Racing News

It was a wet night at Mohawk Racetrack Friday (Sept. 11) for the eliminations of the Elegantimage Stakes and William Wellwood Memorial.

A pair of eliminations were needed for both events with the top five finishers in each division advancing to their respective finals next week.

Homicide Hunter turned in a gritty performance to find the winner’s circle Friday night (Sept. 11) at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino in the final round of $20,000 Indiana Sires Stakes eliminations for 3-year-old trotting colts and geldings, extending his win streak to 12 in the process.

Reaching the wire in 1:55.3, Curt Grummel’s Homicide Hunter battled back gamely in the lane to win by a nose and remain undefeated in his sophomore season.

Friday's (Sept. 11) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Yonkers Raceway, Saratoga Casino and Raceway, Batavia Downs and Vernon Downs.

With temperatures touching triple digits in Southern California recently, trainer Richard Mandella took it easy on two-time champion Beholder Sept. 11 at Santa Anita Park.

The 5-year-old Henny Hughes mare, who romped against males last time out in the TVG Pacific Classic (gr. I) at Del Mar, worked four furlongs in :49 flat Friday morning under her regular jockey Gary Stevens in preparation for the Sept. 26 Zenyatta Stakes (gr. I) at Santa Anita.

Limelight Beach on Saturday (Sept. 12) will race in Ohio for the first time since winning last year’s Little Brown Jug. Not counting, of course, all the times co-owner Charles Wingfield has enjoyed replays of Limelight Beach racing in the Jug from his Kenton, Ohio, home.

“I’d hate to say how many times I’ve watched it,” said a laughing Wingfield, who is joined by brothers Robert, Thomas and William as part of Limelight Beach’s ownership group. “It would be a bunch. That (win) is our biggest thrill in racing.”

Limelight Beach, who won last year’s Little Brown Jug at the Delaware County Fair in straight heats, is among the 10 horses in Saturday’s $225,000 Jim Ewart Memorial for older male pacers at Scioto Downs. State Treasurer, who last weekend won the Canadian Pacing Derby for his fourth victory in a row, is the 7-5 morning line favorite. Limelight Beach finished third in the CPD.

A trio of eliminations were contested Thursday night at Mohawk Racetrack for the Peaceful Way Stakes. A group of 22 two-year-old trotting fillies were separated into three $30,000 eliminations with the top three finishers and a fourth place finisher drawn by lot advancing to the $410,000 final on Saturday, September 19.

In the first division, Staffan Lind trainee Celebrity Eventsy looked like she was all by herself on the racetrack winning easily in 1:55.2.

Driven by Brett Miller, Celebrity Eventsy sprinted out to lead and posted an opening-quarter of :27.4. A first turn break by Hills Angel, who sat second, left the Lind trainee on top by about ten lengths down the backstretch. After a middle fractions of :56.3 and 1:26.1, Celebrity Eventsy trotted home in :29.1 to score an easy-looking four-length victory.

The $1 million Ricoh Woodbine Mile (Can-IT) won't include Wise Dan after the two-time winner's retirement, but runners who dwelt in his shadow will have a chance to shine Sept. 13 at Woodbine. 

Grade I winners Lea and Obviously, along with recent grade II winner Grand Arch, head a field of 11 for the Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" event, which grants the victor a spot in the gate for the Oct. 31 Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT) at Keeneland.

Scioto Downs plays hosts to the richest night in Ohio harness racing history on Saturday evening, Sept. 12 with $2,285,000 in purses dangling precariously on the finish line as Buckeye State’s best Standardbreds battle for first-place prize money.

The five-eight’s mile oval will feature a 17-race card highlighted by eight $225,000 Ohio Sires Stakes (OSS) Championships for 2- and 3-year-old trotting and pacing colts and fillies. In addition, the $100,000 Chip Noble Memorial, the $225,000 Jim Ewart Memorial and the $40,000 Ryder Steck Memorial will also be contested. Post time is approximately 6:30 p.m., ET.

The Emerald Isle was well represented at Belterra Park on Friday as young Julie Burke had her best day of racing in the U.S. and impressed a childhood hero champion jockey while recording three wins. Kieren Francis Fallon is a native Irish jockey and has been the British Champion Jockey six times. He is widely considered the greatest flat reinsmen of his generation and he made his first appearance ever at Belterra Park riding the multiple Group 1 winner Ninfa Del Cielo in the third race.

