Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Harness Happenings for July 2, 2004
July 2, 2004

Mike Lachance (FOUR STARZZZ SHARK) In The Haughton-Thru The Years
1989-FIRST with Matts Scooter-then record 1:50.1
1990-T Ks Skipper FIRST-giving Mike a win in this final (Then the Driscoll) in his first two drives. Matts Scooter paid $2.60 and T Ks Sjipper $3.20.
1991-NOT in the final-twice finished second in the prelims with Odds Against, who was driven by Chicgao's Dave Magee in the final.
1992-SECOND with Odds Against to his entrymate Artsplace. (20 cents to the dollar)
1993-The first NON-favorite driven by Mike is also the ONLY female-Shady Daisy-6th. She is the last mare to appear in this stake.
1994-NOT IN IT
1995-Make A Deal. 4th as the 9-5 favorite. Of the 12 horses that Mike would drive in the Haughton final, this is the ONLY non-millionaire lifetime!!
1996-Ball And Chain-4th in the sports fastest ever mile-1:47.3 (Jennas Beach Boy)-Ball And Chain was timed in 1:48.2. It should be noted that the original owner of Ball And Chain was Dan Plesac-he with the 18 year Major League career.
1997-Armbro Operative FIRST 1:50 flat.
1998-Western Dreamer-He's the only one of FIVE Triple Crown winners to race at the Meadowlands who made it to the Haughton final. Finished 6th at even $, after winning his elim in 1:49.2.
1999-Bad Bert-3rd at 6-1. Note that Western Ideal was 4th at 71-1.
2000-Western Ideal-FIRST 1:48.3 by a head over Dragon Again. The top 5 were all timed in under 1:49. Fly Like An Eagle-unbelievably-was in with these. Of the top five finishers, Western Ideal had the LOWEST career bankroll-$1.4 million.
2001-Big Tom 12-1 8th $618,000 pot. Nine of the ten finalists were career millionaires, only Space Shuttle was not-and he was the FASTEST of the bunch by careers end at 1:47.4.
2002-Armbro Positive 24-1 6th.
2003-McArdle $650,000 Post 10-Mike Lachance still won, going first over to the 3/4s against-ready?-Four Starzzz Shark-who he drives this year as the prohibitive fave.
Composite: (MIKE in his Haughton career): 12 drives, 5 wins, $1,117,000
Make A Deal ONLY non-millionaire lifetime.

Mantacular-Guess Where?
I'll give you three guesses where Mantacular is this weekend. Give up? Racing-No. Qualifying-No. Idle-No. He's training behind the gate at Vernon Downs after the third race Saturday night.

Trainer Larry Rathbone, "I was going to qualify him Friday at Vernon, but they asked me to go behind the gate and train him in front of the crowd. So I said yes-that might even be better for him. I wanted to work him at Vernon-even if they had a 3 Year Old Open at the Meadowlands, I wouldn't have raced in it. Vernon is my home track, and I want to do this for the management and the people."

Mantacular-the 2004 North America Cup winner-has a full slate of action AFTER the Meadowlands Pace.

"He's in the Holmes after the Pace, then the Adios, he's NOT in the Jug but is in the Jug Preview, the Breeders Crown and the Matron," Larry added. "He's doing fine right now, and I hope he keeps improving. He's raced well and always seems to finish well in his races."

BIG Improvement
It has not happened in 23 years. But it could this year. The last time a driver led North America in earnings for the year-without EVER having been in the top 10 in $$ before, was in 1981, when Bill O'Donnell did it. Billy was 14th in 1980 ($1,754,397) then led the pack in 1981 at $4,156,608. Brian Sears was 11th last year at just over $5 million, now is leading the way in 2004.

Who can it be now?
He raced against Niatross in the 1980 Meadowlands Pace-the FIRST million dollar race, and later BEAT Cam Fella in 1983. Who was this horse??
Midas Almhaurst-10th in the 1980 Pace, defeated Cam Fella in March 1983 at the Big M.

Mike Lachance-4 fastest drives ever:
1:48 Color Me Best 7/3/99
1:48 Western Ideal 7/29/00 FASTEST ever Breeders Crown event
1:48 8/5/00 SECOND to Space Shuttle in U. S. Pacing Championship
1:48.1 Four Starzzz Shark 5/15/04 Graduate final

Odd But True:
Western Ideal won the 2000 Haughton final but was the LEAST winningest horse career of the top five finishers:
1) Western Ideal $1,455,422
2) Dragon Again $2,343,428
3) Big Tom $1,539,630
4) Day In A Life $1,797,525
5) Noble Ability $1,748,890

Ladyship-The Finest Moment
It was this very race, the Ladyship-on June 27, 1998, that harness racing history was made at the Meadowlands. Armbro Romance, trained by Brett Pelling and driven by John Campbell, won in 1:49.4, the first female horse to ever better the 1:50 mark in a race. The horse she beat-Galleria (BOTH daughters of Artsplace), would later become the first female to ever pace in 1:49 flat, doing so the following year at age 4 on Hambo Day.

