an agreement to add live racing on Thursday March 13th, to make up the lost day from earlier in the meet.

“We are glad to be able to make up this lost day for our horsemen,” said SBOA President, Tommy Luchento.  “It’s great to have the kind of relationship with The Meadowlands where we can approach them and easily work together in the best interest of our horsemen.”

“The Meadowlands wants to give the horsemen of New Jersey every opportunity to get their horses raced,” said Director of Racing Operations, Darin Zoccali.  “Obviously, this has not been an ideal winter from a weather standpoint and when our racing is impacted by winter weather, the SBOA is very easy to work with in developing a contingency plan.”

The updated racing calendar, which includes the added date of Thursday March 13th can be found at http://meadowlandsracetrack.com/calendardates.aspx

Following the Super Bowl break, racing resumes at The Meadowlands on Thursday February 6th, featuring a pick 5 carryover of $18,083.40.  The Meadowlands and Trackmaster have worked out an agreement for past performances for that pick 5 sequence to be posted, free of charge, on The Meadowlands website at http://meadowlandsracetrack.com/content.aspx?id=3357.


YONKERS’ MONDAY PICK 5 DOUBLES THE GUARANTEE

BY FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway

YONKERS, NY, Monday, January 27, 2014—Ten thousand became 20-large with Yonkers Raceway’s Monday night Pick 5

Buoyed by a $4,535.53 carryover from Saturday night, the regular Monday $10,000 guaranteed pool was dwarfed when $20,140 was poured in through the precincts.

The winning combination of 1-7-1-3-5 returned $82.75…not bad considering the largest win mutuel in the sequence was eight bucks and there were a pair of odds-on numbers as well as a just-over-even-money proposition.

The Pick 5 is a 50-cent base wager offered on races 5 through 9 nightly. It has no consolation payoff, meaning if no one selects all five winners, the entire pool (minus takeout) moves to the next racing program.

The Pick 5 offers a $10,000 guaranteed pool every Monday and Tuesday (in conjunction with the US Trotting Assoction’s Strategic Wagering Program), with program pages for those “guarantee” days (including Monday’s 25-large) available for perusal at www.yonkersraceway.com.

            
The Raceway's five-night-per-week live schedule continues, with first post every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:10 PM. Evening simulcasting accompanies all live programs, with afternoon simulcasting now available daily.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Meadowlands Pace Payments Reduced

A few significant reductions have been made to the cost of nominating and sustaining your pacing colts to The Meadowlands Pace for 2014 and beyond.  Recognizing the high cost of staking and the increased opportunities that exist for the three year old pacing colt division, the nominating and sustaining payments for the 2014 Meadowlands Pace have been reduced by nearly 20%. Chief among these cuts is the price to nominate having been slashed in half, from $1,000 to $500.  

Another new wrinkle for 2014 is a tiered declaration fee, dropping the cost of entry in the elimination races from the single declaration fee of $6,000 to $2,500 for the elimination and then $5,000 to go in the final (if eliminations are not needed, the cost to race in the final will be $7,500). It will cost $5,000 less than 2013 for a horse to put his nose on the gate in a Meadowlands Pace elimination.  This should allow more owners to take a crack at one of the classics and a chance to earn the cost of the final declaration fee while racing in the elimination.

The purse for the 2014 Meadowlands Pace is estimated to be $750,000 with the eliminations to go for $50,000. 

Looking ahead, the Meadowlands Pace is being transitioned from an Early Closer, which requires no nomination until the year in which the race will be contested, to a stake with payments due in prior years. To begin, a two year old nomination payment of $400 on the foals of 2012 to race in the 2015 Pace is due on March 15, 2014.  After this initial fee, the nominated horse will be eligible to be sustained to the 2015 Pace by making  $2,000 February 15 and $2,500 March 15 payments. The total payments then represent a further reduction of 25% versus the cost in 2014. 

“The Meadowlands Pace is the signature event at The Meadowlands,” said Chairman Jeff Gural.  “These three year old pacers have a lot of options now, more than ever before, and we feel it is important to make this event as affordable and attractive as possible.  It’s what the horsemen deserve and it’s what The Meadowlands Pace deserves.  I truly hope the horsemen respond with their nominations.”

“This is a big step for The Meadowlands Pace,” said Director of Racing Operations, Darin Zoccali.  “Our team in the racing department has been working on this concept for a year.  I want to thank Peter Koch and Nick Salvi for their creativity and ingenuity in coming up with a game plan that we all believe will make The Meadowlands Pace better than ever.  We have strong confidence that these changes will yield more nominations, more horses sustained throughout the payment process and more horses entered in the Eliminations.  The end result will be a deeper, more competitive field and a higher purse, which is in the best interest of the horsemen and The Meadowlands Pace itself.”

An announcement regarding the 2016 Meadowlands Pace and beyond along with its payment schedule will be made public in the near future.


The application for the two year old nomination for the 2015 Meadowlands Pace can be found here: http://meadowlandsracetrack.com/uploadedFiles/Horsemen/Harness_Stakes_Applications/meadowlands%20pace%20stakes%20ad.pdf

Sunday, January 26, 2014

SAPPHIRE CITY WINS SATURDAY NIGHT 33G OPEN HANDICAP PACE

BY FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway

YONKERS, NY, Saturday, January 25, 2014--Sapphire City (Eric Carlson) made amends Saturday night, winning Yonkers Raceway's $33,000  Open Handicap Pace.

The race took on a different description early as 7-5 favorite Bettor's Edge (George Brennan) jumped it off early. Those who minded their manners were led by last week's pocket winner, Lumberjack Willie (Jordan Stratton).

