Winsome Kelly scores a very special victory
By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness
There
was a lot more to Winsom Kelly’s victory in a conditioned trot last week than
meets the eye.
The
10-year-old Egocentric gelding, who carries the banner of Nikki Hudson and KC
Carvalho and is reined and trained by Luke Plano, was putting a happy ending to
what could have been a tragedy last spring.
“We
were taking him to Running Aces for the summer meet and he got what they call
shipping fever,” Plano explained. “He had pneumonia with lots of fluid in his
lungs and he had to be rushed to the University of Minnesota.
“He
was there for several weeks and it was actually touch and go there for a while.
I want to thank Mike Minnella, who really stepped up when we needed it.”
Winsome
Kelly, who was claimed by Plano a year and a half ago for a bargain $4,000
before working his way up to the Open level, got back into training late last
year and was making his fourth start on the comeback trail when he clicked in that
last appearance.
“I
was a little concerned when he first came back, because he’d always been very
aggressive in his training and he was acting a little on the lethargic side,”
Luke related.
“I
raced him a little conservatively in his first couple of starts, then he showed
me in his race two back that he was getting to his old self when he came a :27
and change final quarter. He put it all together last week, and it was a very
satisfying win all the way around.”
Northern
Stormont heads marquee in Open Trot
The
Steve Wiseman-trained Northern Stormont, who has accounted for two of his last
four appearances in impressive fashion, heads the cast for Sunday evening’s
$6,000 Open Trot.
A
field of six will face the starter with Northern Stormont leaving from the
assigned outside post. Taking him on are the James Kennedy-trained pair of
Commandergalleon and Banker’s For All; the Robin Clements-conditioned Frank
Provolone and Winsom Kelly from the Luke Plano shedrow.
There
will be 12 races Sunday night with first post of 4:55 p.m. and the headliner
will occupy the eighth-race slot on the program.
Northern
Stormont is a 5-year-old son of Earl Of Stormont who carries the banner of
George McCrystal, Mark Kremen and Scott Ehrlich. He has captured 11 of his 62
lifetime starts and set his 1:54 4/5 mark last year at Hoosier Park.
The
bay sidewheeler was an easy winner of a conditioned event on December 12, then
had to settle for a third and a fifth-place in his next two starts with
conditioner Wiseman at the controls while taking on the likes of hard-hitters
El Azteca and Flameon.
He
last suited up on January 3 in an Open III affair with Plano guiding and
returned to his winning ways with a perfect stalk-and-pounce trip while adding
Lasix. Northern Stormont should be tough in this spot no matter how things
shake out early.
Winsom
Kelly is fresh from a facile conditioned tally over a sloppy track and looks
like a major threat right back for Plano. Nikki Hudson and KC Carvalho own the
10-year-old son of Egocentric, who was a 1:56 1/5 victor here last season for
his career standard.
