Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Big Night at Mohawk

Breeders Crown Aged Paces & Trots

The Metro & She's A Great Lady

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Tetrick & Artistic Fella win Breeders Crown
Tim Tetrick steered Artistic Fella to a 1:49.2 clocking in the $500,000 Breeders Crown Open Pace on Saturday (September 1) at Mohawk, giving the 4-year-old son of Pacific Fella his 20th career victory.

        Tim Tetrick is interviewed by Greg Blanchard
          after Artistic Fella's Breeders Crown win.

“It was a very tight finish, but I’m sure glad we got there first,” Tetrick noted. “It was good for this horse to go back and race in some Opens and get his confidence level back up. It’s obviously paid off for him, because he was razor sharp tonight. This horse was very strong throughout the mile and I kept waiting and waiting for a bunch of horses to come at him, but that never really happened until right at the end, when we had to battle Mister Big (David Miller). It was a great race.”

Artistic Fella left hard from post eight, cleared Took Hanover and Boulder Creek to a :26 first quarter. He led the field through a :54.3 half and a 1:22.2 third quarter, pacing strongly throughout. Miller pulled Mister Big at the three-quarters and began to challenge Artistic Fella in a dramatic photo finish.

The win pushed Artistic Fella’s career earnings to over $1.6 million for owner Joseph Alborano of New Egypt, N.J and trainer Steve Elliott. Elliott had captured the World Trotting Derby at Du Quoin earlier in the day with Hambletonian winner and 2-year-old trotting champion Donato Hanover.

Tetrick, 25, is having a banner year as North America’s leading reinsman.

“This is a dream come true for me,” Tetrick, a native of Geff, Ill., said. “My dream was to become a driver and compete at the highest level, and that’s happening now, so I’m just riding the wave while I can. It’s great.”

Mister Big nailed second, while Zooka (Mario Baillargeon) finished third. The rest of the field finished as: Lis Mara, Boulder Creek, Western Shore, Mypanmar, and Took Hanover. Total Truth was scratched sick on August 31.

Moving Pictures snares BC Mare Pace
Longshot Moving Pictures exploded in the late stretch to win the $363,000 Breeders Crown Open Mare Pace in 1:51.2 for driver Mark MacDonald on Saturday night (September 1) at Mohawk Racetrack.

         Owners Mike Lindley and Steve Calhoun
        celebrate with trainer Casie Coleman and
            driver Mark MacDonald after Moving
                Pictures won the Mare Pace.

The 4-year-old daughter of D M Dilinger notched her seventh win of the season for trainer Casie Coleman, and owners Steve Calhoun and Michael Lindley of Chatham, Ontario.

“I’ve been in the Breeders Crown three times before and have never won it, and it seems like we always get the ten-hole,” Coleman noted. “This is just an unbelievable feeling and she raced great tonight.”

“The mare never gets an easy trip,” Coleman added. “She hasn’t missed a check all year long but has never had an easy time of it.”

Moving Pictures left the gate at 9-1 and trailed the field, led by Armbro Dancer (Ron Pierce) to a :26.3 first quarter, through the :55.2 half and past the 1:23.3 three-quarter-mile marker.

“She’s a very lazy mare who really doesn’t like to train,” Coleman said. “She’s had an abscessed tooth all year that we’ve been working on, and other than that, she’s been okay.”

In the stretch, however, she blew by her rivals like they were standing still, passing second place finisher Double Dream N (Tim Tetrick), show-finisher Free (David Miller) and fourth-place earner Invitro (Paul MacDonell).

“I had to take a shot with her,” driver Mark MacDonald noted. “In these races you rarely get a good shot, and with the mares being this tough, it was imperative that I moved her when I did. She’s got a great late kick and coming off that last turn, I was still last and just hoping for a good check. I’ve always wanted to win a Breeders Crown before and to do so now, well, it’s just an unbelievable feeling.”

Moving Pictures pushed her career earnings past the $1 million mark with the victory, and scored her first win since she paced to a 1:53 clocking at Georgian Downs on July 14.

