HORSE RACING CLEVELAND

Northeast Ohio Thoroughbred and Harness Racing News

Four nominated to Northfield's 'Wall'

by D'ARcy Egan/Plain Dealer Sports Writer

Wednesday January 07, 2009, 4:32 AM

The fans have spoken, nominating four finalists for Northfield Park's 2008 Horse of the Year.

Making the cut are:

** Lite Me Up, a prolific pacer that posted 14 wins and 13 seconds in 38 starts last year. Winning $72,890, he had a mile best of 1:53.2 for owner-trainer Michael Epler.

** Sharon's Future, whose bid for a record-setting 10 straight victories was sidetracked by a December illness. The mare was claimed for just $3,600 in October by Harla Renae Conn and went on a tear for trainer Brian Loney and driver Wyatt Irvine. The mare won a dozen races in 2008, including 10 of her last 12 starts.

** The terror of Northfield's top trotting events, Dunkster
has the Northfield and world trotting record for geldings on a half-mile track with a 1:54.2 mile. Owned by Dean Davis of Wooster, the nine-year-old son of Striking Sahbra has career earnings of more than $820,000, the second richest Ohio-bred trotter in history behind millionaire Hez Striking.

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Can Breeders' Cup winner score in Triple Crown?

by D'Arcy Egan/Plain Dealer Sports Writer

Wednesday December 31, 2008, 2:03 PM

File PhotoMidshipman won the 2008 Breeders' Cup juvenile and will probably reign as thoroughbred racing's 2-year-old champion, but has yet to race on a dirt track.

The top 2-year-olds of 2008 will turn a year older today, according to the rules of horse racing. Many of their owners will be looking ahead to the Kentucky Derby, not to mention the Preakness and Belmont.

Horse racing fans impressed with some of the 2-year-old stars of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile races last October at Santa Anita should read Bob Ehalt's blog on the ntra.com site. The Breeders' Cup 2-year-old winners have failed spectacularly as 3-year-olds in the Triple Crown races, with only Street Sense breaking the jinx by winning the Run for the Roses in 2007.

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Northfield: R Cowboy, State of the Union win Saturday features; Lady McJate nails upset

by From staff reports

Sunday December 28, 2008, 9:03 AM

With balmy racing weather, at least for late December, R Cowboy and driver Matt Kakaley captured Saturday night's $6,000 Open Trot. Athlete In Action trotted a leisurely 1:01 half to lead a field that saw Classical Man make a break and the other top choice, American Tribute, have issues in the turn. R Cowboy made a late rush over a "good track for a 2:02 victory.

Owned and trained by Titus Schlaback, the 9-year-old Balanced Image gelding won for just the second time this year, but for the 38th time in his career. He has now banked $229,155. Athlete In Action was second and former World Champion Blastaway Sahbra was third.

With the nearly unbeatable Lite Me Up taking a week off, the $6,000 Open Pace was a wide-open affair, with five lead changes over the mile before 13-1 newcomer State Of The Union emerged victorious. Lakeside Al took the first call, only to be supplanted by Dan Chaz and then Expresso Forte. Lakeside Al rallied again to take the lead, with State of the Union following as Dan Chaz also found room to the outside.

State Of The Union got by Lakeside Al in early stretch. Aaron Merriman drove the winner, a five-year-old Presidential Ball gelding, for trainer Jodi Schillaci and owner Mihajlo Zdjelar, Jr., of North Collins, N.Y. The win was his fourth of the year, as he pushed his career earnings to $88,941.

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Buelah, River dates set; Thistle haggling

by Darcy Egan

Thursday December 25, 2008, 4:59 PM

Thistledown will again be haggling with The Ohio Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) over its 2009 racing schedule, but Beulah Park and River Downs have the HBPA's green light for live and simulcast racing next year.

Beulah Park is racing 122 days in 2009, with a winter-spring schedule of Jan. 10 through May 2. The fall meeting is Oct. 13 through Dec. 23. River Downs 102-day schedule of live racing begins April 17 and runs through Sept. 7.

Thistledown, where rumors of a sale by owner Magna Entertainment Corp. keep swirling, is planning a 91-day season in 2009 that will run from May through September. The tracked had 122 live racing dates in 2008. The short schedule would jeopardize simulcast racing at the thoroughbred plant in 2010.

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Northfield adds a couple of nights of racing

by By D'Arcy Egan/Plain Dealer Sports Reporter

Wednesday December 17, 2008, 4:49 PM

Northfield Park has a lot of racing on its December calendar. The harness track is making up a couple of live racing programs that were canceled by mid-November power outages by sending the horses postward the next two Sundays.

Northfield's regular winter schedule of live racing of Monday through Wednesday and Friday-Saturday is in place through January and February at the Route 8 oval. The trotters and pacers begin a four-night weekly schedule starting March 2, with racing on Monday-Tuesday and Friday-Saturday.

Thistledown schedule: Thistledown is closed Wednesday for Christmas Eve, as well as Christmas Day. The North Randall track's winter simulcast racing returns on Friday (Dec. 26) with late night simulcasting and the opening of Santa Anita Park. Thistledown has simulcasting racing every day throughout the winter, with late-night simulcasting adding to the action on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. The doors open each day at 11:30 a.m.

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Ohio Sires Stakes cuts purses in 2009

by By D'Arcy Egan, Plain Dealer Sports Reporter

Wednesday December 10, 2008, 9:35 AM

These are difficult times for the horse racing industry, including the Ohio Sires Stakes program.

The Ohio Standardbred Development Fund is cutting Ohio Sires Stakes purses for each leg and the final by 20 percent in each division. The four legs of the various divisions will race for a minimum of $16,000, with the final an $80,000 event.

Sires stakes administrator Doug Thomas said on Tuesday the cuts reflect a 6.6. percent decline in wagering on harness racing around Ohio, and a 9 percent drop in nominating and sustaining payments for Ohio Sires Stakes races. Thomas said they are cutting the purses to keep nominating and sustaining fees the same as in 2008.

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Four Starz Signal in upset at Northfield

by Staff reports

Saturday December 06, 2008, 8:19 AM

Four Starz Signal was boxed in for most of the mile, but the 12-1 shot escaped in the stretch in Friday's $6,500 Mares Open Handicap to score a Northfield Park upset with J.D. Wengerd in the sulky.

Favored Marvel Sahbra took the field through pedestrian fractions of 28.1, 58 and 1:27. Four Starz Signal was locked in third at the rail and appeared doomed until Passing Lane Penny moved to the outside coming out of the final turn and opened up the passing lane for Wengerd. The Andy Shetler-trainee passed a tiring Marvel Sahbra to get the win. Passing Lane Penny was second and Cheetah Feet finished third.

Four Starz Signal has banked over $25,000 in 2008, her first year of racing. The win gave Shetler a training double.

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Horse racing insider

by D'Arcy Egan

Wednesday December 03, 2008, 7:07 PM

Three-year-old powerhouse Marble Cliff, a winner of four of five starts in 2008 and the $100,000 Cleveland Gold Cup at Thistledown, will start his 2009 thoroughbred season as a winless Kentucky-bred maiden.

Marble Cliff was listed as an Ohio-bred by breeders G. David and Diane Shashura of Paris, Ky., and raced as an Ohio-bred by owners Charles Ruma and Joe Sugar, who also own Beulah Park in Grove City, Ohio. The Ohio Racing Commission ruled a few weeks ago that Marble Cliff was a Kentucky-bred colt.

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