Hannah Miller Behind Jacks To Open Wins $25,000 CKG Billings Gold Cup
November 19, 2016 - Hannah Miller and Jacks To Open (Conway Hall - Jodis Jayme) continued their dominance of the CKG Billings Amateur Drivers Club with an 8 1/2 length victory in 1:58.2f to win the $25,000 CKG Billings Gold Cup at Harrah's Philadelphia tonight. The pair have won numerous Billings events over the last two years, but were thwarted in the 2015 Gold Cup when Jacks to Open made an untimely break. Tonight they would not be denied. This was the ninth seasonal and 26th lifetime victory for Jacks To Open, whose lifetime earnings now stand at $263,490. Photos and details of the victory can be found here.
Spring Away Begins Thoroughbred Racing Career With $28,400 MSW Victory
November 11, 2016 - Spring Away (Jump Start - One More Lillian) has started her racing career with a victory at Penn National Tonight in a $28,400 MSW event. Leaving from Post 8 at stiff 27/1 odds, Spring Away broke smartly and quickly challenged for the lead well before the 1/4 pole for jockey David Cora. Spring Away pressed the pace all around the track. Upon turning for home, Spring Away established a lead in the middle of the track before turning away an outside challenger in the final strides to win by a neck, the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:06.34. Her victory was the first for her owner/breeder Paul Spears with Thoroughbreds.
Tight Lines Gets Loose In $43,800 (div.) Keystone Classic at the Meadows
October 2, 2016 - Taking inspiration from his brother Long Tom's Bluegrass S. victory this week, Tight Lines (Yankee Glide - Ilia) collared race favorite Cufflink Hanover after a strong stretch drive, taking a new lifetime mark of 1:54.1f today in winning the $43,800 (div.) Keystone Classic at the Meadows. In a reversal of tactics from a third place finish in the Old Oaken Bucket in Ohio last week, trainer/driver Jeff Gregory decided to keep Tight Lines well in the rear of the field in the early stages of the race. By the head of the stretch, Tight lines had pacesetter Cufflink Hanover clearly in his sights, powering past in a 28.3 final quarter to secure the victory. Tight Lines earned his fifth and most notable victory of the year, raising his lifetime earnings to $111,556 for owners Jeff Gregory Inc., Jesmeral Stable, and William Richardson.
Long Tom With Explosive Victory in $55,250 Bluegrass Stakes
September 29, 2016 - Long Tom (Muscle Hill - Ilia) looked like an old pro in a commanding 1:55.2 win in his $55,250 (div.) 2YO Bluegrass Stakes at the Red Mile tonight. Leaving from Post 1, Long Tom settled third by the 1/4 pole before taking the lead by the half. Despite a spirited challenge from the entire field behind him, Long Tom remained cool and collected as he held off the group for a win by a head over Bill's Man for driver Tim Tetrick, trainer Marcus Melander, and owners AMG Stable Oy of Finland.
Long Tom was a $60,000 yearling purchase at Harrisburg for Swedish trainer Reijo Liljendahl, and was shipped to Sweden to begin training. Apparently Long Tom showed enough precocious talent that his owners changed their minds about keeping him in Sweden, and returned him to the United States to be trained by Marcus Melander. All the traveling kept Long Tom from the early season races. He is eligible to all the big 2YO late season races. For a more comprehensive summary, read this article on Harnesslink.com: Long Tom "Feels Like A Good Horse"
UF Lindsay Lou Who Has Six Race Winning Streak at the Meadows
April 27, 2016 - UF Lindsay Lou Who (Donato Hanover - Sweetspellosuccess) has gotten off to a torrid start as a four year old at the Meadows for owner Up Front Racing, after an unfortunate injury had cut short her sophomore season last year. She now has a six race winning streak, with a new lifetime mark of 4, 1:54.4. She has won all legs and Final of the Mary Wolmuth Memorial Trot LC Series, and has earned $51,675 already this year. Leslie Zendt trains the mare. After the Final, driver Brian Zendt remarked to Evan Pattak, "Do you see how small she is? I didn't realize how good she'd be on the front. I don't think size matters to her. She has a different kind of attitude not all racehorses have. She just digs and digs. The last two or three trips, I was just sitting on her. She's been doing it like a training mile."