Kieren Fallon has won such prestigious races as the 1,000 Guineas – four times – Sleepytime (1997), Wince (1999), Russian Rhythm (2003), Virginia Waters (2005) and the 2,000 Guineas five times with– King’s Best (2000), Golan (2001), Footstepsinthesand (2005), George Washington (2006), Night of Thunder (2014) and the Ascot Gold Cup twice on Dinos (2003) and Yeats (2006). In his homeland he captured the Irish Champion Stakes three times on Oratorio (2005), Dylan Thomas (2006, 2007) and the Irish Derby twice on Hurricane Run (2005), Dylan Thomas (2006), while finishing first in the Irish Oaks three times astride Ramruma (1999), Ouija Board (2004), Alexandrova (2006).

Having taken her past four wins from pacesetting and pocket trips, Non Stick ($3.70) demonstrated increased versatility in her $36,566 New York Sire Stakes win at Tioga Downs on Friday (Sept. 11) evening, sustaining a first-over bid on the backstretch en route to her 1:57.1 victory.

Lucas Wallin eased the 2-year-old daughter of Lucky Chucky and Meucci Madness just off the pace, drafting behind Pampered Winner (Mark MacDonald) and Love Crazy Love (Jim Marohn Jr.) through a soft :59 half-mile before commencing a bid on the backstretch.

Non Stick progressed steadily without the aid of cover, forcing a :28.4 third quarter before working to a clear lead off the far turn. After collaring Pampered Winner, Non Stick held off a late rally from Love Crazy Love, who emerged from the pocket in the final yards to miss by three-quarters of a length. Royal Surprise (Dan Daley) chased her cover to take third.

Pure Country and Broadway Donna, a pair of harness racing’s rising stars, remained undefeated Friday (Sept. 11) at The Meadows when each captured a Pennsylvania Sires Stake championship.

Friday’s program, which offered more than $1.72 million in purses, included all four $350,000 PASS finals (two actually were worth $351,000 thanks to starting fees for also-eligibles who drew in) for 2-year-olds as well as a $60,000 consolation in each division.

Ideal Jimmy and Lagerfeld won the other championships. Trainer Jimmy Takter enjoyed a PASS championship double with Pure Country and Lagerfeld.

The definition of a war horse couldn’t be more appropriate than for Fort Silky, who continues to impress harness fans week after week -- despite being a healthy and hardy 9-year-old. What’s the secret for his success?

Perhaps the key lies with his home life. The Leonard family -- trainer Terry and driver Casey -- have a long history of campaigning older horses. Fans will recall the tough Well To Do Guru, among others.

Earndawg --- who captured the 2014 Orange & Blue in a freshman best 1:52.4 for trainer Roger Welch -- will be trying for his second consecutive Super Night victory in the $112,000 Pete Langley Memorial on Saturday (Sept. 12) at Balmoral Park. Though he has drawn the dreaded ten-hole, Welch is still confident of his colt’s chances.

Owned by William C. (Bo) DeLong, William (Pat) DeLong and Earnest Miller, Earndawg was purchased for $35,000 at the 2013 Walker Sale.

The son of Sportsmaster, out of the Western Hanover mare Pacific Sister K 4,1:54 ($107,550), is a full brother to Mystical MJ p,3,1:51.1 ($298,918) and has half-siblings in Doubleshotascotch (by Dragon Again) p,4,1:51.f ($739,491), Sunshine Sister (by Real Artist) p,3,1:54f ($147,217) and MJ’s Sista (by Yankee Skyscraper) p,3,1:54.2 ($22,683).

Linda Toscano trainees Cut And Paste ($2.10) and Soft Idea ($2.40) both achieved early leads and never looked back in their respective $31,894 Reynolds Stake divisions for 2-year-old pacing fillies on Thursday (Sept. 10) evening at Tioga Downs, while Katies Rocker ($2.20, part of entry) was king among five 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings in their lone $64,788 dash.

The first division for pacing fillies, contested as race three, saw Cut And Paste work clear of Twice An Angel (Matt Kakaley) in the initial stages, controlling the terms throughout her 1:54.3 triumph. Jim Marohn Jr. comfortably rated sectionals of :28.1, :57.4, and 1:26.2 with the daughter of Well Said-On The Arm and Cut And Paste responded immediately to the late challenge of Twice An Angel to prevail by 1-1/2 lengths.

In the second division, carded as race five, Soft Idea settled off early pacesetters JK Fannie (Kakaley) and Wine Snob (Mike Simons), drafting through a :28.1 initial quarter before brushing to the fore upon entering the home straight on the first occasion.

Five proven graded winners will try for their first top-level victory in North America Sept. 13 in the $300,000 Northern Dancer Turf Stakes Presented by HPIBet (Can-IT) at Woodbine, but the most visually-impressive last-out winner hasn't made the grade just yet.

Charles Fipke's homebred Danish Dynaformer wowed in his last start at Woodbine, the $500,000 Breeders' Stakes Aug. 16. He took the final leg of the Canadian Triple Crown by 7 3/4 lengths under a hand ride.