That one worked around Sapphire City--who left from post position No. 3--before a :27.1 opening quarter-mile. A cheapy, 29-second next interval (:56.1 half) before Fat Man's Alley (Jason Bartlett) moved from fourth. He just sat out there though another 29-second sub-station (1:25.1 three-quarters).

It was "Willie" taking a two-length lead into the lane, but he could not close the seal, Sapphire City, fading on the lead at 7-10 a week ago, closed ranks and went by, as did a stubborn Fat Man's Alley. The former whipped the latter by 1:54, with Lumberjack Willie, Dream Out Loud N (Eric Goodell) and Money Twitch A (Matt Kakaley) settling for the remainder.

For Sapphire City, a 6-year-old Metropolitan gelding trained by Paul Blumenfeld for co-owners Jordan Sklut and Centaur Stables, he returned $13.40 (third choice) for his first win in three seasonal starts. The exacta paid $54.50, with the triple returning $228.

Special Saturday props to rank outsider Nathan Feelsgood (Carlson), who authored a 46-1 upset in the $17,500, ninth-race pace at 46-1. The $95.50 win mutuel was a season-high thus far in 2014.
            
The Raceway's five-night-per-week live schedule continues, with first post every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:10 PM. Evening simulcasting accompanies all live programs, with afternoon simulcasting available daily.


Dont Say Goodby Scores Again In Buffalo Raceway Feature

HAMBURG, N.Y. --- Dont Say Goodby said 'hello' to the winner's circle once again after registering a three-quarters of a length victory over Stonebridge Rocket in the $10,500 Open Pace at a blustery Buffalo Raceway Saturday night (Jan. 25) in 1:59.1 over the good track.

The victory was the fourth straight in Open competition in Western New York for Dont Say Goodby ($3.30) since arriving from Indiana in late November.

The start was delayed by nearly 45 minutes after a power failure occurred during the stretch run of the seventh race. The wait didn't have any affect on Dont Say Goodby (Peter Wrenn) as he had plenty of energy in the passing lane to run down Stonebridge Rocket (Shawn McDonough). 

Sand Summerfield (Dan Rawlings), who went on a brief break around the opening turn, regrouped and had the lead at one point, but had to settle for third place.

The win was the second in as many starts in 2014 for the 6-year-old Dont Say Goodby (Dontgetinmyway-Good By Albatross). It was his 15th career win and jacked his career earnings to $172,077.

Saturday night's card completed a stellar week in the handle department at Buffalo Raceway. The track took in well over $900,000 during the four-day race week.

Chief Operating Officer Jim Mango said, "We haven't seen a handle like this week in Western New York in over 10 years. There were three reasons for the big handles I believe. There were some cancellations during the week at other tracks, we have some good drivers here competing and we've had some well-balanced and wide open fields which leads to increased handles."

Buffalo Raceway will continue racing on Wednesday night with a 12-race program set to get underway at 5 p.m. 

For more information including the latest news, promotions, race replays and statistics, go to www.buffaloraceway.com


by Brian J. Mazurek, for Buffalo Raceway

Saturday, January 25, 2014

YR - CAROL'S DESIRE, COWGIRL HALL WIN FRIDAY 33G CO-FEATURES; SEASON-HIGH HANDLE

BY FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway

YONKERS, NY, Friday, January 24, 2014--Yonkers Raceway's pair of Friday night $33,000 Opens--a
blind draw Pace for the ladies and a handicapped Trot for all with the requisite resume--were won by a first-up Carol's Desire (Jason Bartlett, $20.60) and another first-up Cowgirl Hall (George Brennan, $6.30).

After pole-sitting Keeper's Destiny (Brian Sears) strung out both slight 2-1 choice Lorrie Please (Eric Carlson) and 24-1 shot Mandy's Mattjesty (Brennan), it was "Mandy" taking over. She made the lead passing a 28-second flat opening quarter-mile, then found a :57.2 intermission.

Carol's Desire--starting from post position No. 3--moved from fifth, with Stage it Right (Mark MacDonald) on his tail. Mandy's Mattjesty maintained the lead in and out of a 1:26.1 three-quarters, with a length advantage entering the lane.

However, her fan club would be leaving soon. Carol's Desire continued her grind, eventually holding off Stage it Right by a nose in 1:55.3. Third went to an angled-out Keeper's Destiny, with a seam-squeezing Ideal in Vegas (Matt Kakaley) and "Mandy" rounding out the payees.
                                           
For fifth choice Carol's Desire, a 4-year-old daughter of Real Desire co-owned by Richard J. Banca and M  T Wallet Enterprises and trained by Rich Banca, it was her first win in two seasonal starts. The exacta paid $169.50, with the triple returning $770.

The week's marquee trot saw last week's winner, Zooming (Tyler Buter), in play early. He worked around Lorenzo's Dream (Goodell), finding early intervals of :28.4 and :59. As for Cowgirl Hall, she left into a five-hole from post No. 7.

"Cowgirl," the 2-1 fave as the lone lass, then took up the chase. She engaged Zooming by the1:28.2 three-quarters in and old-fashioned match race. Zooming fought the tough fight, but it was ladies first. Cowgirl Hall prevailed over Zooming by a neck in 1:56.4, with Lorenzo Dream, War Cry Hall (Bartlett) and Likeabatoutahell (Sears) settling for the small change.

For fifth choice Cowgirl Hall, a 5-year-old daughter of Cash Hall co-owned (as Burke Racing by (trainer) Ron Burke, Weaver Bruscemi, Jack Piatt and Michael Rosenthal, it was her third win in as many '14 tries (5-for-5 since the barn change) . The exacta (two wagering favorites) paid $25.60, the triple returned $137.50 and the superfecta paid $593.