“I’m stunned she paced home that great,” owner Steve Calhoun noted. “I was just hoping for a fifth; I didn’t think she’d be able to pace home that quick. She was awesome. That was one of the better last quarters I’ve seen any horse pace. That was an amazing mile. We’re thrilled for sure. Last week she had a little bit of a tooth problem and was kind of on one line. We didn’t know if Casie would have it fixed up this week, but Casie assured us that she had. She showed it tonight. All the credit goes to Casie. She did a great job with her, for sure.”

“I have a huge picture of her in my office,” Calhoun added. “I’ve already measured out room for another one, so I’ll be getting one for sure.”

The rest of the field finished as follows: Darlin's Delight, Armbro Dancer, Ideal Weather, My Little Dragon and Marine Hall. Vysoke Tatry had been scratched on August 30.

Mystical Sunshine wins Breeders Crown Trot
Mystical Sunshine picked up her second consecutive Breeders Crown with a stunning 1:54.2 victory in the $250,000 Open Mare Trot on Saturday night (September 1) at Mohawk.

              Driver Daniel Dube and co-owner Sidney
              Korn celebrate Mystical Sunshine's win.

Daniel Dube reined the 6-year-old bay daughter of Yankee Glide for trainer Chris Ryder and owners Alvin Jacobson Estate of New York and Sidney Korn of New Jersey.

“We got a very good trip and she closed remarkably well in the stretch,” Dube said. “I was able to come second over and had good cover. I didn’t want to use her too early. We were able to get free in the stretch and she was the best coming home.”

Mystical Sunshine followed the leading Birminghim and driver Jody Jamieson through quarters of :27.3, :56.3 and 1:25.3 before sprinting off to win by a half-length.

“It is just a tremendous thrill to win the Breeders Crown with her,” Ryder said. “I’ve won two of them and she has won both of them, and she will always have a place in our hearts. She’s a hard driving mare and has overcome a lot of problems. She probably will not be making too many more starts.”

Ryder noted that Mystical Sunshine will probably be for sale this fall.

“I think she is going to sell at Harrisburg this fall,” Ryder noted. “She’s been great for the owners. Mr. Korn has been great and although we lost Mr. Jacobson (who died earlier this year), it was great to win for some nice people.”

Mystical Sunshine now has earnings just shy of $2 million for her connections after being a $20,000 yearling purchase at the Kentucky Standardbred Sale where she sold as Seeking A Dream.

“It’s very emotional for me,” owner Sidney Korn noted. “It hurts to see her win this way and Alvin (owner Jacobson) wasn’t here to see it. He was the one who picked this horse out and he loved her. I hope that in some way he knows what happened. He’s certainly in here (pointing to heart).”

“I think we’ll put her in foal somewhere next year,” he added. “I think she’s had enough.”

She had won last year’s Mare Trot by a length over Three Little Words.

Equinox Bi Takes Breeders Crown Trot
Equinox Bi took advantage of a late break by the leading Corleone Kosmos to win the $726,000 Breeders Crown Open Trot Final in 1:52 at Mohawk for driver Trevor Ritchie, who nailed the catch-drive earlier in the evening.

“I got the call from Scott McKelvie at 5:55 tonight when I was home in Acton lying on the couch that I was going to drive the horse,” Ritchie said. “I got away third and made a move in the last turn and would have not caught Corleone Kosmos if John (Campbell) did not have trouble at the end and make that bobble.”

               Corleone Kosmos' break in stride led to
               Equinox Bi being placed first in the
                    Breeders Crown Open Trot.

The 6-year-old son of Valley Boss Bi is trained by Jan Nordin for owner Scuderia Gina Biasuzzi of Fort Pierce, Florida, and picked up his fourth win in nine tries this season. He was supplemented to the Breeders Crown for $75,000.

Equinox Bi became harness racing’s newest millionaire with the victory, just his second start in this country. He had previously been racing in Italy. It was Ritchie’s seventh Crown win.

“I watched this horse race at The Meadowlands and Mike Lachance said he was impressed with him,” Ritchie offered. “Jan Nordin called me and asked me to train him so I knew he was a good horse.”

