Judge David D. Dowd, Jr. of the US District Court for Northeastern Ohio,
Eastern Division, has granted the motions filed by the United States Trotting
Association in the wake of a jury verdict handed down to the Association on
July 30.
The jury decision, in the case of Cheetah Super Sulky, Inc. vs. the USTA,
found the USTA guilty of conspiracy to put the sulky manufacturer out of
business. The USTA immediately appealed that verdict to Judge Dowd, asking
him to set aside the judgment, notwithstanding the jury's verdict, and for a
new trial. In a 31-page decision received today, September 29, Judge Dowd
granted the USTA both motions. Dowd stated in his decision that the
plaintiff (Cheetah) failed to demonstrate evidence of a conspiracy.
Judgment was thus entered for the USTA.
The plaintiff now has the option to appeal to the Federal Sixth District
Court of Appeals in Cincinnati. If pursued, and if the appeals court would
rule in favor of the USTA, the case would be ended. If the appeal were
successful, Judge Dowd's ruling automatically would grant a new trial to the
USTA.
ACHS on ESPN2 to feature Red Mile races
Racing from the Red Mile in autumn is usually a daytime affair, but this
Thursday will see a departure from that tradition as several of the track's
major events are televised on ESPN2 from 9 to 10 p.m. (Eastern time). The
Ervin Memorial for older trotters, featuring Mac Action and Moni Maker, is up
first with a 9:08 pm post time, then the second heat of the Kentucky Futurity
for three-year-old trotting fillies with Gironde Hanover, a Bluegrass Stake
winner at the Red Mile last week, set to go at 9:28. The final event will be
the Tattersalls Pace for three-year-old pacing colts, with Dream Away, fresh
off a 1:50 win in the Bluegrass Stake at The Red Mile on September 26.
Complete fields for the Tattersalls and Filly Futurity, which had not
been drawn as this goes to press, are Filly Futurity: Armbro Propeller,
Blushing, Gramola, Gironde Hanover, Keys La Nina, Lindys New Lady, Melissa
Hall, Mac Deena, Must Be Victory, Pine Song, Prime Yankee, Treasure Always
and Victory Is Mine. In the Tattersalls: Dream Away, Gothic Dream, Jeremy's
Gambit, Longport, Megamind, Northern Luck, Perfect Art, Red Bow Tie, Rod's
Deal, Such A Hoot, The Big Dog and Village Jove.
Two champs to meet
Cam Fella and Niatross, who have four Horse of the Year titles between them,
will meet for the first time at Garden State Park in Cherry Hill, New Jersey
on October 2 as part of a North American goodwill tour. Cam Fella, who was
Harness Racing's Horse of the Year in 1982 and 1983 has made 22 visits to
racetracks and Niatross (Horse of the Year in 1979 and 1980) has made 17
stops. Both horses were major fan favorites in their racing careers and
continue to draw crowds.
Cam Fella, now age 18, and Niatross, 20, will parade with their
trainer/drivers Pat Crowe and Clint Galbraith respectively, in racing gear
between the second and third races at Garden State on Friday. Both horses
and their trainer/drivers will then greet fans and sign autographs in the
track's Crystal Paddock.
Western Dreamer points to Triple Crown
The three-year-old pacing gelding Western Dreamer is just a few dreams away
from the $400,000 Messenger Stake, the third leg of the Pacing Triple Crown,
set for October 10 at Ladbroke at The Meadows near Pittsburgh. With two legs
of the crown, the Cane Pace and the Little Brown Jug, already tucked away in
the win column, Western Dreamer is trying to become the first horse since
Ralph Hanover in 1983 to win the Triple Crown for pacers.
Western Dreamer is prepping for the race at the farm of his trainer, Bill
Robinson, in Hagersville, Ontario. He has not raced since his five length
victory in the September 18 Little Brown Jug, but will not compete in a
qualifying race as originally planned, said Robinson. A qualifying race is a
non-betting, non-purse event that horses sometimes race in to keep fit.
"Something tells me not to go in a qualifier and I'm not going to. He's
pretty tight right now and I can train him in around 2:02 or 2:03 here at the
farm. I put a horse in a qualifier before a big race once and he made a
break, so he had to qualify again. I don't want that to happen."
Mike Lachance will drive Western Dreamer in the Messenger, which will be
televised live on ESPN2 from 10 to 11 pm (Estern Time) on Friday, October 10.
Chicago racing dates realigned
Racing dates for Illinois Standardbred and Thoroughbred meets have been
announced and there will be a major realignment of the traditional dates and
locations.
Sportsman's Park, which had hosted a May - October harness meet in the
past, will now host only Thoroughbred racing. Their next-door neighbor,
Hawthorne Park, with whom they share a barn area, will host no harness
racing. Hawthorne had previously carded day/night cards in the month of
January and February.
Maywood Park, in a western suburb of Chicago, which had raced from
February - May and October - December, will now race 52 weeks a year, three
nights a week. In Crete, Illinois, south of Chicago, Balmoral will have the
most harness dates of any track in the state, with 207 programs four days a
week (opposite the days that Maywood races) over 52 weeks. Fairmount Park,
in an Illinois suburb of St. Louis, will host 105 harness dates yet to be
determined.