Friday night's handle for the dozen races was $1,232,873, a single-program high thus far in 2014.
  
The Raceway's five-night-per-week live schedule continues, with first post every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:10 PM. Evening simulcasting accompanies all live programs, with afternoon simulcasting available daily.


BR - Cedarridgetag Pulls Stunner In Buffalo Raceway Open Trot

HAMBURG, N.Y. --- Cedarridgetag has been well traveled to say the least since November, making stops at Vernon Downs, Saratoga Raceway, Harrah's Philadelphia, Monticello Raceway and the Meadowlands.

This week's stop on his 'East Coast' tour was wind-swept Buffalo Raceway and it was well worth the trip as Cedarridgetag ($40.00) stunned the field in the $10,500 Open Trot Friday night (Jan. 24) with a 3-3/4 length victory over R A's Shakenbake in 2:01.3. 

Studio City (Kevin Cummings) had set the tempo in the race with panels of 29.3, 1:00, and 1:31.3 but it was Cedarridgetag and driver Truman Gale who tipped three-wide past the three-quarter pole and blew past the pace-setter, cruising to the comfortable win down the stretch. A 30-second last quarter over the good track solidified Cedarridgetag's seventh career win.

R A's Shakenbake (Ron Beback Jr.) broke stride going down the backstretch the final time and looked out of it but he but managed to get back on gait and impressively closed to take the place position. Heavily-favored Southwind Warsaw also broke but couldn't recover in time to be a factor late.

Cedarridgetag (Tagliabue-T W Linda) is a 6-year-old gelding owned and trained by Scott West and Katie Currie. It was his second win in as many starts on the season and moved Cedarridgetag's 2014 earnings to $8,350. 

Racing will continue at Buffalo Raceway on Saturday night at 6:40 p.m. with a 12-race card scheduled. 

For more information including the latest news, results, race replays and promotions, go to www.buffaloraceway.com


by Brian J. Mazurek, for Buffalo Raceway

CalX1 - CAL EXPO OFFERS FREE RACING TOURNAMENT SATURDAY

By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness

Cal Expo, in conjunction with Smackline Sports, is offering a free $1,000 on-track/online harness racing tournament Saturday night.

Fans will be able to enter the contest by filling out an entry form at Cal Expo, or by going online to www.smackline.com and entering the promo code CET. The free tournament covers racing 3 through 8 on the Saturday Cal Expo program.

Fans are offered a series of over/under propositions on such things as exacta and trifecta payoffs for each of those races and the combined total of the win, place and show program numbers. They are allowed to decide how many points they wish to risk on each of these, earning positive points if they are right and losing the same number of points if they are wrong.


Totals will be updated after each race, with the winner of the tournament earning $500 and payouts down to sixth place. 

Friday, January 24, 2014

BR - Fiorentina Wires Field In Buffalo Raceway Feature

HAMBURG, N.Y. --- Fiorentina played 'catch me if you can' with the field in the featured $8,400 Fillies and Mares Trot at Buffalo Raceway on Thursday evening (Jan. 23). She proved to be unstoppable and trotted off like a 3-to-5 favorite should.

Leaving from the outside post in the field of six, Fiorentina (Aaron Byron) got to the front and never looked back in posting a convincing 2-1/4 length victory over Stormont O My (Drew Monti) in 2:00.1 over the good track. Zorgwijk Heavenly (Ray Fisher Jr.) rallied for the show spot on the cold evening.

Fiorentina set the fractions of 30.1, 1:00.4 and 1:31 and then ripped off a 29.1 final quarter mile to put the remainder of the field in surrender mode.

It was the second straight victory for Fiorentina ($3.40) in 2014. She had won the $10,500 Open Trot at Buffalo Raceway on January 17 so the six-day layoff made little difference.

Owned by Frank Lamacchia and Guy Polillo, Fiorentina (Angus Hall-Red Hot And Blue) is a 5-year-old mare trained by John Mungillo. It was her 16th career victory and sent her career earnings to $138,275.

The action resumes Friday night at Buffalo Raceway with 11 races scheduled to get underway at 6:40 p.m.

For more information including upcoming promotions, race replays, results and schedule, go to www.buffaloraceway.com


by Brian J. Mazurek, for Buffalo Raceway

Thursday, January 23, 2014

CalX1 - Race honors memory of Dr. Robert Goodbary

 By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness


Saturday’s night’s 11th race at Cal Expo is named for Dr. Robert Franklin Goodbary, DVM, who passed away on December 28, at his ranch in Clements, California. 

In his final days he was surrounded by family and friends at home, where he candidly would say he was “Just chuggin’ along”.  Known to everyone as Doc, he was born August 3, 1934 in Chandler, Oklahoma to Omer “Snip” and Olga Mae Goodbary. His father worked as a ferrier, moving his family from Oklahoma to Yuba City, California in the 1940’s.  His mother was a homemaker. 

Doc Goodbary graduated from Yuba City High School in 1952.  While in high school, he worked as the only paperboy who delivered the San Francisco Examiner and San Francisco Chronicle to Yuba City and Marysville.  He also worked for Dr. Sam Fisher as a kennel boy, and later worked with larger animals, primarily cows. 

After graduating from high school, he attended college at Michigan State and graduated in 1958 with a Doctorate in Veterinarian Medicine.  This is where he met Noel Lassen, whom he married and they had two sons, David and Richard Goodbary. During his summers off from college, he came back home to work at the Del Monte Cannery as the Floor Foreman, overseeing about 35 employees.   

