Cal Expo Saturday Barn Notes

Cal Expo to honor Bill Vallandingham

By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness

 

Bill Vallandingham, who was the starter here from 1994 until health issues forced him to leave the job in 2014, will be honored Saturday evening by Cal Expo.

“I had a lung transplant on January 7 at Stanford,” Vallandingham explained. “I was able to leave the hospital a week later, but I had to stay in the area for a month to make sure everything was fine.”

Bill related that he is right on schedule with his recovery. “It’s getting better and better every day. I’m playing golf two to three times a week, and the only difference is, now I’m using a cart.”

Bill was inducted in the California Harness Horsemen’s Association Hall of Fame last year along with his brother Gene and Alan Horowitz, and estimates he has sent somewhere between 50,000 and 60,000 fields on their way as the starter.

He has worn many hats around the racetrack, including groom, paddock judge, horse identifier and horse tattooer before eventually assuming his 20-year stint as the Cal Expo starter.

A horsemen’s friend and a big supporter of California racing, Vallandingham would often on his own time make sure he had the gate on the track so the young horses could get gate time, or if a farm needed their foals tattooed, Bill was there when asked.

Ken Fowler worked those two decades at the wheel while Bill was in the back of the car sending the fields on their way, and he took over the starting duties last year. :”Billy and I were pretty much joined at the hip for 20 years.

“I owe everything to him,” Fowler said. “I miss him being here so much. He’s been like a father to me, helping me through my personal problems and all the time teaching me about the starting car and everything that’s involved.”

Bill Vallandingham has always stood up for California harness racing, and Saturday night, Cal Expo is proud to stand up for him.

Shelly Goudreau Pace headlines card

                                                                                                             

The Shelly Goudreau Pace brings out a field of nine Saturday night at Cal Expo with last week’s Prep winner Real Attitude getting the top billing.

                                                                                                                                                                                   

There will be 13 races Saturday evening with a first post of  6:15 p.m., and the action continues Sunday night under the Watch and Wager LLC banner with a 12-race program that gets underway at 4:55 p.m.

                                                                                                                                                                        Real Attitude is a 13-year-old son of Real Artist who carries the banner of Kc C Carvalho and is reined and trained by Luke Plano. Last season saw the veteran posing for pictures following 12 of his 41 appearances and he pushed his career earnings to $434,000 with a 1:51 1/5 mark.

                                                                                                                                                                                           Real Attitude won an Open III contest here in late November, then had to settle for minor awards in his next three outings before returning the charmed enclosure in last week’s Shelly Goudreau Prep.

 Sent off the 6-5 choice in that affair, Real Attitude sat next-to-last for the first three-quarters of the race. Swung to the extreme outside by Plano for the stretch, he exploded late and prevailed by a length and a half.

Frankthebank was a fast-closing runner-up to complete the exacta at 32-1 while leaving from that outside post that evening. The now 14-year-old Sportsmaster gelding races for Richard and Marlene Thomas, takes his lessons from George Reider and will be guided by James Kennedy. He is looking to add to a $455,000 bank account with a 1:51 career standard.

 Completing the field, from the rail out: Midnight Destroyer for Gerry Longo; KFG Cody, Williams Hernandez; Wrangler Potogold, Steve Wiseman; Rascal Flatter, Frank Petrelli; Sheer Desire, David Siegel; Ray’s Rayzer, Tonny Succarotte; and Lucky Land, Tim Clevenger.

Big Fields Featured Saturday Night at The Meadowlands

East Rutherford, NJ --- The Saturday night (January 2) card at The Meadowlands is another horseplayer's delight with the 15 live races, each chock full of horses, on the menu. Post time is again 6:35 p.m. to accommodate the super-sized program.

This week the race card is comprised of the regular Saturday overnight stock with nothing but pacing races, leading one to believe that this offering may well eclipse last Saturday's total handle of over $3.6 million.

Open pacers take to the track for the ninth race with ten fast horses (post positions were handicapped) competing for the lion's share of the $25,000 purse. Bushwacker is the ambiguous 5-2 choice here as trainer Chris Ryder brings Craig Henderson's Rocknroll Hanover gelding into the race off several impressive efforts at Dover Downs. Corey Callahan has the mount on Saturday.

Chief among the competition is the improving Kingofthejungle who has strung three straight wins together including one at the open level in his last since joining Mark Capone's barn. Andy Miller is back aboard as he has been for each of those wins on behalf of owners Fox Racing, Inc. and Darius Oshidar.

Leaving from the outside post ten is Doctor Butch who has done some of his best work over the Meadowlands mile oval. He has beaten Meadowlands open fields in the past and was the "hot horse" for a spell here last winter. He's earned over $1 million in his career for owner Ken Jacobs, has a fast 1:48.1 record taken at The Meadowlands in 2015 and gets Hall of Famer John Campbell to drive on Saturday for trainer Linda Toscano.

Race eight sends fourteen starters to the post at the distance of a mile and an eighth in a $10,000 claiming class. Historically the big fields are well-received by the horseplayers and the payoffs reflect the high difficulty level faced in handicapping the race.

