Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

$700,000 Haughton set for Saturday, July 10 at the Big M
Updated July 6, 2004

Below is the field for Saturday night's $700,000 William R. Haughton Memorial for older male pacers at the Meadowlands, listed in post position order.

Horse  & 2004 Record                  Driver --Trainer                      Owner(s) or Lessees
Art's Chip (9-1-1-2 $19,840 1:52.2)        J. Campbell---J. Poliseno     H. & S. Josefczyk, Velocity Stdbds.

Four Starzzz Shark (8-7-1-0 $356,945 1:47.4) M. Lachance--D. Sabatelli  Four Starzzzz Stables Inc.

Life Source (19-5-5-3 $272,850 1:48.)     C. Manzi---R. Banca                                                     R. Banca

Royal Mattjesty (16-4-3-4 $284,379 1:48.4)  J. Campbell--M. Langdon Perretti Racing Stable, J. Rizzo

Peruvian Hanover (8-1-0-1 $32,422 1:50.2)      J. Morrill Jr.---N. Daley                A. Jacobson, S. Korn

Allamerican Captor (7-1-2-0 $25,269 1:52.)     B. Sears---V. Morgan Jr.             D. Rahal, A. Jacobson

Camcracker (18-3-2-2 $144,861 1:50.3)          G. Brennan---M. Harder                A. Friedman, B. Nixon

Luckyisasluckydoes (16-8-4-0 $398,432 1:49.1)    G. Brennan---M. Harder   C. & H. Siegel, J. Fodera

Mini Me (8-0-2-2 $51,150 Q1:54.)      D. Miller ---W. Popfinger                    R. & D. Samson, L. & R. Grider

Boulder Creek (17-3-6-4 $214,815 1:49.1)    R. Pierce ---M. Silva   C. Siegel, L. Wasserman, J. Fodera

Four Starzzz Shark will be the likely odds-on favorite for the eighth straight time in the $700,000 Haughtonat the Meadolwands. His sire Cams Card Shark was second and third in the 2001 final, with Royalflush Hanover and Riverboat King, and then won it with Four Starzzz Shark in 2002.

It has been 52 YEARS since a six-year-old pacer-Good Time-was named Horse Of The Year. But Four Starzzz Shark can put about his hooves on that Horse of the Year trophy with a convincing win in the Haughton. He has been nothing less than outstanding this year, and comes off a world record effort in his elimination! He draws favorably, Mike Lachance has already won this race five times, and this pot represents the biggest pot ever for the older set.

Four Starzzz Shark is 6 (5-1-0) with $250,000 in seasonal earnings at the Meadowlands this year. The last two seasons at the Big M combined he was 24 (4-6-1) with $675,000.

Mike Lachance is seeking his record sixth win in this race. If he wins, he goes to $1,467,000 in this event alone (6 wins for 14 tries), and is already the only driver to ever win this race back to back (1989-1990 Matts Scooter and T Ks Skipper). He'll do it again with a win as he piloted McArdle to victory in 2003.

This is the richest race (U.S) ever for older horse pacers. The 2001 Canadian Pacing Derby went for $850,000 (Canadian). This is the 28th edition of the Haughton--no horse has ever won it twice. Four Starzzz Shark could be the first.

Arts Chip definitely bears a strong look in this event. That was some step-up from his first to his second start at the Big M, and he has a little history working for him too. Eight of the last 12 winners of this race were four-year-olds, including the fastest ever-Jennas Beach Boy-1:47.3. Plus, his sire Artsplace set the world record in the elim for this final in 1992 with a 1:49.2 clocking.

Sixteen of the last 21 winners of the Haughton were millionaires, including the last nine in a row. It's been 15 years since the Haughton winner was named Horse of the Year, and Mike Lachance was there for that too: the horse was Matt's Scooter in 1989.

Eight of the last 12 winners of the Haughton were four-year-olds. This year, Boulder Creek, All American Captor and Arts Chip are all four-year-olds. This is the sixth year that the Haughton was renamed from the Driscoll, and the sixth straight year of $600,000 and up purse. There are 31 double millionaires, and two of them are female. Of the remaining 29, 15 raced past their three-year-old season. Every one of them raced in this event!!

One Million Dollar Meadowlands Pace Headed by Camelot Hall
Camelot Hall is the son of sire Blissful Hall, a career winner of $1,468,648. Bilssfull Hall raced in 1998 and 1999, won the Triple Crown as a sophomore, and this is his first crop. Camelot Hall has risen to the occasion. His first win was in the Metro at two and his first Meadowlands win was last week in 1:49 in the Jersey Cup. Four horses are now tied with Camelot Hall for that record: Real Desire, McArdle, Mach Three and Whatanartist.

Camelot Hall was the 2003 Woodrow Wilson runner-up. The only time a Wilson runner-up came back at three to win the Meadowlands Pace was a quarter century ago, when Sonsam won the events in 1978 and 1979.

The "Halls" have won the last four Two-Year-Old Colt Trotting awards, and five of the past seven awards. Amigo Hall also won the 2003 Hambletonian.

Owners Jerry Silva, Lou & Debbie Domiano all have interests in both Camelot Hall and Cantab Hall. Camelot Halls' dam, Cirque De Soleil, is a daughter of Laag--the 1987 Pace runner-up to Frugal Gourmet. Sire Blissful Hall was seventh in the 1999 Meadowlands Pace won by The Panderosa.

There are only two Metro winners who've come back at three to take the Meadowlands Pace, and those are Presidential Ball (1992-1993) and Mach Three (2001-2002).

If either George Brennan (Camelot Hall) or Brian Magie (Panspacificflight) win the Meadodwlands Pace this year, it'll end an eight year drought. This driver-trainer combo teamed up for their only Pace win with Hot Lead in 1996. George got one more check after that--missing a nose in 1998 with Fit For Life, but is 0-3 since.

Blissful Hall is trying to join some pretty fancy company in that he's trying to become just the second Triple Crown winner to sire a Meadowlands Pace winner. Niatross accomplished that feat through his son Nihilator, now can Blissful Hall do the same with son Camelot Hall?

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