Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Harness Happenings for June 11 & 12, 2004
by Kimberly A. Rinker

Illinois-bred Filly wins at the Big M in 1:49.4
Loyal Opposition [$9.40, $3.40, $3.00], won the $40,000 Filly & Mare open on Friday (June 11) night at the Meadowlands in a lifetime best of 1:49.4 for driver John Campbell. This Dan Patch Award winning pacing filly (at age two), bested the pacesetting Burning Point [$2.60, $2.20] in the final strides and won by a nose.

“I wanted to get out and follow Burning Point,” Campbell said. “I had a quick first quarter, we kind of got through and she responded up the rail for the win.”

Trained by Ervin Miller, Loyal Opposition posted her fourth win in her sixth start and increased her lifetime earnings to $1,427,342 for owner Daniel Waxman of Ancaster, Ontario.

Loyal Opposition will join Eternal Camnation, Carolina Sunshine, Bunny Lake, Sure Sign, Maybe A Rita, Always Cam, Animated Art and Burning Point on June 18 at the Big M to compete in the
$238,600 Lady Liberty Final.

Maywood Pace Elims Tonight
Two $10,000 eliminations of the Maywood Pace were contested this (June 11) evening at Maywood Park. Slated as the third and ninth races on the 12-race card, the events for three-year-old ICF colt and gelding pacers will see four rivals from each dash return for next week's $102,000 Maywood Pace Final, on Friday, June 18.

Live Out Loud Takes First Division
Winning the first elimination (Race Three) was Live out Loud, who started from post six for driver Dale Hiteman and trainer Dave McCaffrey. This three-year-old Art's Conquest gelding came into this event fresh off a sparkling qualifier in 1:53.4, which he won by nearly 17 lengths at Maywood Park on June 2. Owned by M&M Harness Racing LLC and McCaffrey, Live Out Loud has earned $28,755 in just four starts this season, and has won eight of 16 starts lifetime, with $115,105 in career earnings.

Live Out Loud paced to a winning time of 1:54.4 for Hiteman, scoring his third win of the year in five tries. Rival He Does It All (Eric Ledford) was second, while Coldheartedrevenge (Pat Berry) got up for third and Gar (Brent Holland) was fourth.

Enemy At The Gate Scores in 1:52.3
The second division (Race Nine) saw Enemy At The Gate score in 1:52.3 for driver Dave Magee and trainer Tom Simmons. Owned by B. Lowe, Hunt Harness Horses Inc., W. Beck and R. Desyllas of Colorado and Illinois, the son of Cole Muffler recorded a mark of 1:50.1 in his last start at Balmoral Park on June 5. He's amassed $102,272 lifetime, $46,312 of which has come this season, and now has five wins and a second in six trips postward.

Magee allowed Enemy At The Gate to settle into stride before pulling first over just past the half-mile marker to make his bid against the leading ML's Boy (Tony Morgan). The two rivals raced head to head from the three-quarters to finish, with Enemy At The Gate prevailing by a length and three-quarters of ML's Boy, who broke just before the wire.

Hot Bet (Pat Berry) got up for show honors, while Sparky's Fire finished fourth, three and a quarter lengths behind the winner. Enemy At The Gate is trained by Tom Harmer for owner Michael Polansky of Loudonville, New York, and this Sportsmaster gelding now has earnings of $39,800 lifetime and took a record of 1:52.3 at DuQuoin last summer.

Longtime Chicago Driver Passes Away
Longtime Chicago reinsman Dan Knox passed away on June 10, 2004. He was 45. A third generation horseman, Knox, known to most as "DK," was born and raised in Logansport, Indiana. His father Bob was a long-time starter on the Chicago circuit. Dan began driving in 1977 and piloted 2,283 winners to over $15 million in career earnings.

His best years came during the early to mid-1990s, and in 1992 he scored his best year in terms of wins (228) and the following season (1992) won $1.6 million in purses, his best in that regard.

Dan's brown and gold colors were a familiar sight on the Windy City circuit and he was an affable addition to the driver's colony. A resident of Northlake, Illinois, he is survived by his wife Denise and a young son and young daughter.

Customize Vies in Goodtimes Stakes Elimination
Trainer Dirk Simpson has three-year-old Illinois-bred Customize in Saturday's (June 12) $30,000 Goodtime Stake elimination at Woodbine Raceway in Canada. Owned by Bert Cavanaugh of Media, PA, this son of Wilson Wyoming will start from post four and have Hall of Famer John Campbell in the sulky. Customize comes into the test fresh off a 1:57.3 five-length win in the $50,000 Cardinal Stake at Balmoral.

Customize will face six rivals, including standout Eilean Donon from post five, Exelon LB from the six-hole, and Southwind Elian from the three-slot. Other contenders are Mr Battin from the rail, Castle of Fortune from the two-hole and El Cassanova from the seven-slot.

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