Golden Receiver wins Van Rose Memorial Pace at Pocono
Wilkes-Barre, PA --- Golden Receiver returned to his former haunts to pick up a big victory in the $50,000 Van Rose Memorial Pace on Saturday night at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs.
Golden Receiver (Village Jove-Royal Gold), who used to campaign at Pocono before becoming one of the nation’s pre-eminent pacers, left from post position two in a field of six as the heavy 1-5 favorite.
He sat third early as Sparky Mark cut out the opening quarter, but driver George Napolitano, Jr. set him in motion on the front stretch to take the lead before the clubhouse turn. From there, Golden Receiver held the rest of the field at bay, winning by 1-3/4 lengths in 1:50. Sparky Mark finished second while Fred And Ginger picked up the show.
The win gives Golden Receiver, an 8-year-old gelding owned by Nina Simmonds and Our Horse Cents Stable and trained by Mark Harder, seven victories in eight races this season, as he bounced back after a month layoff following his only loss of 2013. He now has 56 career wins and lifetime earnings of $1,763,908.
The Van Rose Memorial is held each year at Pocono in honor of Van Rose, a longtime sportswriter and friend of harness racing in Northeastern Pennsylvania who passed away in 2011.
-- Jim Beviglia
Yonkers Raceway
Longshot Pan From Nantucket (Eric Goodell) slipped up the cones Saturday night, winning Yonkers Raceway's $46,000 Open Handicap Pace. Assigned two, Pan From Nantucket was away in good order, setting up shop behind Code Word (Jason Bartlett) after a :27.1 opening quarter-mile. Meanwhile, 9-5 favorite Something For Doc (Brian Sears) took a lot of air before finally making the lead after a :55.l half. Something For Doc was given no respite, as Sagamore Hill winner Pancetta (Mark MacDonald) took his shot moving from fifth. He could not clear at the 1:23.3 three-quarters, with Code Word slipping out three-wide. An unused Annieswesterncard (George Brennan) was gearing up widest of all, with Something For Doc taking a 1-1/2 length lead into the lane. However. Something For Doc’s trip proved too difficult. Annieswesterncard closed down the middle of the track, but short way -- in this case -- as Pan From Nantucket was the better way. The latter prevailed by a neck in 1:52.4, with Flem N Em N (Larry Stalbaum) closing for third. Code Word and Mr Hassani (Brent Holland) grabbed the remainder, with Mr Hassani recovering from a break behind the gate. Something For Doc tired to seventh. Pan From Nantucket, a 5-year-old No Pan Intended gelding owned by Blindswitch Racing Stable and trained by Jose Godinez, returned $70 (seventh choice) for his third win in 11 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $280, with the triple returning $3,225.
Saratoga Casino and Raceway
There has been no dominant force in the Open Pace this year at Saratoga Casino and Raceway and on Saturday night Bet On Roulette (Bettor's Delight) added his name to the growing list of feature winners. The 7-year-old Paul Kelley trainee finished second in his last start in the $20,000 Open two weeks ago. This week, driver Brian Cross fired the gelding out to the early lead and wound up withstanding an opening half of :56.2 en route to the pacer’s first win of the season. The Open score that came in 1:53 was highlighted by a final quarter in :27.4. Clooney Drummond (Bruce Aldrich, Jr.) finished second in his first start in the Open while Tireman (Shawn Gray) earned the show spot. Bet On Roulette returned $8.30 to win.
Buffalo Raceway
Goodnite Goodluck, a 7-year-old bay stallion by Bettor's Delight, won the $11,000 Open Pace in a season’s best 1:54.2 for owner Mark Jakubik at Buffalo Raceway Saturday night. It was the fourth win this year for Goodnite Goodluck, who now has 26 lifetime wins in 137 attempts. Goodnite Goodluck ($5.10), the favorite in the race and driven by Kevin Cummings, settled in third from post two as Adelia’s Prince (Ray Fisher, Jr.), last week’s Open winner, cut all the fractions in the race, :27.1, :55.3 and 1:25.2. As the field hit the top of the stretch, Goodnite Goodluck unleashed a :28.4 last quarter-mile to beat second place finisher Hopskipanajump (Jim McNeight) by 1-1/4 lengths at the finish line. Fireyourguns (Mike Caprio) came in third. Trained by J D Perrin, the $5,500 share of the purse put Goodnite Goodluck’s season’s earnings at $29,845 and $252,232 lifetime.Drivers Jim McNeight and John Cummings, Jr. had three wins apiece on the card.
Pompano Park
McGreat and Hillybilly shared the spotlight at Pompano Park on Saturday night, each winning their respective events in 1:52.1. In the winners over pace, McGreat, driven by Kevin Wallis for trainer Luanna Beeson and owners Chris and Sophia Valkanoff, made a quarter move to the top, repelled a serious bid from millionaire Hyperion Hanover around the final turn and then held off the furious late rallies of Avantage and Freeneasy Hanover to record his third win of the year in 16 starts. The 6-year-old now has banked more than $190,000 lifetime.Hillybilly, a Florida bred sophomore colt by N Aboriginal, owned by Amante Standardbreds, led every step of his mile, clocking an opener of :26.4 and, after a second quarter breather, came home in :55.4 to score a handy win for Bruce Ranger. The 1:52.1 clocking knocked two full seconds off of his previous best mile.