 

The inflated number of races on Saturday (due to the holiday schedule) requires the early 6:35 p.m. first post and the wagering format has again been adjusted to accommodate the early start. Things will return to normal with live racing on Friday and Saturday at 7:00 p.m. next week.

The horizontal wager guaranteed pools are set at $30,000 for the Pick-5 (races three-seven), $25,000 for the Early Pick-4 (races five-eight) and $50,000 for the Late Pick-4 (races nine-12). The Jackpot Super Hi-5 comes up in races seven and 15 (carryover at $44,988).

 

Both Pick-4 bets and the Jackpot Super Hi-5 are at the low retention rate of 15%.  

Get an early start to handicapping the $50,000 guaranteed Late Pick-4 by downloading the Platinum Past Performances for those races, courtesy of TrackMaster.
 

The Meadowlands offers several attractive dining options for your consideration. Reservations are recommended.

 

Cash Me Out Wins Open/Campbell Wins Five

The $25,000 Open Trot featured an ultra-competitive field of 11 in the 9^th race feature on Saturday night at The Meadowlands.  The slight 2-1 favorite, Tweet Me began from a trailing position in the second tier.  That mare was favored by a mere $82 over Uva Hanover (also 2-1), in a win pool of over $55,000.  Both favorites would lead at different points of the mile, but the last horse to the lead would be Cash Me Out (5-1), who was patiently handled by Jonathan Roberts and rallied from fourth-over position to score in the featured trotting event.

Uva Hanover was the first horse to the lead, reaching the quarter in 27.2, while Il Mago pressed while parked on the outside.  Hyway Marcus was anxious and moved three-wide early-on in the mile for Joe Bongiorno, reaching the lead just before the half-mile in 56.2.  The early leader, Uva Hanover, allowed both Hyway Marcus and Il Mago to go by before moving back to the outside and challenging for the lead on the far turn.  Detroit Rapper was slightly gapped second over, favored Tweet Me was in striking range third over with Cash Me Out lurking in the outer flow.  Uva Hanover and Hyway Marcus reached three-quarters in a contested 1:25.1 before the field fanned out across the track in the stretch.  Tweet Me rallied down the center of the track to grab the lead in mid-stretch, but was quickly challenged by Cash Me Out and the favorite could not hold off the closing kick of Cash Me Out, who scored in a lifetime best 1:53.3.  Tweet Me was second with Uva Hanover third.

The win was the 13^th in the career of Cash Me Out whose earnings reach $439,649 with the victory. He is owned by Traylor Racing L.L.C. and conditioned by Kyle Spagnola.  Jonathan Roberts was the winning driver.

Campbell Wins Five

The leading  driver in Meadowlands history put on a show on Saturday night, winning five races.  While some of his wins were formful, he also scored a 63-1 upset in the second race with Celebrity Massive.  Campbell ends his 2015 season at The Meadowlands with 93 wins and earnings of nearly $2.2 Million.  With his victory in the Meadowlands finale, Campbell’s earnings for 2015 surpassed $5 Million.  It was the richest season for Campbell since 2010 and his 148 victories were the most since 2009.

Longshot Parade Sparks Huge Dividends

Saturday night at The Meadowlands offered 15 races with 160 horses entered to start producing an average field size of over 10 horses.  What could be better?  The answer, massive payouts.

The Pick 5 returned $26,555 as there was only one correct winning ticket with all five winners.  In the same race, the jackpot super hi-five was also hit and that returned $19,409 for a $.20 cent play.

Through the first seven races there was only one winning favorite and the list of winners included 63-1 longshot Celebrity Massive, 25-1 Celebrity Pegasus and 23-1 Alibi Seelster.

The run of longshots also produced an Early Pick Four payout of $17,426.

Meadowlands Posts Huge Numbers on Final Night of Season

The final night of the 2015 racing season proved to be a consistent handicapping puzzle, with many of the regular Meadowlands drivers taking the night off and longshots finding the winner’s circle repeatedly.  But that didn’t stop the bettors from wagering confidently.  Total handle for the 15-race Saturday program reached $3,619,093, an increase of $553,858 compared to the 13-race program on this same night in 2014, an increase of 18-percent.  The on-track handle recorded a 22-percent increase as well.  For the 2015 season, over $220 Million was wagered on The Meadowlands harness racing product.  After a season-long handle in 2012 of just over $170 Million, handle has now surpassed $210 Million for three consecutive seasons.

The Meadowlands will not race on New Year’s Day.  The first racing program of the 2016 season will take place on Saturday, January 2^nd.  The program will feature 15-races and a special post time of 6:35 P.M.

Cash Me Out Explodes in the Stretch to win Open Trot at The Meadowlands

The $25,000 Open Trot featured an ultra-competitive field of 11 in the 9^th race feature on Saturday night at The Meadowlands.  The slight 2-1 favorite, Tweet Me began from a trailing position in the second tier.  That mare was favored by a mere $82 over Uva Hanover (also 2-1), in a win pool of over $55,000.  Both favorites would lead at different points of the mile, but the last horse to the lead would be Cash Me Out (5-1), who was patiently handled by Jonathan Roberts and rallied from fourth-over position to score in the featured trotting event.

