Sunday, April 14, 2013

FR horses racing this winter



Some horses and horse people with local connections have been enjoying some success over the winter months at racetracks across North America, including a pair of four-year-olds who raced at Fredericton Raceway last summer for owner-trainer-driver Percy Jones of Temperance Vale.

A Weekend, a son of I Am A Fool, won at Pompano Park in Florida in 1:55.4f on March 27 for leading dash-winning driver Bruce Ranger, lowering his record by more than eight seconds.   


To watch the race, click here and select “prev” to go to the month of March.   Select the March 27 date and a box will open and then click on Race 1.

A Weekend was a lightly raced freshmen in 2011 who showed some promise after being race-timed in 2:02.2.  He won his first start last year for Jones in 2:04.2 but suffered through a sophomore slump with only one win and one third in nine starts, mostly at Fredericton.

He has been on fire since qualifying at Pompano in February and shows a summary of 5-1-3-0-$4,850.  Besides winning in 1:55.4, he has been race-timed in 1:54.1 and 1:54.3 on two other occasions.

Indigo Artist was a winner at Pompano this past Wednesday night in 1:55.3f for Kevin Wallis, also lowering his record by more than eight seconds. 


To watch the race, click here and select the April 10 date.   A box will open and then click on Race 2.

It was the first win of the year from four attempts for Indigo Artist, who finished third for Wally Hennessey the week before.   The son of Arturo had a solid season last year for Jones with a summary of 12-2-5-3-$3,479 and was one of Fredericton’s top sophomores.

A Weekend ($7,000) and Indigo Artist ($1,500) were both puchased at the 2011 New Jersey Classic Yearling Sale.

Jones is also racing a green four-year-old trotter named Medgar Hall.  In only his second lifetime start last week, Medgar Hall finished fourth, race-timed in 2:01.4.  The son of Tom Ridge is a half-brother to Ma Chere Hall, who set a track record of 1:54.3 for two-year-old fillies last summer at Vernon Downs in the $202,500 Kindergarten Classic.

Medgar Hall is racing on Monday night at Pompano.

Jones will be returning to Fredericton with his horses in a couple of weeks.

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Margo Fisher’s four-year-old trotter, Alana Bananna, has been racing well at Flamboro Downs for Patrick Shepherd, the track’s leading percentage trainer. 

Alana Bananna has a summary of 11-4-4-1-$21,900 this year and sports a new speed badge of 2:00.4h taken on April 3 at Flamboro Downs.  Watch the race here

Alana Bananna, a son of Angus Hall, has earned $56,015 in two seasons racing in Ontario.

Fisher’s five-year-old White Gear is winless in four starts this year for Shepherd but in 2012 he won seven races including a lifetime best of 1:54.3f at Georgian Downs and had earnings of $44,585.

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Money Maven, a four-year-old trotting son of Revenue S, is winless in six starts this year for owner Everette Hanson of Maugerville but won a qualifier at Woodbine this past Monday in a lifetime best of 1:57.3s.  Money Maven earned $50,565 last year as a sophomore and took a record of 1:58.3s.  Watch the race here.  He was a $2,200 purchase at the 2010 New Jersey Classic Yearling Sale.

Hanson’s Tornado Tim, the fastest trotter ever developed in Fredericton, has one win in seven starts this year, that coming at Flamboro (2:02.2) on February 16.  Watch the race here.  Tornado Tim, who finished second in 1:59.2 in his most recent start yesterday at Flamboro, has a lifetime best of 1:55.1 taken in 2011, and $128,630 in lifetime earnings.

Both Money Maven and Tornado Tim are trained and driven by Danny O’Brian.

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Horse Racing New Brunswick has announced its 2013 racing dates.  Harness racing is tentatively scheduled to get underway at Exhibition Park Raceway on April 20, 2013 at 1:00 pm according to the racing calendar found on their website.  Qualifying dashes are scheduled for Monday, April 15 at 5:30 pm.

Fredericton is scheduled to open its season on Saturday, May 11 at 1:00 pm.

 
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For more blogs on New Brunswick harness racing go to thefrederictonscene.blogspot.ca

For more historical data, pictures and stories please LIKE Fredericton Raceway 125 on Facebook.
 

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