Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Final Four Results at The Meadowlands
December 4, 2004

     Diesel Don posted his fourth straight victory, taking the fifth race, the $228,600 Valley Victory Final, one of the Fall Final Four stakes for two-year-olds on Saturday night at the Meadowlands. Driver John Campbell picked up his fifth Valley Victory trophy with the Chuck Sylvester-trained son of Muscles Yankee. Diesel Don trotted the mile in a lifetime best of 1:57 flat, improving his record to five wins and two thirds in eight starts, earning $202,992 for the partnership of Sylvester, Neal Goldman of Washington Township, New Jersey and Campbell's Having Fun Stable of River Vale, New Jersey, which paid $12,000 for him at the Harrisburg
Yearling Sale.
Diesel Don won by two and three-quarter lengths over Classic Photo. It was three lengths to Magic Swan in third.
"I think he'd race better off cover, but he relaxes and goes from there," Campbell said of his outside trip. "We hoped to go to the Breeders Crown [with him], but he got sick on us in Lexington."
"We waited all year on this colt, and he sure showed up tonight," said Sylvester. "He got sick and we got delayed two or three weeks."
Sylvester sent out 2001 Valley Victory winner Chip Chip Hooray who came back the next year to win the Hambletonian. Favorite Strong Yankee finished fifth.
"I don't know what happened," said Trond Smedshammer, trainer-driver of Strong Yankee. "He felt comfortable the whole way. But when John's horse came at us, he didn't have anything. It's his last start of the season. He'll be back in mid to late June."

     In the $211,800 Goldsmith Maid for trotting fillies, carded as the seventh race, 45-1 Aeronautess knifedthrough traffic and got up for a head victory over Solveig in 1:59 flat. Flawless Bluestone was third by a neck.
"I am thrilled to bits," said Jacqueline Ingrassia, the driverof the daughter of Striking Sahbra. "I always thought this filly hadlots of talent. I had to drag Peter and Ebby [brothers Peter and EbbyGerry, who race as the Arden Homestead Stable] screaming and kicking into this race. I had the greatest of fortune to be offered the opportunity to train some of their amateur races horses about eight years ago. They are princes among men. If all owners were like these guys, we'd have no trouble. I put the new bike on her tonight. I thought it might pick her up enough to get a check. I knew I had horse; I just needed to get out. She's done for the year."
Ingrassia, whose husband, Frank, trains the filly, can claim the richest race won by a woman driver at the Meadowlands with her Goldsmith Maid triumph. She co-owns Aeronautess with the Gerrys. A $47,000 Tattersalls Sale purchase, the trotting filly now has two wins and one
third in eight starts and earnings of $110,900.

      Syncro's Z Tam held off Voracious Hanover and Dawn Ofa New Day [$2.20] to win the third race, the$237,400 Governor's Cup for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings in 1:53.1. It was a two and three-quarter-length tally for the son of Blissfull Hall who is driven, trained and co-owned by Patrick Lachance. Syncro's Z Tam, a $65,000 yearling purchase, posted his third win in 10 starts and pushed his earnings to $217,208 for Lachance and Suffern, New York businessman Bill Matz who races as the MJGB Racing Stables Inc.
"This is a thrill," said the 29-year-old Lachance, son of Hall of Famer Mike Lachance. "It's special since I broke him and brought him along. I've been with him since day one. This is great. It has been a lot of fun, especially to be in the winner's circle with stakes horses."
Lachance and Matz teamed for their biggest win with Casimir Camotion on September 4 at Woodbine in the $708,400 Canadian Pacing Derby. Voracious Hanover edged out the 4-5 favorite, Dawn Ofa New Day for second.
"He had a good trip and the fractions were good," said Jim Morrill Jr., the driver of Voracious Hanover. "He was game to the wire. He ended up on the right line finishing hard. It almost cost him second. But he was able to hold on to second."
"My colt just wasn't himself tonight," Ron Pierce said of Dawn Ofa New Day. "We got a beautiful trip. Down the backstretch I was licking my chops. But on the last turn, he started to let go of me. I was getting concerned. He was just empty in the lane."