Uva Hanover was the first horse to the lead, reaching the quarter in 27.2, while Il Mago pressed while parked on the outside.  Hyway Marcus was anxious and moved three-wide early-on in the mile for Joe Bongiorno, reaching the lead just before the half-mile in 56.2.  The early leader, Uva Hanover, allowed both Hyway Marcus and Il Mago to go by before moving back to the outside and challenging for the lead on the far turn.  Detroit Rapper was slightly gapped second over, favored Tweet Me was in striking range third over with Cash Me Out lurking in the outer flow.  Uva Hanover and Hyway Marcus reached three-quarters in a contested 1:25.1 before the field fanned out across the track in the stretch.  Tweet Me rallied down the center of the track to grab the lead in mid-stretch, but was quickly challenged by Cash Me Out and the favorite could not hold off the closing kick of Cash Me Out, who scored in a lifetime best 1:53.3.  Tweet Me was second with Uva Hanover third.

The win was the 13^th in the career of Cash Me Out whose earnings reach $439,649 with the victory. He is owned by Traylor Racing L.L.C. and conditioned by Kyle Spagnola.  Jonathan Roberts was the winning driver.

Longshot Parade Sparks Huge Dividends

Saturday night at The Meadowlands offered 15 races with 160 horses entered to start producing an average field size of over 10 horses.  What could be better?  The answer, massive payouts.

The Pick 5 returned $26,555 as there was only one correct winning ticket with all five winners.  In the same race, the jackpot super hi-five was also hit and that returned $19,409 for a $.20 cent play.

Through the first seven races there was only one winning favorite and the list of winners included 63-1 longshot Celebrity Massive, 25-1 Celebrity Pegasus and 23-1 Alibi Seelster.

The run of longshot also produced an Early Pick Four payout of $17,426.

Longshot Parade Sparks Huge Dividends at The Meadowlands

Saturday night at The Meadowlands offered 15 races with 160 horses entered to start producing an average field size of over 10 horses.  What could be better?  The answer, massive payouts.

The Pick 5 returned $26,555 as there was only one correct winning ticket with all five winners.  In the same race, the jackpot super hi-five was also hit and that returned $19,409 for a $.20 cent play.

Through the first seven races there was only one winning favorite and the list of winners included 63-1 longshot Celebrity Massive, 25-1 Celebrity Pegasus and 23-1 Alibi Seelster.

The run of longshots also produced an Early Pick Four payout of $17,426.

Meadowlands Saturday Card Offers A Bounty of Holiday Racing Delights

East Rutherford, NJ – The Saturday night (December 26) card at The Meadowlands offers horseplayers an instant opportunity to recoup holiday dollars with a value-centric 15 race extravaganza. With racing confined to a single day for the next two weeks around Christmas and New Year’s Day, the Boxing Day card accommodates a whopping 164 horses with eleven programmed for all but one race.

The races are comprised of the classes ordinarily found on the Friday night card, trotters and pacing mares go this week and the regular Saturday overnight stock will race next Saturday.

At the top of the heap is the $25,000 Open (race 9) with morning line favorite Tweet Me a tepid 3-1 choice starting from post eleven in the second tier. The four-year-old daughter of Andover Hall has had a solid season earning over $128,000 for owner Bridget McNeese with several open class wins among her seven victories, including her last at Yonkers.

Tweet Me makes her return to mile track racing at The Meadowlands where she competed in the Del Miller Memorial and Hambletonian Oaks last year. While she has enjoyed great success on the twice-arounds this season, her fastest winning mile was a 1:53 effort over a talented field at Pocono last month. Pat Lachance is in for the drive for trainer Nick Devita on Saturday.

The oddsmaker sees Uva Hanover and Hyway Marcus as the main obstacles Tweet Me must overcome on her path to victory.

With such a big production undertaken on Saturday, post time has been moved up to 6:35 p.m. (as will be the case for next Saturday as well) and the wagering format has been adjusted.

The horizontal wager guaranteed pools are set at $30,000 for the Pick 5 (races 3-7), $25,000 for the Early Pick 4 (race 5-8) and $50,000 for the Late Pick 4 (races 9-12). The Jackpot Hi-5 comes up in races 7 (carryover at $10,225) and 15 (carryover at $40,952).

Get an early start to handicapping the $50,000 guaranteed Late Pick 4 by downloading the Platinum Past Performances for those races, courtesy of Trackmaster.

The Meadowlands offers several attractive dining options for your consideration. Reservations are recommended.

Cal Expo Sunday Barn Notes

One and Only back on the beam

By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness

It’s been a tough 2015 for the 7-year-old One and Only, but it’s finishing it up nicely and co-owner Richard Morita is looking forward to next season with the popular pacer.