After graduating from college, Doc moved back to California, where he began his career as a Professor at the University of California-Davis, then opened a small animal Veterinarian Clinic. He also owned and operated the Buena Mora Ranch in Pleasanton and later a ranch in Clements.

Doc Goodbary worked as the Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse Race Track Veterinarian in Northern and Southern California racetracks, operating on and treating many a racehorse in his day. In Northern California, he worked many years at Bay Meadows, Golden Gate Fields and Tanforan racetracks, as well as the Northern California Fairground circuit that included Cal Expo, Stockton, Pleasanton, Santa Rosa and Fresno.  In Southern California, he worked many years at the Los Alamitos and Santa Anita racetracks. 

Doc Goodbary enjoyed watching football, gardening (at home and even at the racetrack), playing cards and winning, loved dancing and making his annual treks to Sayulita, Mexico to vacation with family and friends. He liked being in charge and doing it his way, the right way.  No one was ever a stranger to him. He was greatly respected, loved and adored by family, friends and colleagues who knew him.  They all were considered family.

Doc Goodbary  is survived by his wife, Jeannette Goodbary of Clements; his son, David Goodbary of St. Louis, Missouri; his brother and sister-in-law, George and Ginger Goodbary of Marysville, California; and grandchildren, Elizabeth, Connor, Dylan, Brooke, Ryan, Amanda, Alex and Anthony; and many nephews and nieces.

He was preceded in death by his father and mother, “Snip” and Olga Mae Goodbary; his two sisters, Mary Ann Yerzy and Donna Sue Prevatt; his son, Richard Goodbary; and special friend, Dorothy Stringer, who was his mother-in-law.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to this animal rescue:  The Grace Foundation P.O. Box 4692 El Dorado Hills, CA  95762


Ideal Smile’s connections grinning ear-to-ear



Ideal Smile is one of the hottest horses on the grounds, having rattled off three straight 1:54 and change victories for owners Scott and Lisa Ehrlich and driver/trainer Steve Wiseman.

Two of those decisions have come from a stalking position, while last week’s tally was accomplished in coast-to-coast fashion without an anxious moment as the son of American Ideal made 6-5 look like a belated Xmas gift. He’s back in action Saturday night with a second-tier starting position.

Scott Ehrlich related, “Ideal Smile caught my eye in the early part of last year here  when he showed very good speed on the front-end for Mike Eaton, carrying it well most of the time. This impressed me because I feel that the bias at Cal Expo almost always favors closers. 

“Fast-forward to last October when Mike invited my family to his farm to jog some horses when we made a trip to New England. By luck, I got to jog Smile and I liked the way he went.  Mike said he as for sale, but that was about the end of it, or so I thought. 

“About a month later, Mike called me and said he was for sale as part of a package deal with Surprisingly Sweet.  By pure luck, I had watched a race of hers and loved the way she closed.  Then after watching more of her previous races, she fit the type of horse I love and we made the deal.

“Since getting them, both of them have required some time to get built up to where they should be physically/weight wise, especially Smile. Steve and Kathie Wiseman, and their fine crew, including Smile’s great Caretaker, Mike Fowler, have done an outstanding job of getting them to where we want them to be.  And while they're much closer, they aren't there yet, which would lead you to hopefully believe that better things are yet to come.” 

SATURDAY NIGHT WILL FEATURE FREE ADMISSION AFTER 4 P.M. WITH $1 BEER, COFFEE, HOT DOGS AND SODA. HANDICAPPER DAVE BROWER WILL ALSO BE LIVE ON SITE BOTH FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, SO BE SURE TO STOP BY THE SIMULCAST CENTER AND SAY HELLO.









M1 - Time To Quit Sweeps Super Bowl, Pick 5 Carries Over

Entering the Super Bowl, Time To Quit was labeled the horse to beat.  Wednesday night, he lived up to that advanced billing, scoring a decisive 1:55.1 triumph on a bitterly cold night in East Rutherford, New Jersey.  

One week removed from a hard fought and game win in the second round of the series, Yannick Gingras confidently guided his trotter to the lead past the quarter.  Over the next half mile several contenders went off-stride including Home Turf and Cajole Hanover leaving the race all to Time To Quit, who never faced a challenge and coasted to the victory for Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi LLC and Phillip Collura for trainer Ron Burke.

Time To Quit will reappear in the Charles Singer Memorial Trotting Series which gets underway Thursday, February 13th.

Wednesday marked the last night of live racing at The Meadowlands until after The Super Bowl.  Live racing will resume on Thursday, February 6th.  That card will include a carryover in the Pick 5, as no one cashed a Pick 5 ticket Wednesday at The Meadowlands thanks to a win by Delco Willobee who scored in race 2 for Jim Marohn Jr. at 96-1.  The Pick 5 carryover into the Thursday, February 6th program will be $18,083.

Simulcasting continues at The Meadowlands through this Sunday January 26th.  The Meadowlands will be dark for simulcasting from Monday, January 27th through Monday, February 3rd for Super Bowl festivities.  Customers are encouraged to go to Winners Bayonne for all the simulcasting action during this period, until simulcasting resumes at The Meadowlands on Tuesday, February 4th.  For all information regarding the simulcasting calendar and the return of live racing on Thursday, February 6th, visit PlayMeadowlands.com.


BR - Artsy Princess Takes Buffalo Raceway Feature

HAMBURG, N.Y. --- Since arriving in Western New York at the end of October, Artsy Princess has been knocking at the door for a victory with four second place finishes in her six local appearances.