Corleone Koxmos (John Campbell) got the early lead in the field of seven, taking his rivals through fractions of :27.3, :57.3 and 1:25.2. It looked like he had the Crown victory well in hand, with a hard-driving Equinox Bi fighting gamely on the outside, but in the final strides, he began galloping, with Equinox Bi lapped on at his saddle pad.

As a result, the 5-year-old son of S J’s Photo was set down to second, giving Equinox Bi the Breeders Crown victory. Vivid Photo, who sat last throughout the mile, was a very game third.

The winning time equaled the Mohawk track record for older trotters set by Mr Muscleman on September 3, 2005. The stake record time is 1:51.1 set by Varenne in 2001 at The Meadowlands.

          Owner Mauro Biasuzzi (left)
            celebrates Equinox Bi's win.

“Every Breeders Crown we’ve raced, we’ve won,” said owner Mauro Biasuzzi. “It’s a good record. We were lucky in the stretch, but the horse was good. He raced very good. The first turn, it was very good for Trevor to go inside. The horse was strong.”

Biasuzzi has now raced four horses in the Crown and won with all four: Nalda Hanover, Jean Bi and Personal Banner, the dam of Equinox Bi -- who beat Moni Maker in 1996.

“This horse has the potential to be as great as Varenne,” Biasuzzi continued. “He is even better on the front, you can’t pass him on the front but I never tell the driver how to drive. I have driven him myself, but I am an amateur driver and respect the horse, I have never hit him with a whip.

“He will stay here for the Maple Leaf Trot and then go to the World Cup final in Vincennes on September 30 (Equinox Bi and Corleone Kosmos have a win and a second in World Cup events, thereby tying at 75 points each. The top 14 point-getters are eligible for the World Cup).

“He will stand stud in Italy as he did when he was off a year ago. But Italians would rather breed to a mediocre American stallion than a good Italian-bred horse,” Biasuzzi said.

“This is my second win like this in two weeks. Muscovite won the Merrie Annabelle when Snow White, also driven by Campbell, went off stride. It’s not the preferred way but I will take it!!!”

Driver John Campbell was disappointed, but matter-of-fact about Corleone Kosmos’ performance.

“He just rolled off,” Campbell noted. “He did that some last year, but not so far this year, until now. It just happened at an in-opportune time.”

“I could see it was going to happen a 100 yards before,” trainer Darren McCall said. “He just lost his trot. The track is real hard and his feet were stinging him. It is a real bad way to lose any race, let alone the Breeders Crown.”

Rounding out the order of finish were Giant Diablo, Sand Vic, Muscles Marinara and Med Vac.

Freshman Scores World Record Mark in Metro
Somebeachsomewhere set a new world record for a freshman pacing colt by stopping the timer in 1:49.3 at Mohawk on Saturday night (September 1) with an impressive wire-to-wire performance in the C$1 million Metro Pace Final.

The 2-year-old son of Mach Three became harness racing’s fastest rookie pacer for driver Paul MacDonell, by rattling off fractions of :26.3, :54.2 and 1:21.4.

It was a happy winner's circle after Somebeachsomewhere set a world record in the Metro Final.

“I knew this colt was something special and he really let me know it here tonight,” MacDonell said. “It was quite an impressive performance and I can only see him getting better from here on out.”

Trained by Jean Louis Arsenault for the Schooner Stables of Truro, Nova Scotia, Somebeachsomewhere picked up his fourth consecutive victory in as many tries in his brief career. All of his races have taken place on Canadian ovals -- the first two at Grand River and his last two at Mohawk.

A $40,000 Lexington Selected Yearling purchase, Somebeachsomewhere bested rival Moon Beam (Brian Sears) easily, with Santanna Blue Chip (Jody Jamieson) nailing third and Deuce Seelster (John Campbell) picking up fourth. The rest of the ten-horse field finished as: Dali, Shadow Play, Weekend Gambler, Lonestar Legend, Its That Time and Alard Hanover.

New Track Record in "Lady"
A And Gsconfusion rolled to a new track record clocking of 1:51.2 in the C$782,200 She’s A Great Lady Final on Saturday night (September 1) at Mohawk Racetrack with David Miller at the lines.