Morita owns One And Only with David Yamada while Lino Pacheco calls the shots with the son of Bettor’s Delight, who is currently just shy of the $200,000 earnings plateau while sporting a 1:51 2/5 mark that was set last year.

One and Only has made all his starts under the Morita/Yamada banner and Richard relates, “We love watching him go around the track with his tail flying.”

After just clicking in one of his first 17 starts this season, One And Only has posted back-to-back victories here with James Kennedy handling the lines. The most recent came last week in coast-to-coast fashion while competing at the Open III level.

“It's good to have One and Only back home. He had a nice year at Yonkers in 2014, but when he went back this year, he got very sick. Luckily they treated him aggressively and Jen Sabot did a great job getting him back to the track.

“He missed a lot of the year, and by the time he started racing, he couldn't get raced on a regular basis. When he did, we got a lot of outside draws, and that is horrible at Yonkers.”

As for his current campaign, Morita explains that patience has been a virtue. “Lino took his time getting him ready, and after a few weeks, he said he could tell that One was happy and knew he was back home. Lino told me he was really coming around and his last race shows he’s getting back on his game.”

 

El Azteca, Flameon headline Open Trot

El Azteca, who had his win streak snapped at three last week; and Flameon, who hung that half-length decision on him, square off again in Sunday night’s $6,000 Open I Trot.

There are 12 races on tap with a first post of 4:55 p.m. The feature will go as the third on the evening with a field of six to face starter Ken Fowler.

After leaving from the assigned No. 10 post position in his four starts at this meet, El Azteca gets some relief as he does his work from the No. 6 slot with Luke Plano once again handling the lines.

A 6-year-old son of Panama Hanover, El Azteca is owned, trained and was bred by Marco Rios. He has over $190,000 in his bank account and established his 1:54 3/5 career standard last season at Hoosier Park.

The hard-hitting sidewheeler started the fall session here with three straight trips to the winner’s circle, overcoming that demanding 10 post on each occasion. He couldn’t quite get it done last week from that marooned slot, narrowly missing to Flameon in a game mile.

The latter is a 5-year-old Angus Hall offspring who races for Mark Anderson, hails from the Gordie Graham barn and will have Pat Galbraith once again at the controls. After having to settle for second money in three straight outings, he returned to his winning ways last week with a nice :27 flat final quarter while lowering his mark to 1:55 3/5 in the process.

Completing the field are Northern Stormont for Steve Wiseman; Jessesjo with Chip Lackey; It’s Not Over, who has the services of Mooney Svendsen; and Windsun Galaxie, who leaves from the cozy rail with James Kennedy in the sulky.

 

Peter Berry To Call Races At Buffalo Raceway

by Brian J. Mazurek, for Buffalo Raceway

HAMBURG, N.Y. --- Peter Berry, the voice of Mountaineer Park in West Virginia since 2004, will be calling the action for the first half of the season at Buffalo Raceway when their 90-day campaign opens up on Wednesday, January 13, 2016.

Buffalo Raceway Chief Operating Officer Jim Mango said, "Peter is an A+ announcer by anyone's standards and we are pleased to have him here for the first half of our meet." 

Berry said, "I'm thrilled to get the opportunity to call harness racing in the United States. I was a long-time writer for the sport in Australia and it has been my first love for as long as I can remember.

"I did some harness race-calling at a very young age in Australia while attending a race-calling academy but moved to journalism at 17 and had to put my passion on hold. That passion was reignited by Wiggle It Jiggleit at the Little Brown Jug,” he added.

Berry will return to Mountaineer Park in mid-April when their season begins.

A former news editor at the Daily Racing Form, Berry was a harness racing writer and United States sports correspondent and columnist for The Age in Australia. The Youngstown, OH resident also has owned standardbreds in Australia.

Located at the Erie County Fairgrounds in Hamburg, Buffalo Raceway will race on Wednesday and Friday evenings at 5 p.m. and Saturdays at 6 p.m. throughout the meet. Sunday afternoons will be added starting on June 19 with post times of 12:35 p.m. Closing day is July 24.

For more information on Buffalo Raceway including the latest news, entries, results and race replays, go to www.buffaloraceway.com

Meadowlands Holiday Racing Wagering and Dining Options

East Rutherford, NJ - The Meadowlands will have a revised post time and wagering format for the upcoming live race cards on Saturday, December 26 and Saturday, January 2.

Both dates will have an early post time of 6:35 p.m. and offer 15 races.

The wagering format for both cards will be as follows:

Meadowlands wagering format SAT Dec 26 and SAT Jan 2                   
                   
Win, Place, Show, Exacta, Trifecta all races                   
1st       DD, P3, dime super               
2nd      P3, dime super               
3rd      Pick five $.50 minimum (races 3 thru 7)   $30,000 Guaranteed Pool            
4th      P3, dime super               
5th      Early Pick four (races 5 thru 8)   $25,000 Guaranteed Pool   15% Take Out              
6th      P3, dime super               
7th      P3, dime super, Jackpot Super Hi5  $.20 min 15% Take Out  $10,225 Carryover on 12/26   
8th      P3, dime super               
9th      Late Pick four (races 9 thru 12)   $50,000 Guaranteed Pool   15 % Take Out            
10th    P3, dime super               
11th    P3, dime super               
12th    P3, dime super               
13th    P3, dime super               
14th    Late DD, dime super               
15th    dime super, Jackpot Super Hi 5  $.20 min 15% Take Out  $40,952 Carryover on 12/26      
                                   

The Saturday promotion for this week is a holiday cash giveaway of $2015.