But on a frigid Wednesday evening (Jan. 22) in the $10,500 Fillies and Mares Open Pace at Buffalo Raceway, Artsy Princess was no longer camera shy as she scored a half-length victory over You're Too Funny in 2:00.4 over the good track.

Driven by Shawn McDonough, Artsy Princess ($13.00) went three-wide down the home stretch and used a 29.1 final quarter to collar You're Too Funny (Jack Flanigen) while Ahlbback Yankee (Mike Micallef) held on for third place.

High Speed Life (Ray Fisher Jr.) had set the fractions of 30.4, 1:00.3 and 1:31 after starting from the outside but called it a night as the field turned for home.

Artsy Princess was helped out in the field of seven as Right On Ram and Red Star Fiona both broke stride before the mares hit the backstretch for the first time.

Owned by the Empowered Racing Stable and trained by Carl Smith, it was the 12th career victory for Artsy Princess (Western Hanover-Clouding Over) and moved the 6-year-old mare's career earnings to $251,749.

Racing will continue on Thursday night at 5 p.m. with a 10-race card on tap. 

For more information including statistics, race replays, results and news, go to www.buffaloraceway.com


by Brian J. Mazurek, for Buffalo Raceway

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

CalX1 - Bette Davis Eyes looking good in O’Brien

By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness


Despite being saddled with the demanding No. 9 post in last week’s opening leg of the Joe O’Brien Series, Bette Davis came through with flying colors for trainer George Anthrop and pilot Tyler Smith.

The 4-year-old Moxie offspring was unhurried early as is her custom, made a big move off the final turn and motored by the leaders with a :28 flat final quarter to seal the deal by two lengths. She also shaved a second and a tick off her lifetime standard with the 156 final clocking.

“I bought her last spring from the Desomers,” Anthrop related when asked about the Toman Enterprises colorbearer “She’s out of a good mare that Bob Johnson used to train that I remembered.”

Bette Davis Eyes has had her hands full chasing divisional leaders Show Runner and Strings in Sire Stakes action, but appears to be right at home under the cozier conditions of the Joe O’Brien. She used her patented late kick to get the job done.

“She definitely prefers to come from off the pace,” her mentor noted. “Because of that, I guess the 9 post wasn’t as bad as it can be for some horses. Tyler was driving her for the second time and said she’s a real nice filly.”

Despite the fact that she’s made nearly 30 starts in her career, Anthrop noted the mare still has plenty of room for improvement. “She’s still green out there, shying away from things, and has some learning to do. We’ve been trying a lot of different equipment and things seem to be coming together.”

SATURDAY NIGHT WILL FEATURE FREE ADMISSION AFTER 4 P.M. WITH $1 BEER, COFFEE, HOT DOGS AND SODA. HANDICAPPER DAVE BROWER WILL ALSO BE LIVE ON SITE BOTH FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, SO BE SURE TO STOP BY THE SIMULCAST CENTER AND SAY HELLO.




Rich Dessert, Strings headline co-features

Rich Dessert, dropping out of a spot where he was knocking heads with the best trotters on the grounds; and Strings, fresh from upsetting arch-rival Show Runner in last week’s Sires Stakes clash for the 4-year-old pacing mares, get the top billing in Friday night’s co-features at Cal Expo.

A 14-race card is on tap Friday with a first post of 5:20 p.m. The featured pace goes as the sixth on the program while the trotting main event immediately follows in the seventh-race slot.

Rich Dessert is a 5-year-old son of Rich Boy who is owned by Denise Maier and is driven and trained by husband Tim. His most recent victory came under these conditions on December 20 when he looped the field to win going away.

Since that score, the Maier performer has made three of his next four appearances at the Open level, chasing home the likes of Inside Broadway, Franks Best and El Azteca. He should be very much at home at this level and will be dangerous no matter how things shake out early.

Axel made a miscue while on the lead in last week’s Open, but could easily rebound in this spot. He was a solid third in the previous mile after a demanding journey and figures to have his share of supporters. George Reider trains, Dave Siegel drives and they are the co-owners along with Robert Thronson and Greg Robinson.

Strings is a homebred daughter of Hi Ho Silverheel’s who carries the banner of Rod and Wayne Knittel with Bob Johnson the conditioner and Mooney Svendsen in his usual position in the sulky. After finishing second to Show Runner in four straight appearances, she turned the tables in last week’s Sire Stakes.

Strings went immediately to the lead in that affair and enjoyed a comfortable advantage to the head of the stretch with Show Runner sitting in the pocket. She came with a sparkling :27 final quarter for Svendsen to hold off Show Runner by a head while picking up a trophy in the process.

M1 - Meadowlands, Winners Open at 4PM; Live Racing is On

Both Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment and Winners Bayonne will reopen at 4 P.M. this afternoon.  

In addition, live racing at The Meadowlands will go as scheduled with post time at 7:15 P.M.  This will be the last night of live racing until Thursday, February 6th due to the break for the Super Bowl. 

For all information regarding the re-opening, live racing and simulcast schedule visit PlayMeadowlands.com


Tuesday, January 21, 2014

YR - YONKERS CANCELS TUESDAY LIVE RACING, ALL SIMULCASTING

BY FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway

YONKERS, NY, Tuesday, January 21, 2014—Yonkers Raceway has cancelled its live racing program and all simulcasting for today (Tuesday, Jan. 21), due to the snowstorm in the greater New York area.

Live racing is scheduled to resume Thursday (Jan. 23), with the usual 7:10 PM first post. Afternoon simulcasting is scheduled to resume Wednesday (Jan. 22).