Restive Hanover, the Breeders Crown winner, added to her credentials as the possible Two-Year-Old Filly Pacer of the Year with a neck victory in the second race, the $200,000 Three Diamonds.
"I moved her half way up the backside; Pierce [Ron Pierce with Just Wait Kate] came out of the pocket and carried me into the turn," said Andy Miller, the driver of Restive Hanover. "It was just a matter of getting by him in the lane. I think she should get it [divisional
title]."
Restive Hanover paced the mile in 1:52.4 and posted her ninth win with three seconds from 14 starts and pushed her earnings to $590,607 for the Kentucky-based ownership of Brent Tartar's Starmaker Farm and Anthony McEldowney. The daughter of The Panderosa is trained
by Erv Miller. Crystal Slipper was third by five and a quarter lengths. There
was no show wagering.
"She raced super," Pierce said. "She had mucous early in theweek. So I don't think she was a 100 percent. But she sure raced giant. The other filly sat on her back and just went by her. She's a very special filly. Just because she lost, I won't hold it against her. I'm looking forward to her coming back next year. She's got a big engine in her and she can go real fast."
In the first race, the $51,300 Charles Singer Memorial Trot Final, Ecstatic coasted to a two and a quarter length victory over Lhasa Muscles in a stakes record equaling 1:56.3. It was three lengths back to Rippedin third.
"It was as easy as it gets," said winning driver David Miller. "She was great tonight. She had a week off, and they got her good and ready. I planned on getting her toward the front and see what happens but there was no movement in the race, so I was able to retake the lead. With an easy middle half, it went pretty smooth."
The three-year-old daughter of Self Possessed now has five wins in 14 starts for the Joie De Vie Farm LLC of Jobstown, New Jersey and Jayne Cummins of Lexington, New Jersey.
"When she got on the front at the half, I thought it was over," said Paul Buer, the trainer of Ecstatic. "She got nice cheap fractions, and she's been so good. She missed time in the summer when we were preparing for the sire stakes, and she had throat operations. She
hasn't raced as much as I'd like so she'll race into January. She'll have one or two overnights here and then a stakes for four-year-old mares in Canada in January. Then she'll get a break."

Results of The Fall Final Four at the Meadowlands
Saturday night, December 4
Race 2-$200,000 THREE DIAMONDS--Two-Year-Old Filly Pacers
Hd#/PP/Horse                 Driver             Trainer
4-4     Restive Hanover       Andy Miller         Ervin Miller
3-2     Just Wait Kate         Ron Pierce         Travis Alexander
5-5     Sugar Glider            David Miller        George Berkner
2-1     Crystal Slipper         Cat Manzi          William Popfinger
1A-5   Odds On Laina*      David Miller       Robin Schadt
*Denotes an Odds On Racing pacer
Times: :27.1 :55.3 1:24.3 1:52.4

Race 3-$237,400 GOVERNOR'S CUP--Two-Year-Old Colt Pacers
PP/Horse                       Driver                  Trainer
4 Syncro's Z Tam           Pat Lachance           Pat Lachance
6 Voracious Hanover       Jim Morrill Jr.          Ben Stafford
5 Dawn Ofa New Day      Ron Pierce              Chris Ryder
1   Philosopher King         George Brennan      Jerry Silverman
3 Speed Demon             Ron Pierce              Brett Pelling
2 Hurrikane Hogan         Daniel Dube            John McDermott
Times:  :28   :55.4    1:23.4    1:53.1

Race 5-$228,600 VALLEY VICTORY--Two-Year-Old Colt Trotters
Hd#/PP/Horse                Driver                  Trainer
3-2   Diesel Don               John Campbell       Chuck Sylvester
6-7   Classic Photo            Andy Miller            Ervin Miller
4-5    Magic Swan             Cat Manzi               Jeffrey Long
1-3    Musclesextrodinair     Brian Sears           Brett Pelling
2-1    Strong Yankee          T Smedshammer   Trond Smedshammer
1A-4 Penn Stix                  Ron Pierce             Brett Pelling
5-6    Manopoly                 David Miller           Jimmy Takter
8-9   Travelin Lite             George Brennan    Duane Marfisi
7-8    Mr Dream OM           Jim Doherty           Jim Doherty
9-10 Slovenia                  George Brennan      Arlid Eggen
Times: :28      :57.1      1:27.3    1:57

Race 7-$211,800 GOLDSMITH MAID--Two-Year-Old Filly Trotters
Hd#/PP/Horse              Driver                    Trainer
5-6   Aeronautess           Jacqueline Ingrassia Frank Ingrassia
1A-5 Solveig                  David Miller            Jimmy Takter
4-4   Flawless Bluestone Brian Sears             Joe Holloway
1-2   Nana's Best           Ron Pierce             Jimmy Takter
8-9    Motivational           George Brennan       Kathleen LaMontagne
9-10 Ladymatic             Cat Manzi                Larry Rathbone
2-1   Lightfoot                John Campbell         Paul Buer
3-3    Color Coded           Brian Sears             Ross Croghan
6-7   Sole Mate              Jim Doherty             Tom Gonsalves
7-8   Fidanzata              Andy Miller,              Chuck Sylvester
Times: :28.4     :58.1      1:28.2   1:59