All of the delightful dining facilities will be available, reservations are recommended.

Further information on Meadowlands racing is available on the track website.

Breaking news and developments are constantly updated on the Twitter page.

Gural Named Individual of the Year

THE ANNUAL WATS/WAVR RADIO STATIONS’ COMMUNITY SERVICE HONOR FOR 2015 WAS PRESENTED TO TIOGA DOWNS OWNER JEFF GURAL ON DECEMBER 21.

THE NEW YORK REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER WAS RECOGNIZED FOR THE INDOMITABLE SPIRIT & NEVER-GIVE-UP ATTITUDE THAT EVENTUALLY SECURED A CASINO LICENSE FOR THE NICHOLS FACILITY (WHICH WILL BRING VITAL ECONOMIC BENEFITS TO THE TWIN TIERS)  AND FOR HIS GENEROUS SUPPORT OF TIOGA CENTRAL SCHOOLS, WHICH SAVED EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES IN THAT DISTRICT WHICH RESULTED IN THE STATE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP.

THE ANNUAL “INDIVIDUAL OF THE YEAR” AWARD IS NAMED IN MEMORY OF THE LATE SAYRE BUSINESSMAN JOE WOLF, WHO WAS KNOWN FAR AND WIDE FOR HIS COMMUNITY SERVICE ACTIVITIES.

Cal Expo Saturday Barn Notes

Shelly Goudreau Elimination Pace heads card

By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness

 

The Shelly Goudreau Elimination Pace will share the spotlight on Saturday night’s program at Cal Expo with a pair of Open III events for the pacers.

There will be 13 races presented under the Watch and Wager LLC banner with a first post of 6:15 p.m. The action will continue with the trotters and pacers in action on Sunday evening and a 4:55 post time.

A field of nine will line up for Shelly Goudreau. From the rail out: K G Cody from the Sal Wensceslao barn; the Gerry Longo reined-and-trained Midnight Destroyer; Rascal Flatter from the Marissa Tyler shedrow; the Bob Johnson-conditioned Wrangler Potogold; Lucky Land for driver/trainer Tim Clevenger; the Gene Vallandingham-trained Sheer Desire; Ray’s Razor, who takes his lessons from Edwin Quevedo; the Luke Plano trained and driven Real Attitude; and Frankthebank for George Reider.

In the first of the Open III events, racing secretary Robin Schadt had Endeavors King, BB’s Harley and At Last drawing for the outside three slots, which they will occupy in that order among the cast of eight.

In the Open III for the distaffers, Rag Doll, Surprisingly Sweet, Windsun T Bird and Secret Alibi drew for the outside and leave from slots No. 7 through 10 in the co-feature.

 

                                                       **********                                      

Beginning with Saturday’s program, purses at Cal Expo will be raised by 10 percent across the board.

Ben Kenney, Cal Expo CFO said, “The purse pool was in good shape coming out of the last meet, with each live race up 19 percent over the previous season. This meet is off to a good start and the horsemen deserve this purse increase.”

 

Race honors memory of Shelly Goudreau

Saturday night’s featured Shelly Goudreau Elimination Pace honors the memory of the outstanding horseman who was tragically killed in 1982 at the age 34.

Goudreau passed away from injuries sustained in a racing accident at Hollywood Park. He was involved in the accident on August 27, 1982 and suffered severe injuries. Six days later, on September 2, Goudreau passed away.

Shelly first got his driving license in 1966 at the age of 18 and soon led all reinsmen at Windsor Raceway for two consecutive years. It wasn’t long before he ventured to the United States to compete at several Michigan tracks.

Goudreau made the trek to California in 1977 and immediately went to the top of the driving colony. While competing at Hollywood Park and Los Alamitos, he won the most races and earned the most purse monies on that circuit for two consecutive years.

He came back east to compete at Roosevelt Raceway and Yonkers Raceway and won many major stakes in New York, including the $200,000 George Morton Levy Pace in 1979 in track-record time at Roosevelt. Goudreau drove at the Meadowlands Racetrack and was once again successful. He competed at the ‘Big M’ against another up-and-coming driver at the time named John Campbell, as well as a familiar face from home in Ray Remmen.

The 1981 season proved to be Goudreau’s best year. He competed in both the Hambletonian (with Santa Ana) and the Little Brown Jug (with Freedom Fella). He won 170 races and earned $2.3 million in purses that year – gaudy numbers for the then-33-year-old.