Horsemen are advised that there is no draw today. A double-draw for Saturday/Monday (Jan. 25/27)  shall be conducted Wednesday (Jan. 22), with the entry box closing at 9 AM. For more information, please contact the race office at (914) 457-2627.   


MR - JIMMY DEVAUX QUIETLY GETS THE JOB DONE

Quietly and without much fanfare Jimmy Devaux continues to be a force to be reckoned with. Last year the former Mighty M driving champ, competing both here and at Saratoga Raceway, reined  413 winners which ranked him 19th in races won in North America.

And again this season Devaux is off to a good start. On a wet and snowy Monday afternoon ( Jan. 20) here at Monticello Raceway Devaux started the day slowly producing just  two seconds and a third place finish in his first seven drives but  before the day was over he drove the winners of the last three races on the card to come away with the proverbial hat trick.

His trotting victory with VIP was the veteran gelding’s second in a row this year and his ninth win in his last 10 starts.

With his three wins on Jan. 20 Devaux’s 17 winners are currently third best on the local leaderboard just a few victories behind both Bruce Aldrich, Jr. (21), and Jimmy Marohn, Jr. (18).

Although not expressly noted, last season Devaux, like his brother-in-law, Bruce Aldrich, Jr, also did double-duty driving at both Monticello and Saratoga Raceways.  His 184 wins at the Spa City oval was fourth best and his 229 here was the third best output. And his total of 413 wins last year was his career best .
Devaux, 46, has currently driven 3481 winners with over 3000 of them recorded since the turn of the century.

For Devaux, who lives and breathes harness racing, his burgeoning success is a realization of a lifelong dream.

“When I was growing up my dad  (Butch) was racing horses at Saratoga (Raceway) and Monticello (Raceway) and I spent as much time as I could with him at the barns learning about racing and how to care for the horses,” Devaux related. “Eventually he  let me jog and then train(the horses). I’d loved it and realized that I wanted to make harness racing a career.”

Like many other aspiring drivers of the present era Jimmy began driving in amateur races. It was at  Monticello Raceway in 1990 that Devaux notched his first driving victory.

“You never forget that,” Devaux said with a smile referring to his first winner. “It came right here at Monticello Raceway behind  Clarich St. Pat. I believe we went in 2:03 and a piece?” 

 At the end of the 1998 season  he still hadn’t registered 140 winners but in 1999 his star began to rise. That year local trainers were beginning to avail themselves of Devaux’s services and he responded by driving 113 winners  in just 579 starts.   

Off to what appeared would be his break-out year, Devaux’s 2000 campaign was cut short when  he was involved in a racing accident which sidelined him for six months. He finished that season with just 96 winners.

“I broke my wrist in a racing accident and it didn’t heal right so they had to break it again and reset it again,” Devaux explained. “I was getting nervous as many months went by and  I began to  wonder if  my wrist  would ever be strong enough to drive again.”

But after nearly a six-month layoff Devaux returned with vengeance. He won the driving title here in 2002 and was among the leading drivers here year in and year out.

During November of the 2012 season Devaux reined his 3000th winner.


“I’m living a dream. I mean how many people can do something they thoroughly enjoy and make a living doing it,” he said. “I’m a lucky guy.”

M1 - Meadowlands and Winners Closed for Simulcasting

With the winter storm expected to worsen during the afternoon and evening, Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment is closed for simulcasting today, Tuesday, January 21.  Winners Bayonne is also closed for simulcasting. 
The Meadowlands and Winners are scheduled to re-open tomorrow morning at 11 am.  Please check PlayMeadowlands.com or WinnersBayonne.com for simulcasting schedule updates.

Live racing is scheduled to resume tomorrow, Wednesday, January 22 at 7:15 pm at Meadowlands Racing and Entertainment.    

YR - YONKERS’ MONDAY PICK 5 PROVES POPULAR…AND PRICEY

BY FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway

YONKERS, NY, Monday, January 20, 2014—Not surprisingly, a double-carryover more than doubled the interest for Yonkers Raceway’s Monday night Pick 5.

Since no one took down the wager either Friday or Saturday, Monday night’s dowry—buoyed by the two-program carryover of $10,368.68--featured a $25,000 guaranteed pool.

A shipment of $32,105 in fresh money came in, and with just one winning favorite in the sequence, the payoff was more than sociably acceptable.

The winning combination of…

2-Grecale As (George Brennan, $8.10)
3-Wednesday’s Whim (Brennan, $6.10)
5-Hobe Sound (Brian Sears, $3.30)
2-Great Soul (Eric Carlson, $28.20)
1-That Man of Mine (Jordan Stratton, $43.40)

…returned a rather robust $5,741.25 for every four bits.  

The Pick 5 is a 50-cent base wager offered on races 5 through 9 nightly. It has no consolation payoff, meaning if no one selects all five winners (as was the case both Friday and Saturday), the entire pool (minus takeout) moves to the next racing program.

The Pick 5 offers a $10,000 “regular” guaranteed pool every Monday and Tuesday (in conjunction with the US Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering Program), with program pages for those “guarantee” days available for perusal at www.yonkersraceway.com.
            
The Raceway's five-night-per-week live schedule continues, with first post every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:10 PM. Evening simulcasting accompanies all live programs, with afternoon simulcasting now available daily.


Monday, January 20, 2014

MR - QUALIFYING RACES THIS WEEK ON THURSDAY AT MONTICELLO RACEWAY

Director of racing, Eric Warner, announced today that qualifying races this week at Monticello Raceway will be on Thursday, January 23 at 10:00AM.