Streakers:
With Rainbow Blue going for her 13th straight in tonight's Ladyship at the Meadowlands, here's a look at some Major streakers through the years.
35-Bret Hanover (1964-65)
28-Cam Fella (1983-his FINAL 28 starts)
24-Handle With Care (1973-74 to begin her career)
23-Sanabelle Island (1996-1997-ended in 1997 Mistletoe Shalee)
19-Niatross (he had three streaks: 18, 19 and one two race losing skein)
18-Jate Lobell (to begin his career 1986-1987-ended May 22-1987 by Run The Table)
17-Peace Corps (Entering 1989 Hambo-but lost TWICE that day)
16-Ellamony-Meadowlands record. Set in three DIFFERENT years-1993-1995-1996

Meadowlands Pace-2004-By The Numbers
1-ONLY one trainer has won the Pace in his first two cracks at it-Harry Poulton in 1984 & 1988 with On The Road Again and Matts Scooter. Brian Magie will try to duplicate that feat this year with Panspacificflight (Hot Lead-1996)
2-Two for Two-that is the lifetime Meadowlands record for All American Theory as he returns to the Meadowlands in the Haughton this year.
3-Only one trainer has hit the board in the Meadowlands Pace in three different decades-Blair Burgess.
4-Years since the last horse won BOTH the NA Cup and the Pace-Gallo Blue Chip-Mantacular tries to duplicate tht this year.
7-Pace winners for John Campbell-Metropolitan looks to make it 8.
8-Pace eligibles on the card Saturday night
9-Years since Jennas Beach Boy was injured in early summer and missed the 1995 Meadowlands Pace, but still returned later in the year to be named 3 YO Pacer of the year.
11-Years since the 2 Year Old Champ returned at 3 to win the Pace-It won't happen again this year with I Am A Fool out. Presidential Ball was the last to do this.
14-days till the Pace final, the 28th Pace contested at the Meadowlands
15-Years since the Meadowlands Pace winner also won the Haughton-Matts Scooter-the ONLY one who has done so. Dream Away, Real Desire and Gallo Blue Chip all hit the board but did not get the big pot.

SEAR-ing Season
Driver Brian Sears is having a bust-out year. If he continues to lead, it would be the 26th STRAIGHT year that a Meadowlands regular driver led the nation in money at years end.
Currently, he is the only driver to win BOTH daily doubles on the same card, and he is on the cusp of a 200 win Meadowlands season. When he hits 200 here for the year, he'll be the 9th driver to accomplish it at the Big M, but the FIRST to do it in his second year driving at the Meadowlands. It will be the 47th time it has been reached.

It's not like the fans haven't been backing him in the big, million dollar events. He has handled Whatanartist, Muscle King and Georgia Pacific in the 2003 Meadowlands Pace, 2003 Hambo and 2004 NA Cup. All three were either the favorite or part of the favored entry. But the best he could manage in those events was just one check-5th with 1.25-1 fave Georgia Pacific this year in the North America Cup.

Tom Ridge Versus Cantab Hall
Tom Ridge:
The Peter Haughton winner, 6/8 at 2.
Trainer Jimmy Takter is the only trainer to win the Peter Haughton and come back at three and hit the board in the Hambo-1998-99 Enjoy Lavec.
Jimmy has had ONE Freshman trotter of the year-1996 Malabar Man.

Cantab Hall
191-3 in the balloting for freshman honors.
The ONLY 2 Year Old in the 35-year history of the ballting to be voted TROTTER of the year-114-62 over Mr Muscleman.
The ONLY 2YO trotter of the year EVER for Gurfein and the 4th straight 'HALL" to be voted Freshmna champ.

Ron Pierce-One More To Go to 5,000 Career Victories
(As of July 2, 2004 @ 6 p.m. CST)
Ages of other drivers when they hit #5,000 career:
Campbell-1991-36
Lachance-1989-38
Manzi-1991-42
Miller-1998-34
Moiseyev-1993-33
Luc Ouellette-1998 33

Ron 's one year high in wins is 368 (1992)
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