During his career, Goudreau was responsible for the success of such horses as Genghis Khan , Try Scotch, Tijuana Taxi, Apollos Way , Freedom Fella, Tender Loving Care, and Superman). In his short career he amassed 2,291 wins and $12,942,265 in purse money. At the time of his death he was eighth in the North American driver standings.

 

YONKERS ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS FOR 2016 PETTICOAT, SAGAMORE HILL SERIES

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

 

YONKERS, NY, Monday, December 21, 2015—If you’re stuck looking for that perfect last-minute holiday gift, try a nomination fee.

 With its 2015 season done, Yonkers Raceway is open for 2016 business, beginning with accepting entrants for the Petticoat (girls) and Sagamore Hill (boys) Pacing Series.

 The popular events are for soon-to-be 3- and 4-year-olds who were non-winners of four races and/or $40,000 lifetime through this past Dec. 1.

 Nominations ($200) close Feb. 1, with the Petticoat and Sagamore Hill beginning the first weekend in March. Each of three preliminary legs go for $20,000 per race, with a pair of $50,000 (added) finals (plus consolations) set for March 28 and 29, respectively.

 A nomination blank accompanies this release, and shall also be made available at www.yonkersraceway.com,  in the night racing program as well as other harness-related sites.  For more information, please contact the race office at (914) 457-2627.

 Yonkers’ 2016 season is set to begin Thursday, Jan. 7, pending approval of the New York State Gaming Commission.   

 

MISSION BRIEF NAMED NJ STANDARBRED OF THE YEAR IN 2015

By Carol Hodes for the SBOANJ

MANALAPAN, NJ – December 21, 2015 – Trotting filly Mission Brief has been named the winner of the Secretary of Agriculture’s Trophy as New Jersey Standardbred of the Year for 2015.

Also selected New Jersey Sire Stakes Horse of the Year, Mission Brief will be honored on January 24, 2016 at the 59^th Annual New Jersey Breeders Awards Luncheon at 1 p.m. at O’Connor’s Restaurant [formerly Charley’s Other Brother] in Eastampton, NJ.

Voted the nation’s Two-Year-Old Trotting Filly of the Year in 2014, she also won the Dan Patch Award as Three-Year-Old Trotting Filly of the Year in 2015. 

The daughter of Muscle Hill–Southwind Serena wrapped up her three-year-old campaign with 10 wins and three seconds in 14 starts, banking more than $1 million toward a career total of $1,599,587 for the ownership of the Burke Racing Stable, Our Horse Cents Stables, J&T Silva Stables and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.  The Ron Burke trainee was regularly driven by Yannick Gingras.

Undefeated in her New Jersey Sires Stakes competition, including the $100,000 final at the Meadowlands, she also won the $307,040 ElegantImage at Mohawk Raceway, the $185,000 Zweig at Vernon Downs, the $187,400 Matron at Dover Downs, the $144,000 Continentalvictory at the Meadowlands and the $174,000 Money Maker at The Meadows.

She made a bid to best the boys in the $1 million Hambletonian at the Meadowlands, winning her elimination, but finishing second to Pinkman in the $1 million final on August 8. 

Bred by Steve H. Stewart, Black Creek Farm and Andrea Lea Racing Stables Inc., she sold for $150,000 at the Lexington Selected Sale.

At two, she won both the Merrie Annabelle and Breeders Crown, for nine wins in 13 starts and earnings just shy of $600,000. 

She collected 150 of 156 votes for freshman honors in 2014, and 118 of 136 votes for 2015 divisional honors.

Her 1:50.3 mark still stands as the fastest mile by a two-year-old trotter, male or female, and she lowered her personal best to 1:50.2 on November 12, 2015 on the five-eighths mile track at Dover Downs in the Matron Final.

Her sire, Muscle Hill was the 2009 New Jersey Standardbred of the Year.

Tickets for the luncheon cost $40 per person and may be purchased from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Division of Markets & Development, Horse Industry, PO Box 330, Trenton, NJ 08625.  For further information, call 609-984-4389 or email Lynn.Mathews@ag.state.nj.us

 

Kingofthejungle rises, reels off third straight win in Meadowlands Open

by James Witherite, Meadowlands Media Relations

East Rutherford, N.J. -- Following wins in mid-level and upper-level company, Kingofthejungle took the crown in Saturday (December 19) night’s featured $25,000 Open Pace at The Meadowlands, reeling off his third consecutive win.

Andy Miller settled the 4-year-old Well Said gelding into the mid-division early on, rated off a contested :27.1 first quarter.  Upon yielding briefly on the first turn, 2-1 favourite Ashley’s Husband (Joe Bongiorno) brushed to secure the top spot, maintaining a torrid pace through a :54.2 half while Sunfire Blue Chip (Brett Miller) would head outer flow from midfield, slipstreamed by Kingofthejungle.  With three-eighths to go, UF Rockin Dragon (Corey Callahan) pulled the pocket to avoid traffic, pushing past a tiring Ashley’s Husband through a :27.4 third quarter.  Meanwhile, Kingofthejungle still enjoyed the aid of live cover, towed a bit closer before vaulting off his third-over trip just outside the eighth pole and accelerating to the fore in final 50 yards to just prevail in 1:50.  Ontario Success (Yannick Gingras) rallied from farther off cover to just nab Sunfire Blue Chip for second.

