Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Stanley Dancer Trot Elims

July 9, 2005

Classic Photo and Ron Pierce took control of the lead on the backside and trotted home to a two and three quarter length victory in 1:54.4 in a divison of the Stanley Dancer Trot eliminations Friday night at the Meadowlands. Ro Lo finished second and it was four and a quarter lengths back to Muscle Bound in third.

“He’s a very nice colt,” Piece said. “He’s just perfect, two fingers to drive. You just have to be a little careful that your feet don’t touch his hocks. We were going so slow to the half that when Ro Lo come, he just floated up to me, didn’t really take a run at me.”

“I thought it was a tough trip,” winning trainer Ervin Miller noted. “He got parked to the half but when Ron asked him to go, he had plenty left in the tank. I was happy with the mile, considering the track was sloppy tonight. We’re shooting for the Hambo. I’d like to go in as fresh and ready as we can.”

Classic Photo claimed his third straight victory and increased his lifetime earnings to $256,976 for owners Mystical Marker Farms of Chicago Height, Illinois, Jack and Peggy Hood of Valparaiso, Indiana and H.W. Wright of Versailles, Kentucky.

Trainer Don Swick sent out a pair of Hambletonian prospects, Self Professed and Racino to capture the other two $35,000 divisions of the Stanley Dancer Trot eliminations.
In the third race Racino capitalized on of a late break in the stretch by race favorite New York Yank to win by a length and a quarter in 1:56.4. Diesel Don finished second, and it was six and three-quarters of a length back to Sir Perseverance in third. New York Yank was disqualified and placed sixth. Racino, a three-year-old son by S J’s Photo, captured his third straight for owners Royal Wire Products Inc. of North Royalton, Ohio, which owns Self Professed as well.

“This horse was good tonight and was fortunate,” driver Brian Sears said. “Some of the other horses had some bad luck. I never drove him before but Don Swick said he was a nice horse and to just give him an easy trip and hope for the best and things worked out.”

“Today was one of those fluke races,” Swick commented. “I knew it was going to be close. But, this wasn’t much of a race with all the parked out horses. It really wasn’t a good race to measure him with. We are just happy to get what he got. He is a come-from-behind horse. He will always be at the mercy of the pace. If they come to the half quick he is going to have a chance and if they are slow he will not do so well.”

In the fifth race Self Professed rallied in the stretch to overtake Vino Camielle to win by a length and a half in a personal best of 1:54. It was a length a three-quarters back to Med Vac in third. Self Professed posted his second win in four starts this year and increased his lifetime earnings to $107,004.

“He went a good mile tonight,” driver Eric Ledford said. “The trip worked out after a hot quarter. He did most of the work tonight.”

Strong Yankee was the fastest fourth place finisher and will advance with the nine other entrants into the $350,000 Stanley Dancer Trot Final on July 15. In post position selections by the elim winners for next week, Self Professed chose post three, Classic Photo chose post four and Racino chose post two.

$35,000 Stanley Dancer Trot Elim
PP Horse     Driver
7 Classic Photo Pierce
8 Ro Lo Trond Smedshammer
6 Muscle Bound M Lachance
5 Gettindownanddirty J Gregory
3 Keaton Zet Jim Morrill Jr
4 Southwind Utica D Snyder
1 Victory Photo S Bouchard
:28.2 :57.4 1:26.3 1:54.4

$35,000 Stanley Dancer Trot Elim
PP Horse       Driver
8 Racino Brian Sears
6 Diesel Don J Campbell
2 Sir Perseverance Cat Manzi
7 Worship Eric Ledford
3 Celebrity Master Jim Morrill Jr.
4 New York Yank Ron Pierce
5 Mr Dream OM G Brennan
:28.2 :59.1 1:28.4 1:56.4

$35,000 Stanley Dancer Trot Elim
PP Horse      Driver
7 Self Professed Eric Ledford
6 Vino Camielle Moiseyev
4 Med Vac Jim Morrill Jr.
3 Strong Yankee Brian Sears
2 Muscle Memory Brian Sears
5 Great George Two Jon Roberts
1 Lucasey Jeff Gregory
:27.3 :56.4 1:25.4 1:54

Ken Warkentin Scratched
One of the pre-race favorites, Ken Warkentin, was scratched out of the second division.
“We didn’t want to take a chance on the track conditions,” trainer Jimmy Takter said. “We’re aiming for one race and one race only * the Hambletonian. He had a bit of a cough.”