The 2-year-old daughter of Allamerican Native battled hard with the leading Thong (Tim Tetrick) in late stretch, after earlier fractions of :27.2, :56 and 1:24.2, to pick up her second win of the year in four tries for trainer Mark Capone and owners A And G Stables of Bronx, N.Y.

“I left the gate and looked for a hole, and when I pulled my filly, she came with authority, and had a lot left in the tank afterward,” Miller noted. “I really didn’t think we were going that fast or had a chance of breaking the track record. That kind of surprised me.”

The previous track record for freshman pacing fillies was 1:51.4, co-held by Cabana Fever (Luc Ouellette, August 26, 2006) and Southwind Rio (Mark MacDonald, September 8, 2006).

Trainer Capone said the win came as no surprise to him.

“I told Dave we had the best horse and the worst post; it was up to him to figure out how to get there,” Capone noted. “He did a great job figuring it out. I had a ton of confidence. I wasn’t even nervous tonight. I was just worried about getting a trip. I felt I was overdue. I’ve never won a big final here, other than a Super Final, but never a Grand Circuit type win. I’ve won five or six eliminations, but never a final. I thought we won’t get beat this week. Dave did a really great job getting it done.”

“The filly has been good all along,” Capone said. “We raced the mother and the father; she’s a homebred, so it was a lot of fun. She’s just been maturing by leaps and bounds along the way. When I qualified her one day I decided to test her and she was really impressive. She’s been getting bigger and stronger every day. She’s been nothing but a good filly. I felt I had the best horse.”

Tim Tetrick, driving Thong, was happy with his filly’s performance.

“She raced really well in here and went a big mile,” Tetrick noted. “It sure didn’t look like they would go in 1:51.2 in here, that’s for sure. She just got beat by a better horse tonight.”

Longshot Red In The Face finished third for Jody Jamieson, with Beachy Girl fourth, followed by All Accounted For, U Make Me Laugh, Arts Diva, Timeless Artist, See And Be Seen and Beyonce Blue Chip.

C$392,400 Breeders Crown Mare Pace Mohawk Raceway
PP Horse                            Driver
10 Moving Pictures                  Mark MacDonald
3 Double Dream N                   Tim Tetrick
8 Free                                    David Miller
4 Invitro                                 Paul MacDonell
1 Darlin’s Delight                     Yannick Gingras
7 Armbro Dancer                     Ron Pierce
2 Ideal Weather                      Jody Jamieson
9 My Little Dragon                   Brian Sears
6 Marnie Hall                          Dan Dube
Scratched: 5 Vysoke Tatry Rick Zeron
26.3      55.2      1:23.3      1:51.2

C$270,000 Breeders Crown Mare Trot Mohawk Raceway
PP Horse                              Driver
2 Mystical Sunshine                Dan Dube
1 Passionate Glide                  Ron Pierce
3 Snazzy Millie                       Chris Christoforou
5 Lavec Dream                       Yannick Gingras
9 Hidden Viggorish                  Brian Sears
7 Susie’s Magic                       Dave Miller
8 Spare Time Rozie                 Rick Zeron
4 Pure Ivory                           Steve Condren
10 Freeze Frame                     Luc Ouellette
6 Birminghim                          Jody Jamieson
27.3      56.3      1:25.3      1:54.2

C$540,000 Breeders Crown Pace Mohawk Raceway
PP Horse                               Driver
8 Artistic Fella                          Tim Tetrick
3 Mister Big                             David Miller
5 Zooka                                 Mario Baillargeon
4 Lis Mara                                Brian Sears
2 Boulder Creek                      Daniel Dube
9 Western Shore                       Mark MacDonald
6 Mypanmar                             Ron Pierce
1 Took Hanover                        John Campbell
Scratched: 7 Total Truth   Yannick Gingras
26.1      54.3      1:22.2      1:49.2

C$784,000 Breedes Crown Trot Mohawk Raceway
PP Horse                               Driver
6 Equinox Bi                           Trevor Ritchie
5 Corleone Kosmos                John Campbell
7 Vivid Photo                          Roger Hammer
4 Giant Diablo                       Dave Miller
3 Sand Vic                             Brian Sears
1 Muscles Marinara                 Randy Waples
2 Med Vac                              Ron Pierce
27.3      57.3      1:25.2      1:52