Mark Capone trains Kingofthejungle for Fox Racing, Inc. and Darius Oshidar.

Earlier in the program, upper-level conditioned pacers contested a pair of $16,500 sub-featured events.  In the evening’s sixth race, 2-1 joint favourite Sweet Beach alternated on the lead early with Halton Hurricane, yielding and reclaiming the lead through a :55.3 initial half before edging clear of a first-over charge from fellow joint favourite Jeneral Patton (Brett Miller).  After a :27.4 third quarter, Anthony Napolitano let out a notch with Sweet Beach, and the 4-year-old Somebeachsomewhere gelding accelerated to a 3-1/4 length victory while in hand for a 1:50.3 triumph.  Jeneral Patton checked in a clear second, while That’ll Be the Rei (Jim Marohn, Jr.) took full advantage of live cover to finish third.

Tom Cancelliere trains Sweet Beach, now a 7-time winner, for owner John Cancelliere.

The second sub-feature, carded as the ninth event, saw David Miller send 6-5 public choice Shooter’s Dream out from fourth to take charge at the completion of a :54.1 half mile before he was subsequently engaged by 17-1 outsider Mr Franklin N (Callahan).  The two dueled through the entirety of the far turn, and in fact Shooter’s Dream was headed briefly by Mr Franklin N in upper stretch.  The 5-year-old Sand Shooter gelding would not be denied though, battling back at the pegs to reach the winning post a half-length in front, matching Sweet Beach’s 1:50.3 mile from earlier.  Mr Franklin narrowly held second from Duel In the Sun (Napolitano), who kicked cover to rally strongly.

David M. Smith trains 15-time winner Shooter’s Dream for owners Randy Bendis and Tom Pollack.

Total handle for the 14-race program was $2,936,828, a gain of $107,452 over the 13-race program from the comparable Saturday card in 2014.

Both Jackpot Super High 5 carryovers grew tonight, as neither pool was captured by a single 20-cent winning ticket.  On the Boxing Day program, the fifth race High 5 will boast a $10,225.51 carryover, while the finale will have $40,952.10 added to the pool.

Live racing returns to The Meadowlands on Saturday, December 26.  The Boxing Day card will kick off at 6:35 p.m. EST.  For further details, visit playmeadowlands.com.

ENROLLMENT OPEN FOR SBOANJ INSURANCE; CHANGES IN CONDITIONS

MANALAPAN, NJ – December 19, 2015 – December is open enrollment month for the health insurance program provided by the Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey, with changes which ease the rules for qualification and a cut rates for caretakers.

“We are trying to be more inclusive,” said SBOANJ President Mark Ford.  “We are trying to encourage qualified individuals to apply.”

The cost for premiums for caretakers/grooms have been cut in half for single enrollees and nearly so for families.  The monthly rate for singles has been reduced from $100 to $50 for 2016. 

To be eligible, the caretaker must be a full-time employee for a trainer qualified for the New Jersey program.  Paycheck stubs must be provided as proof.

Requirements for eligibility for the insurance program have been adjusted for trainers and drivers in 2016.  The minimum number of starts in New Jersey has been reduced from 36 to 24.  Additionally, the percentage of starters raced in New Jersey has been lowered from 51 percent to 33.3 percent, as long as the trainer-driver does not qualify for an insurance program in another jurisdiction.

Applications are available on the SBOANJ website, from the Horsemen’s Representative at Freehold and the Meadowlands, and in the SBOANJ office in Manalapan.

 

Recent winners to battle in Meadowlands Open

by James Witherite, Meadowlands Media Relations

 

East Rutherford, N.J. -- Of the eight horses to do battle in Saturday (December 19) evening's featured $25,000 Open Pace at The Meadowlands, seven of them enter the race having won their most recent effort.  But the only one which hasn't--Melmerby Beach--could very well be the horse to beat in the evening's 12th of 14 races.

Ettore Annunziata's 4-year-old Somebeachsomewhere entire ships in from Yonkers after a quartet of solid efforts, earning back-to-back wins against other 4-year-olds before he was engulfed late in an open event last week, only mustering a fourth-place finish after setting a torrid pace.  Melmerby Beach has been installed the 5-2 morning line favourite, and John Campbell drives the 15-time winner from post 7.

Melmerby Beach will square off against William Donovan's Ashley's Husband (3-1, post 1), who reeled off back-to-back wins from off the pace since arriving at the Meadowlands with a sharp qualifier.  Two weeks ago, he kicked cover to defeat top-level conditioned company by way of a :26.1 closing sectional.  Trainer Kyle Spagnola, sporting a .517 rating so far this meet, once again nominates Joe Bongiorno to handle the driving duties.  Other top contenders include Ron Burke trainee Ontario Success (7-2, post 5, Yannick Gingras) and Jimmy Takter trainee Sunfire Blue Chip (9-2, post 3, Brett Miller), both of which rise from narrow local wins, along with UF Rockin Dragon (10-1, post 6, Corey Callahan) who most recently defeated upper-level foes at Yonkers before shipping over the Hudson River for trainer Mark Ford.

