Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Go Warrior Go Takes Egyptian Stake
$35,000 Series Leg at Maywood

July 21, 2006

Defending Maywood Park Pacing Series champion Go Warrior Go evened-up this year’s contest with a game victory in Friday night’s $35,000 Egyptian stake for state-breds. Dave Magee masterfully handled the winner to his three-quarter length victory with a 1:52.1 clocking. Last month’s opening leg Cook County stake winner Live Out Loud (Ryan Anderson) put in a valiant effort but this time had to settle for second best behind the Darcy Pletcher trainer victor who won for the sixth time in 16 season starts for Par II of Howe, ID.

Sent off as the 2-1 second choice behind the formidable four-horse 2-5 Dave McCaffrey trained entry headed by Live Out Loud, Go Warrior Go was hustled out from the pole position by Magee and a anticipated early sizzling pace did materialize. No Hassle (Brent Holland, p.p.2) was all out to get command and then kept it from the parked-out Apache Hotspur (Sam Widger, p.p.8) to a very rapid :26.2 first panel.

Magee took Go Warrior Go out of the pocket and after No Hassle, who sped to a quick :54.3 half. The winner powered past the early pacesetter in the third turn much to the delight of winning trainer Darcy Pletcher.

“I thought the rail was dead tonight, so I was very happy when Dave (driver Magee) pulled my horse first over and went right to the top,” said Pletcher.

Ryan Anderson had Live Out Loud on the move right behind Go Warrior Go and pulled along the new leader at the 1:23 three quarter mile pole. They raced side-by-side through the last turn however Go Warrior Go put his rival away in deep stretch to avenge the Cook County defeat when Go Warrior Go had to settle for the runner-up role.

“I’ve had Go Warrior Go since his second lifetime start,” said Pletcher. “I claimed him out of a non-winners of one to be claimed. I had him two starts and Dave McCaffrey claimed him from me and then I claimed him back and he’s turned out to be a great horse for us. It’s interesting now that McCaffrey has Live Out Loud, his top rival.”

“My horse can be very moody,” added Pletcher. “Sometimes he’s all friendly and very glad to see you in the barn in the morning and other times he wants nothing to do with you. On the track however, he’s all business and he really enjoys his work. He loves to train and he loves to race. He’s really just the perfect race horse.

“The last two weeks were really just prep races for him,” continued Pletcher. “He paced in 1:51 in both of those starts and really I wanted those to be tighteners for him. If we were racing him on the big track every start he beat all these horses, but he’s good on the half too, I just think it takes a little more out of him.”

The Associates, the third leg of the pacing series will be raced on November 3. Go Warrior Go and Live Out Loud will each have 75 series points earned going into that showdown. A $20,000 bonus is awarded to the horse with the most series points accumulated in the series.

$35,000 Egyptian Stake at Maywood Park: Race Nine      Friday, July 21, 2006
PP Horse                     Driver
1 Go Warrior                Go Dave Magee
1b Live Out Loud           Ryan Anderson
4 Incredible Art             Mike Oosting
6 Apache Hotspur          Sam Widger
3 The Long Goodbye      Randy Jacobs
5 Constant Change        Dale Hiteman
1x Ithinki'msomebody   J Dillander
7 Cheyenne Bodie         Todd Warren
1 Suffern's Z Tam         Tim Tetrick
1a No Hassle                Brent Holland
:26.2      :54.3      1:23      1:52.1