Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Four Leaf Clover Winners at Big M Saturday
Jenna's Choice & Fates Place Take First Leg of Series

Saturday, March 11, 2006

Jenna's Choice took the first divison (Race Two) of the $25,000 first leg of the Four Leaf Clover Series Saturday night at The Meadowlands. Piloted by Brian Sears, Jenna's Choice scored in 1:50.1 and extended his winning streak to four for trainer Mark Silva. The four-year-old altered son of Jenna's Beach Boy was fresh off victories in both legs and the final of the Aquarius series at The Big M.

“I had concerns going into tonight,” said winning driver Brian Sears. “Hop Sing is an iron horse right now. But he just got shipped back and forth from Pompano, which is a lot before a start. I’m just happy my horse raced well.” For Jenna’s Choice, who missed nine months with a pastern fracture, the return to racing in February has been impressive but this was the four-year-old’s first test against older horses.

“I think he raced good,” said trainer Mark Silva, who co-owns the son of Jenna’s Beach Boy with Cliff Pattick of Montvale, New Jersey, and Dan Borgo of Randolph, New Jersey. “He’s starting to impress me. Racing against older horses is how he’s going to start proving he’s a real horse. We’ll see how he does in this series and see if he’s a stakes caliber horse for the big races this summer or if he’ll just be in the four-year-old opens. This is the test.”

In the second division (Race Three) Fates Place hung on gamely in the late going to score in 1:51 for driver David Miller. Trained by Ross Crogan, the five-year-old Artsplace gelding had been racing in high-conditioned events prior to the Four Leaf leg. Illinois trainer Ken Rucker's Silver Flash got up for second, while trainer Erv Miller's Pokagon nailed third.

“We were first up,” said Miller. “He basically grinded his way into the race. He is a tough horse. He is a little lazy, but this is a racehorse and he knows what he is out there to do.” Fate’s Place races for the partnership of Let It Ride Stables of Delray Beach, Florida; Robert Cooper of Boca Raton, Florida and Smart Money Stables LLC of Dix Hills, New York. He now has 11 wins, 11 seconds and nine thirds from 49 starts, banking $210,905.

“Everything went the way we hoped it would go,” said Juan Fonseca, assistant to trainer Ross Croghan. “We had a nice trip. He’s better from off the pace, but he can race either way. He’s a very lazy horse, one of the laziest I’ve worked with. It takes a little bit to get him going, but he’s a really good horse. Where we were [in the race], we were in a good spot. The only question was whether we’d get out when we did. Going first over doesn’t bother him.”

The top 10 money earners will advance to the $137,120 final on March 25.

$25,000 Four Leaf Clover The Meadowlands
Saturday, March 11, 2006
PP Horse Driver
5 Jenna's Choice Brian Sears
6 Pacific Renegade Y Gingras
4 Hop Sing Ron Pierce
3 Sand Sax George Brennan
7 Armbro Becalm Eric Ledford
2 Shu Hanover David Miller
27.2 54.2 1:22.3 1:50.1

$25,000 Four Leaf Clover The Meadowlands
Saturday, March 11, 2006
PP Horse Driver
1 Fates Place David Miller
7 Silver Flash Cat Manzi
4 Pokagon Andy Miller
2 Florida Boy Brian Sears
6 Roddy Bags Again M Lachance
5 American Fury Ron Pierce
3 Blissed Out S Smith
:27 :54.1 1:23.1 1:51