A pair of sub-featured upper-level conditioned events take place earlier in the card, with each $16,500 dash open to pacers which have not won $15,000 in their last five starts or seven races.

In the first sub-featured event, carded as race six, Benjaminbanneker N looks to rebound from recent traffic trouble, not lacking for pace in his last two outings after charing home from far back to prevail in 1:51.1 on November 21.  Corey Callahan drives the 3-1 morning line choice for trainer Bob Bresnahan from post 8.  A pair of strong shippers from Harrah's Philadelphia line up in the closing leg of the early Pick 4 as well, with Jeneral Patton (7-2, post 3, Brett Miller) coming in off back-to-back runner-up efforts, and What I Believe (4-1, post 10, Mike Simons) dropping down from top-level events in his fourth start off the claim for owner Albert Abdala, III and trainer Shawn Simons.

The sub-featured ninth race sees 5-2 morning line choice Shooter's Dream return at this level after mounting first-over bids in his last three races and subsequently sustaining them to hit the board on all three occasions.  David Miller opted to drive the 5-year-old Sand Shooter gelding for trainer David M. Smith.  "The Buckeye" was also nominated on Sicily, a winner in two of his last three races at Philadelphia.  Andy Miller takes the lines on the Wayne Givens trainee installed as the 7-2 second choice.  Also of note, Mah Sish N invades from Yonkers off a narrow win against just easier company.  Ireland native Jonathan Dunne takes the lines of the 9-year-old Mach Three gelding for trainer Richard "Nifty" Norman.

All save two of Saturday's 14 races feature at least ten horses, while six boast overflow fields of eleven.  Paired with $105,000 in guaranteed pools through the evening's Pick 5 and twin Pick 4 wagers, punters have ample opportunity to maximize value.  As of Friday morning, the fifth-race Jackpot High-5 carries $7,181.28 in added money, while the final race Jackpot High-5 boasts a $34,296.44 carryover.

The first race on Saturday's card is due off at 7:00 p.m. EST.  For more information on racing, dining, and entertainment at The Meadowlands, visit playmeadowlands.com.

 

Cal Expo Sunday Barn Notes

Stewards Baker, Meyers honored by Cal Expo

By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness

 

Stewards Grant Baker and Will Meyers, who will both be leaving for thoroughbred assignments beginning next week, will be honored Sunday night by Cal Expo for their fine work in the judge’s stand.

 

Baker will be headed to Southern California to be in the booth at Santa Anita, while Meyers will relocate to the Bay Area as one of the three Golden Gate stewards. They will be replaced at Cal Expo by Rene Sheward and Jim Arlt.

 

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There will be a change to the announced January racing schedule here, with racing remaining on a two-night-a-week basis with the trotters and pacers in action on Saturday and Sunday evenings.

 

Cal Expo had hoped to add Fridays to the January schedule, but will be unable to run three nights a week due to a horse shortage.

 

“Our original plan was to add Friday’s and race three days per week in January,” said Cal Expo General Manager Chris Schick. “The reality is that we just don’t have an adequate horse population for three days a week.

 

“We feel fairly confident that our two-day winter weeks will offer reasonably strong wagering cards.”

 

Beginning with the Saturday, December 26 program, purses here at Cal Expo will be raised 10 percent across the board.

 

Open Trot brings out classy El Azteca

 

El Azteca, unbeaten in three starts at this meet, will once again leave from the assigned No. 10 post position in Sunday night’s featured $5,000 Open I Handicap Trot.

 

There will be 12 races on tap Sunday under the Watch and Wager LLC banner with first post set for 4:45 p.m. The main event will be the ninth race with Flameon, Jessesjo, Its Not Over and Northern Starmont challenging the favorite.

 

El Azteca is a 6-year-old son of Panama Hanover out of the Jonathan Lobell mare Jonathan’s Girl who is owned, trained and was bred by Marco Rios. Luke Plano will once again handle the lines as they leave from the demanding outside slot.

 

El Azteca comes into this assignment having posed for pictures following 22 of his 36 trips to the post over the last two seasons. He will be looking to add to a $190,000 bank account and sports a 1:54 3/5 mark that was established last year at Hoosier Park.

 

The hard-hitting sidewheeler, who has a slew of Sire Stakes trophies on his mantle, hasn’t been stopped by the marooned 10 post in his three outings at the meeting, showing his class and versatile racing style in the process.

 

In his first start on November 14, El Azteca alternated on the lead before asserting his superiority in the stretch, while his next start saw him parked to the front at the half and he took complete control of things from that point. He came from last to get the job done last week in another terrific performance.

 

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With a new meet starting next Saturday, December 26, there will be mandatory payouts for all wagers Sunday