Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Hawthorne's Night of Champions

August 5, 2005

Hawthorne presented its inaugural Night Of Champions on Friday, August 5, featuring eight divisions of Illinois-bred stakes for two and three-year-old pacers and trotters. Horses raced in three legs of each division of the series, culminating with the finals Friday night.

The $84,494 Customize Final
Sherrie’s Delight kept his unblemished 2005 record intact in the $84,494 Customize Final (3YO Trotting Colts & Geldings), winning on the front end for driver Tony Morgan in 1:56. The sophomore son of Keystone Kim trotted easily through panels of :28.4, :58.2 and 1:28, flying home in the stretch all alone, lowering his career best by four fifths of a second. The Vicster (Tim Tetrick) nailed down second, while Julio (Mike Oosting) was third.

"This is a really nice colt," Morgan quipped. "He’s going to have to step up a notch now because he’s basically proved he can beat any of the Illinois-breds. He was just super tonight. Last week he was hung on a line pretty good and was sucking air, but they did some work on him this week and tonight he was near perfect. He’s a very high-going colt, but when you’re sitting behind him he doesn’t act like he’s working at it at all. I think by this time next year he ought to be a very nice Open trotter."

Trained by Tom Harmer and owned by Michael Polansky of Loudonville, New York, Sherrie’s Delight added the $42,247 winner’s share of the purse to his career earnings of $67,012. It was his eighth consecutive victory in as many tries this year. The bay colt earned $14,637 as a freshman, taking a mark of 1:59 at Springfield with a 3-1-3 record in just eight tries.

"We’ve got him staked to everything here in Illinois," trainer Tom Harmer noted. "Springfield, DuQuoin and Super Night are next on his list as long as he stays healthy."

The $91,094 Vicster Final
Cunning captured the $91,094 Vicster Fina (2YO Trot Colts & Geldings) in 2:01 easily for driver Tim Tetrick. The son of Valley Victor is trained by Roger Welch for Philip and Robert Rietveld of Illinois. It was only the fifth lifetime start for the freshman son of Valley Victor, and pushed his career earnings to $66,517. Cunning finished one and a half lengths in front of the hard-trying Battleshoe Bridge (Tony Morgan), with Sorce Of Victory (Dean Magee) third, after a seemingly effortless wire-to-wire effort.

"Last week was the first time I drove him and he came off the pace and raced really well in the slop," Tetrick said. "Tonight he came an awful big last quarter—that’s an awful nice last quarter for a two-year-old trotter. He’s still pretty green but is on his way to becoming an awful nice trotter. Tonight I wasn’t worried about being on the front end with him. He can be a little touchy starting off but is ok once he gets settled."

The $80,244 Fox Valley Flan Final
Silhouette Star responded to a confident drive by Dale Hiteman to win the $80,244 Fox Valley Flan (3YO Trot Fillies) Final in 1:57.2. The sophomore daughter by Valley Victory is trained by Joel Smith for Patricia Jenks and Brianna Walton of Indiana. It was her third win of the year in 12 trips postward.

Hiteman had Silhouette Star out to challenge the leading His Mssse Ja (John Roberts) just past the :29.2 first quarter and was on top by the :59 half. From there the bay filly trotted easily through a three-quarter time of 1:29.3 before holding off a late charge by Victor’s Pursuit (Roger Welch) for second, while His Mssse Ja held on for third.

"This filly has been racing really solid here at Hawthorne the past few weeks," Hiteman said. "I was very comfortable pulling her when I did, considering the short field and the fact that she’s been so strong lately. I wasn’t surprised at all by her performance in here."

The $90,244 Silhouette Star Final
Go Go Gabby wasn’t just all talk as she romped through the inside to win the $90,244 Silhouette Star Final (2YO Trot Fillies) with driver Tim Tetrick in the sulky. The freshman daughter by Valley Victor snuck up the rail for Tetrick to score her second career victory in 2:02.1. Trained by Roger Welch, Go Go Gabby is owned by Welch, and Robert and Philip Rietveld of Illinois.

Go Go Gabby was making just her fifth career start for her connections and came into the stake with a trio of second-place finishes to her credit.

