With the $75,000 Final of the Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park Late Closing event for mares on tap for Super Saturday night in South Florida, drivers and trainers have chimed in with their thoughts on the big event. Please note that #6, Mach It A Par, scheduled to be driven by Tim Tetrick, has been scratched due to illness.
Here are some of their comments:
Post #1-Strut My Stuff (12/1), Driver Matt Romano: “She actually raced very well last week. Yes, Mike’s mare (Just A Bee) picked up the pieces late, but we were just a length or so away from second. We drew well–and that helps in an event like this–and I expect her to bring her ‘A’ game and be aggressive leaving.”
Post #2-Totally Rusty (10/1), Driver Tom Jackson: “She cut some serious fractions in her last and they got to her late. Still she is a very sharp mare and, if she returns to the form when she won the first leg three weeks ago, she’ll be prominent.”
Post #3-Lucy’s Pearl (8/1), Driver David Miller: “I have never driven this mare before but have seen her race many times. She’s very talented and has a nice brush. If the fractions are right, she could be right there at the finish with them all. I expect the mile to go in (1):50 and a piece and she’s capable of that. Of course, so are the others! It should be very interesting.”
Post #4-Pertty Music (15/1), Driver Kevin Wallis: Hopefully, she’ll get a better trip than last week when she never saw the inside part of the racetrack. She can turn it on in the lane, especially off of an easier trip if we find some room in the stretch. She drew OK with a lot of great mares to her outside. That always helps!”
Post #5-Velocity Vespa (5/2), Trainer Chris Oakes: She was roughed up pretty much last week but came out of it just...
We wanted you to know it’s been a frustrating past two weeks for Justgottogetthere at Buffalo Raceway with a pair of solid but disappointing second place finishes. But that annoyance was erased on Friday night (March 4) as Justgottogetthere posted a convincing 2-3/4 length victory over Winkys Pride in the featured $8,200 trot.
Leave Your Mark (Jim Morrill Jr.) set the fractions through the opening three stations with times of 29.4, 1:00.0 and 1:29.0.Justgottogetthere, in the meantime, began his first over journey just before the half mile and eventually got on even terms with the pace-setter with a quarter mile to race.
In the drive to the wire, driver Jim McNeight gave Justgottogetthere some minor encouragement and he responded to draw away for the popular $4.10 win in 1:59.3. Winkys Pride (Denny Bucceri) came on late for second place with Kahoku (Truman Gale) taking third.
Co-owned by Antonietta Landi and North Creek Racing, the 7-year-gelded Justgottogetthere (Valley Victory-Mara’s Theme) scored his initial win of 2016 after four previous appearances. Trained by Jerry Nugent Jr., Justgottogetthere has won $8,660 this year and $211,534 lifetime.
Morrill Jr. registered four victories in the bike while Gale doubled. Trainer JD Perrin remained red hot as he conditioned three winners.
Racing will continue on Saturday night with an 11-race program set to go to the post at 6 p.m.
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Our IdaBet players should know that after securing the pocket on the first turn, Crosbys Clam Bake ($7.80) angled off the pegs in mid-stretch and chased down 8-5 favorite Opulent Yankee to take Friday (March 4) evening’s featured $25,000 Open Handicap Trot at The Meadowlands.
Scott Zeron put the 6-year-old Kadabra gelding in play from the outset, outsprinting Appomattox (Andy McCarthy) to the first turn but in turn beaten to the early lead by Opulent Yankee (Andy Miller) through a :27.1 initial quarter mile. Crosbys Clam Bake enjoyed a cozy pocket trip throughout, only briefly boxed by the first-over DW’s NY Yank (Joe Bongiorno)–who failed to sustain his bid–on the far turn.
Off the far turn, Crosbys Clam Bake was once again in the clear after Opulent Yankee rated a :57.3 middle half–but had to make up 2-1/2 lengths in the final eighth of a mile after the pacesetter edged clear off the corner. Just outside the sixteenth pole, Opulent Yankee was asked for all he had, but Crosbys Clam Bake ultimately had his measure, driven to prevail by a head in 1:53.1 over fast going. Appomattox stayed on for third off his stalking trip.
Andy Federico trains Crosbys Clam Bake–now a 23-time winner–for Randy Bendis, Jack Piatt, II, and Tom Pollack. The win was Crosbys Clam Bake’s second in his three most recent Open-class events.
Zeron swept the evening’s features, also capturing the $15,000 top-level distaff pace with Gweneeee J ($4.60). The 4-year-old American Ideal mare sustained a middle move out of midpack to take charge just after a :55.4 half, ultimately kicking clear to a 5-3/4 length victory over Inittowinafortune (Marcus Miller, elevated to second) and Sayitall BB (Joe Bongiorno, disqualified from second to third for a pylon violation) in 1:51.1.
Linda Toscano trains Gweneeee J for the KJ...
