by James Witherite, for The Meadowlands
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Despite traveling wide for nearly all of a :52.4 opening half mile, Dancin Lou ($6.00) had plenty left in the stretch to cement his place in the top ranks of the free-for-all pacing division with a scintillating 1:47.2 score in the $391,300 William R. Haughton Memorial on Saturday night (July 18) at The Meadowlands.
The winner of last year's Breeders Crown for sophomore pacers, Dancin Lou advanced in the two-path on the first turn to track a three-way battle between Backstreet Shadow, Century Farroh and This Is The Plan through a :26 first quarter. After Backstreet Shadow cleared, Brian Sears gunned the 4-year-old son of Sweet Lou to the fore, but the pair were strung out by Backstreet Shadow before assuming control at race's midpoint.
After being tested through punishing early fractions, Dancin Lou found a breather on approach to the far turn, when he yielded for the pocket as Century Farroh retook and braced for outside pressure from Southwind Ozzi through three-quarters in 1:20.2. Off the home turn, Southwind Ozzi weakened in the breeze, enabling Dancin Lou to wedge out of the pocket an eighth of a mile from home. He reclaimed the lead from Century Farroh a sixteenth out under Sears urging, and widened to win by the better part of two lengths. Century Farroh held second, and Filibuster Hanover knifed through at the pegs to narrowly claim third.
Tahnee Camilleri trains Dancin Lou, a 15-time winner with $847,559 in career earnings, for David Kryway and 1362313 Ontario Ltd.