The entry box will close at 11:45am on Wednesday

M1 - YONKERS’ MONDAY PICK 5 OFFERS $25,000 GUARANTEED POOL

BY FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway

YONKERS, NY, Sunday, January 19, 2014—It’s not for lack of effort, however Yonkers Raceway has been unable to “give away” the Pick 5 over the last two racing nights.

So, since no one took down the wager either Friday or Saturday, Monday night’s wager—enriched by a double carryover of $10,368.68--features a $25,000 guaranteed pool.

The Pick 5 is a 50-cent base wager offered on races 5 through 9 nightly. It has no consolation payoff, meaning if no one selects all five winners (as was the case Friday/Saturday), the entire pool (minus takeout) moves to the next racing program.

The Pick 5 offers a $10,000 “regular” guaranteed pool every Monday and Tuesday (in conjunction with the US Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering Program), with program pages for those “guarantee” days (including Moay’s 25-large) available for perusal at www.yonkersraceway.com.


The Raceway's five-night-per-week live schedule continues, with first post every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:10 PM. Evening simulcasting accompanies all live programs, with afternoon simulcasting now available daily.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

M1 - Gingras Wins Six – Sale Horses Dominate

Apparently five wasn’t enough.  That must have been what Yannick Gingras was thinking as he took to the track Saturday night at The Meadowlands.  On the heels of a five win night on Friday, Gingras did one-better, winning six on the Saturday program.  Included in his victories was a win in the featured Free For All Handicap with Bettor’s Edge, who went right to the lead, setting fractions of 26.3, 54.2 and 1:22.3 before completing a wire to wire tour-de-force in 1:50.  Bettor’s Edge is owned by Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi LLC and the M1 Stable LLC.  The win was one of three on the card for leading trainer Ron Burke.

The other story on the program was the success of horses headed to Monday’s Meadowlands January Mixed Sale presented by Tattersalls.  In fact, by night’s end, five horses entered in the sale were victorious, including Alexie Mattosie, Allstar Legend, Emeritus Maximus, Tarpon Hanover and Wake Up Peter.  The sale is scheduled to begin at 11:00 A.M. in the back paddock at The Meadowlands.

It was another $3 Million night at The Meadowlands, with the total handle just under $3.2 Million.

Racing returns on Wednesday, January 22nd, with an 11-race program, including the Final of The Super Bowl Trotting Series, with first post time at 7:15 P.M.  This will be the last live racing program until after the Super Bowl, when live racing returns Thursday February 6th.  The Meadowlands will remain open for simulcasting through Sunday January 26th.  It will then be closed from Monday January 27th through Monday February 3rd and will re-open for simulcasting on Tuesday February 4th.  Meadowlands customers can attend Winners Bayonne from January 27th through February 3rd, so they don’t miss a minute of the simulcast action.

For more information, log onto PlayMeadowlands.Com.

                

YR - LUMBERJACK WILLIE WINS SATURDAY NIGHT 33G OPEN HANDICAP PACE

 BY FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway

 YONKERS, NY, Saturday, January 18, 2014--Lumberjack Willie (Jordan Stratton) prevailed from the two-hole Saturday night, winning Yonkers Raceway's $33,000 Open Handicap Pace.

 Assigned post position No. 2, he was sequestered second behind 7-10 choice Sapphire City (Eric Carlson.) That one led through early intervals of :27.3 and a flat 57 seconds.

Not a whole of grief from a first-up Safe Harbor in and out of a 1:25.1 three-quarters, and Sapphire City owned a length-and-a-half lead into in the lane. However, the people's preference was unable to close the sale. Lumberjack Willie dove inside, and Escape the News (George Brennan)--who was gapping Safe Harbor down the backside--saw the memo late. "Willie" beat Escape the News by a length in 1:52.4. Third went to a closing P H Supercam (Jason Bartlett), with Sapphire City and Dinner Guest (Dan Dube) completed the cashers.

For Lumberjack Willie, a 7-year-old Lumber Hanover gelding owned by Tom Ceraso Jr. and trained by Jack Franklin, he returned $12.40 (third choice) for his first win in a two seasonal starts. The exacta paid $48.80, with the triple returning $321.

The race before the Open Handicap saw the largest exacta of the new season. After 16-1 Grab Your Keys (Stratton) held off 96-1 Militia Man in the $15,000, fifth race pace, the 5-8 gimmick returned $2,413.

Saturday night props to Nob Hill High (Carlson, $18), who became harness racing's newest millionaire. The homebred (Robert Mondillo & Donald Robinson) 8-year-old son of McArdle, trained by Bruce Saunders, skimmed the cones to win the $20,000, ninth race pace. The 34th lifetime victory was timed in 2:01.3 for the mile-and-one-sixteenth.

For the second consecutive night, no one took down the Pick 5. So--drum roll, please--Monday night’s Pick 5 features a $25,000 guaranteed pool (including a $10,368.68 carryover). Past performances are available for perusal at www.yonkersraceway.com.
           
The Raceway's five-night-per-week live schedule continues, with first post every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:10 PM. Evening simulcasting accompanies all live programs, with afternoon simulcasting available daily.

BR - Dont Say Goodby Wins Buffalo Raceway Open Pace

HAMBURG, N.Y. --- Dont Say Goodby (Peter Wrenn) continued his winning ways in Western New York as he made it three straight locally by capturing the $10,500 Open Pace at Buffalo Raceway Saturday night (Jan. 18).

Since arriving from Indiana in November, Dont Say Goodby ($4.20) has been a perfect three-for-three, all coming in the Open paces.

The 6-year-old gelding won two Opens at Batavia Downs in November and found his new surroundings at Buffalo Raceway to his liking as well. He registered an impressive 5-1/4 length victory in 1:56 over the pace-setting Sand Summerfield (Dan Rawlings) while Sand Savage (Ray Fisher Jr.) placed third in the field of seven.