"She responded really well and I was a bit worried down the lane because she had so much trot, but I was lucky to get room in the late going and she just flew through the hole," Tetrick said.

Go Go Gabby now has $53,372 in lifetime earnings, and lowered her mark by two fifths of a second.

The $102,194 Enemy At The Gate Final
I Can Only Imagine took the lead at the :28.1 first quarter marker and never looked back en route to winning the $102,194 Enemy At The Gate Final (3YO Pace Colts & Geldings) in 1:51.4. With Tony Morgan at the lines the Tom Harmer-trained Cole Muffler sophomore nailed down his fifth win of the season in 15 tries for owner Michael Polansky of New York. Blue Apache had taken the early led, with I Can Only Imagine in the two-hole, but Morgan had the bay colt out and moving and took the lead just past the first quarter. From there I Can Only Imagine paced through a :56.1 and a 1:24.2 three-quarters before sweeping under the wire first. Perdition, who sat in the two-hole for most of the mile, got out in the late going but was unable to pass the leader for driver Andy Miller. Johns My Buddy (Mike Oosting) rallied late to be third.

"This is a very nice colt who’s really come into his own right now," Morgan said. "I chased my horse a little bit down the lane, but he really held Andy’s horse (Perdition) off on his own."

I Can Only Imagine did not race at two and pushed his lifetime bankroll to $78,196, tying his career best mark in the process. He came into this stake straight off a pair of strong victories at both Hawthorne and Balmoral.

The $100,244 Sleazebiscuit Final
You Make Me Smile certainly made her connections do just that with a rousing 1:53.4 victory in the $100,244 Sleazebiscuit Final for freshman pacing fillies. Trained by Roger Welch for Lynn Wilfong of Indiana, it was just the fourth start of the Cap Crusader’s career and her second win. It was also the third training victory of the night for Welch. Battling for second and getting it was 14-1 longshot Sherri On Ice (Pat Berry), while 16-1 longshot Spanish Rosey (Brent Holland) was third. The win pushed the brown filly’s career earnings to $54,372.

"I had been in a race with this filly before, but I had never sat behind her," Oosting said. "Roger (trainer Welch) told me before the race that she was very sharp and very fast and he was right. She gets a little hot, and will really make a much more manageable racehorse once she learns to relax. She’s still very green."

"I was very confident coming into this race," Welch noted. "She’s just very sharp right now and I thought she had the speed to beat these with the right trip."

Oosting had the filly sitting in the back of the pack, through fractions of :28.1, :56.1 and 1:25.3, before pulling three-wide. The filly responded with a tremendous kick that saw her draw away from the field by nearly five lengths.

The $91,944 Creative Lass Final
Longshot American Riches surprised everyone at 16-1 by winning the $91,944 Creative Lass Final for sophomore pacing fillies in 1:52.2. Trained and co-owned by Valerie Haines and Gary Fransen, the daughter of Richess Hanover scored her sixth win of the year in 19 tries, pushing her seasonal earnings to $70,681. Sam Widger was in the sulky for the first time behind the brown homebred. Fox Valley Leonna (Tony Morgan) came on well late to be second, while Major Shirley (Pat Berry) was third.

"I knew that she was a gritty mare and she likes her job," Widger said. "Coming down the stretch she just felt very strong and I really thought she had a great shot to win at that point."

The $100,244 Perdition Final
Hot N Sporty captured his fifth straight victory in the $100,244 Perdition Final for freshman pacing colts and geldings. With Tony Morgan at the lines, the freshman altered son of Sportsmaster cruised to a 1:52.4 clocking. Co-owned and trained by Jim Crebs and his wife Donna of Cantrall, Illinois, the undefeated gelding out of She’s Redhot pushed his career earnings to $64,372.

Dr Lon (Tim Tetrick) was a fast-finishing second, while My Boy David (Pat Berry) got up for third.

"This colt does everything very easy," Morgan said. "He’s a fantastic horse and he was as good straight out of the box as most horses hope to be. He’s a push-button horse and you don’t have to ask him to do anything—he just does it. He won’t work any harder than he has to, but he doesn’t have to."

-30-