The fillies opened the
card and local owner Joe Hess of New Milford, NJ saw his prize filly True Day
Dream reduce her lifetime mark to a flat 1:54 for leading driver Yannick
Gingras in the opener. The Kentucky-bred has won 9 of 13 career starts and over
$100,000 thus far in her promising career.
Race two saw Miss
Steele take advantage of a perfect pocket trip to wear down a game Andie
Sophia in a season's record 1:53.4.
Miss Steele has been a
model of consistency in her brief career with 11 in the money finishes in 15
career outings for earnings in excess of $125,000. She is owned by the
partnership of driver Andy Miller, O. J. Miller and the team of Katz, Libfeld
and Goldband and is trained by Julie Miller.
Muscle Mountain continued his progress and became another
stakes winner for his prolific sire Muscles Yankee by taking the first colt
division of the Simpson.
Brought along carefully by Hall of Fame trainer Jimmy
Takter, who handed the lines to Gingras for this assignment, the colt settled
third before challenging the more established Fashion Blizzard first
over. The coverless journey didn't faze Muscle Mountain as he ground
out the win by three parts of a length in 1:54.4.
Christina Takter shares ownership with John & Jim Fielding and
J. A. Mc Clelland.
The evening's final division saw Modest Prince score a
resounding upset. With Corky and My Man Can taking all the play,
Modest Prince attracted a very modest legion of backers and rewarded them
with a win mutual of $103.40.
Corky was allowed an uncontested lead and David
Miller took full advantage by easing him through a 59.4 middle half. Modest
Prince was taken back from his outside post and driver Jeff Gregory found
himself in the unenviable spot of sitting last through slow number with a
50-1 shot.
Those obstacles did not deter the "Prince" as he
staged a late rally and his 27.4 final quarter got the job done for the 2012
Hambletonian winning tandem of owner Richard Gutnick and trainer
Linda Toscano in 1:56.1.
Once again the total handle showed significant gains,
registering an increase of 38-percent, which included an increase in live
handle as well.
Racing resumes with a blockbuster 14 race program on
Saturday, featuring the first leg of the TVG Pacing FFA Championship with two
$50,000 Open races and the first leg of the TVG Trotting FFA Championship in
the form of two Cutler Memorial eliminations. Post time is 7:15 P.M.