Sand Summerfield put down fractions of 27.4, 56.4 and 1:27 over the fast track. But by the time he had reached the three-quarter pole, Dont Say Goodby was winging it on the outside and used a 29-second last quarter to easily pace away from the field.

Dont Say Goodby (Dontgetinmyway-Good By Albratross) is owned by Derek Menchhofer and is trained by Charles Stewart. It was his 14th career victory and moved his earnings to $170,987 lifetime.

Buffalo Raceway moves to a four-day schedule this week with racing Wednesday and Thursday nights at 5 p.m. while Friday and Saturday nights will have action getting underway at 6:40 p.m. The $5,000 Guaranteed Pick 4 will be Wednesday night starting in the fifth race.

For more information including race replays, schedule, news and promotions, go to www.buffaloraceway.com

by Brian J. Mazurek, for Buffalo Raceway


Saturday, January 18, 2014

M1 - WORLD CUP BESTS DAYLON MAGICIAN

Billed as a matchup between the razor sharp Sweet Justice and the classy Daylon Magician, Friday’s Open Trot at The Meadowlands seemed to be a 2-horse race on paper, but in the end, it was anything but.  Sweet Justice broke stride right at the start, seemingly leaving the race to Daylon Magician who asserted an early lead.  Setting fractions of 26.4, 55.2 and 1:23.4, Daylon Magician driven by Dave Miller turned for home seemingly on cruise control. But World Cup was guided off the pylons by Joe Bongiorno and made his move with three-sixteenths of a mile to go and what a move it was as he wore down Daylon Magician sprinting home in 27.4 to get up by a nose at 17-1.  World Cup is owned by Carly Roman and trained by Brad Irvine.  It was that upset that sparked a lone winning ticket in the Pick-5 which returned $30,052.60 for the $.50 cent minimum play.
               
The Pick 5 wasn’t the only pool with one winning ticket as Mike Simons repeat upset victory with Twin B Spike Man at 31-1 in the tenth race B-1/B-2 Handicap Trot ensured one winning ticket in the Late Pick 4, which returned $64,811.80.

Perfect Alliance was noteworthy impressive winner in her return to the races, romping to a 7-length score in a lifetime best 1:53.3 as she gears up for the Charles Singer Memorial Series.

Driver Yannick Gingras stole the driving show tonight, winning five races extending his lead in the drivers standing to 14 wins in front of Dave Miller.

It was another big night for the on-track handle, as it yielded a 14-percent increase over the same race day in 2013, while the total handle of $3,120,181 was a five percent increase as well.

Racing resumes on Saturday with first post time of 7:15 P.M.  The program features a Free For All Handicap Trot, featuring Hypnotic Blue Chip, Bettor’s Edge and the razor sharp Dovuto Hanover.


YR - ECONOMY TERROR, ZOOMING WIN FRIDAY 33G CO-FEATURES

BY FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
 
YONKERS, NY, Friday, January 17, 2014--Yonkers Raceway's pair of Friday night $33,000 Open Handicaps--Pace for the ladies and Trot who all RSVP'd in time--were won by odds-on favorite Economy Terror (Mark MacDonald, $3.80) and second-up Zooming (Tyler Buter, $14.60).

As the 9-10 favorite, Economy Terror--from post position No. 7--was the line leaver. She easily worked
around pole-sitting palm Patrol (Larry Stalbaum) before a 28-second opening quarter-mile.

From there, it was a cheap (:57.1) half before Ramalama (Matt Kakaley) moved from sixth. That one provided just mild prompting in and out of a 1:25.3 three-quarters, with Economy Terror widening to 2¼ lengths turning for home.

The final margin was a length in 1:54. Ramalama fought the good fight and was the best of the rest, with Palm Patrol, last week's winner, Ideal in Vegas (Brian Sears) and Rockaround Sue (Jordan Stratton) rounding out the payees.
                                          
For millionairess Economy Terror, a 5-year-old daughter of Western Terror co-owned by Chuck Pompey,
Howard Taylor & Edwin Gold and trained by Chris Oakes, it was her first win in two seasonal starts. The exacta (two wagering choices) paid $9.10, with the triple returning $55.50.

The week's marquee trot had some early happenstance, as Super Manning (Kakaley), then slight 2-1 favorite Likeabatoutahell (Sears) both did the dance of the doomed.

Lorenzo Dream (Eric Goodell) had made the lead, with early intervals of :27.4 and 57.4. Son of Nordic (George Brennan) was pocketed, while Bob N Tony (MacDonald) was away third. War Cry Hall (Jason Bartlett) offered a stern challenge uncovered from fourth, with Zooming--from post No. 7--behind that one.

Lorenzo Dream maintained and short advantage in and out of a 1:26.4 three-quarters, but his longshot intruder would not go away. War Cry Hall would win the battle against the leader early in the lane, but Zooming was going by. He whipped his tow going away, the final margin a length-and-half in 1:55.4

Melady's Monet (Dan Dube) closed to grab the bottom of the ticket, with Bob N Tony and a tiring "Lorenzo" settling for the remainder.
           
For fifth choice Zooming, a 6-year-old Classic Photo gelding co-owned his driver, Stephen Oldford and
Oldford Farms and trained by Amber Buter, it was his first win in a pair of '14 tries. The exacta paid $132.50, the triple returned $640 and the superfecta paid $7,703.
 
The Raceway's five-night-per-week live schedule continues, with first post every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:10 PM. Evening simulcasting accompanies all live programs, with afternoon simulcasting available daily.