Trotters are tops at Kentucky sales
Trotters drew the top bids at the yearling sales concluded September 27
in Lexington. Prices were up 7 percent this year over last at the Tattersalls Sale.
Buzz Saw, from the first crop of Pine Chip, world's fastest trotter
(TT1:51), brought $385,000 for Castleton Farm and sold to Continental Farm.
At the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion, the Kentucky Standardbred Sale
also saw an average increase, up 11 percent over last year to $37,160. The trotting
filly Armbro Sassafras, by Valley Victory brought $375,000 and was sold to
Katz, Liebfeld and Goldband, the owners of pacing standout Dream Away.
Ervins endow Red Mile race
The late Frank Ervin, best known for trainingand driving three time Horse of the Year Bret Hanover in the 1960s left funds
in his estate to provide for a trotting race at the fall Red Mile meet.
Ervin's widow, Elizabeth, will be on hand to present the trophy in the
inaugural $40,000 event, to be held October 2. The race, which is funded
for ten years, will feature Moni Maker. "We had so many wonderful times, and
close friends, during our 50 years in Lexington, and this is a way for us to
give something back to the horse community," says the 90-year-old Mrs. Ervin.
Quick brushes
Tim Richter, a Charles Schwab Company vice president andbranch manager from Cherry Hill, New Jersey won the "graduation" race for the
first "You Drive `Em" class at Garden State Park. With scores of friends and
family cheering him on, Richter beat the rest of the class, which included a
cardiac surgeon and a plumber, in a 2:38 mile ... Lord Stormont, conqueror of
Malabar Man in the August 30 World Trotting Derby, won the $150,000 final of
the New York Sires Stakes at Yonkers Raceway on September 27 by eight lengths
in 1:59. Lord Stormont and Malabar Man are expected to meet again in the
Breeders Crown at Mohawk Raceway on October 24.
Major race results
September 23
Cane Run Farm, 2yofp, $124,295, The Red Mile
Take Flight (L. Ouellette) Slow Down Rita, Mattdonna
1:54.1 Margin: Neck
Cane Run Farm, 2yofp, $125,295, The Red Mile
Clover Hanover (J. Campbell) Life Cycle, So Ravishing
1:53.1 Margin: 3
September 26
Bluegrass Stake, 3yocp, $82,340, The Red Mile
Dream Away (J. Campbell) Gothic Dream (T. Morgan) King Of Krombie (J. Fout)
1:50 Margin: Neck
Bluegrass Stake, 3yocp, $81,340, The Red Mile
Longport (D. Miller) Jeremy's Gambit (T. Morgan) Perfect Art (G. Brennan)
1:50.4 Margin: Head
Bluegrass Stake, 3yoft, $123,900, The Red Mile
Gironde Hanover (B. Roberts) Melissa Hall (J. Moiseyev) Blushing
1:55.1 Margin: 1/2
September 27
Transylvania Stake, 3yoct, $142,890, The Red Mile
Malabar Man (J. Takter) Take Chances (W. Hennessey) Meadowbranch Lou (J.
Campbell)
1:54 Margin: nose
Walnut Hall Ltd, 3yofp, $121,330 The Red Mile
Stienam's Place (J. Moiseyev) Art In The Park (R. Pierce) Eyes Of An Angel
(J. Campbell)
1:50.4 Margin: WORLD RECORD - 3yo pacing fillies on a mile track.
Meadow Lands Farm, $99,220, 2yopc, The Red Mile
Fit For Life (M. Lachance) Mattnamaras Band (T. Morgan) Western Ho (D.
Rankin)
1:53.3 Margin: 2
Set The Agenda (D. Miller) Pearl River Matt (J. Campbell) Fitness Clinic
(M. Lachance)
1:52.4 Margin: Neck
Lease On Life (T. Morgan) Noble Betcha (P. Wrenn) Crawfish (M. Saftic)
1:52.3 Margin: 1/2 length
Major upcoming races
September 30
International Stallion Stk 2yoft $200,000 The Red Mile
October 1
International Stallion Stk 2yofp $275,000 The Red Mile
October 2
Tattersalls Stake 3yocp $400,000 The Red Mile
International Stallion Stk 2yoct $200,000 The Red Mile
October 3
International Stallion Stk 2yocp $325,000 The Red Mile
Garnsey Memorial 3yofp $225,000 The Red Mile
Kentucky Futurity 3yot $150,000T he Red Mile
October 4
Garden State Stake 2yocp $160,000 Freehold Raceway
ESPN RACEHORSE DIGEST: Thurs., Oct. 2 Midnight-12:30 am PDT and 3:00 pm EDT,
Sat., Oct. 4, 5:30 am, Wed., Oct. 8, 3:30 pm, Thurs. Oct. 9 12:30 am PDT,
Sat., Oct. 11, 5:30 am, Wed., Oct. 15, 3:30 pm, Thurs., Oct. 16, 12:30 am
PDT. All times Eastern unless noted.