Thursday, July 30, 2009 9:07 AM CDT
Patton sets blazing start to racing week
By RICK DAWSON, Staff Writer
rdawson@jg-tc.com
CHARLESTON -- On a day that brought harness racing Hall of Famers Del Insko and Connel Willis to the track and one during which Lerna driver Clark Fairley delighted the home crowd by kicking it off with a win, Jamaica Patton was nearly untouchable at the Coles County Fair Wednesday.
Right after Giddy Up Boy blazed to a lifetime best in a gelding pace, Patton gathered the highest purse offered in the 2-year-old filly trot, as Mybirthday Two won for the third time in just five starts.
“It was a fast track and I was expecting the horse to go a pretty good time,” said the Mississippi driver, returning to Charleston for the first time this week. “It always runs fast. Every year you can expect that. Arnie (Ralston), he does a good job on it. Every track he works on is pretty fast.”
Patton is hopeful of another big day on Friday, when he brings 2-year-old topline trotter Merry Moneymaker and a pair of other promising horses – Holy Muffler and Silly Britches – to the fair. But he barely missed pulling off a driving trifecta on Wednesday.
In the first division of the Illinois Stallion Stake 2-year-old filly pace later in the day, another of his entries, Fancy Creek Reba, survived a break from gait in the first lap only to be edged by Erv Miller’s Miss Kellie at the finish line. Miss Kellie was driven by Matthew Cox, who had a near miss moments later while finishing second with Fox Valley Sonya in the second division of the 2-year-old filly pace.
For John Roberts of Crete, it was a hectic affair. He drove seven qualifiers in Chicago during the morning, sped to Charleston and turned out an impressive victory with Wolf Creek Pass. The 2-year-old trotter set a Stallion Stakes record in 2:04 and four-fifths.
“We changed the shoes on the horse,” said Roberts, “and that made a huge difference. We thought he had talent training down. I’d been out there helping Jerry Hansen and Monique Bernardi train these horses for quite some time now. I didn’t really know at the top of the three-quarter pole if I was going to get beat by the horse that’s won all the races because he beat me pretty bad a couple of weeks ago.”
Run and Tell Pap, driven by Mike Cox, hadn’t lost in his last six starts but broke early. Late in the race he was in striking distance, though. Wolf Creek Pass had finished second to him two weeks ago before scratching during his last two races. Before Wednesday, he hadn’t competed since July 17.
“Those guys that train here all year long, they do a huge job to make this as good as it is,” Roberts said. “I’m amazed at the local horsemen. That’s the only reason we come down here all the way from Chicago.”
Insko, who won here on Betty Irene in 1989, had a promising filly in Classical Imagery, who had four of five starts. Misfortune struck early when Fox Valley Sienna broke gait just in front of her, and she never recovered. She took fifth, well behind Mybirthday Two.
“If she stayed trotting and so forth, I thought I had a chance for money,” said Insko, who spent most of his life at huge venues in New York, Chicago and elsewhere. “She usually doesn’t make breaks. It’s just one of those things.
“She’s totally green. She’s just inexperienced, a baby 2-year-old, and she’s awfully nervous anyway.”
Fairley won with Helen’s Place Girl in the 4-year-old and up mare pace, Ronnie Gillespie won with Gale’s Richess in the 2-year-old filly pace and Tom Simmons and Buzzd on Sudzz won by a half-length over Cooperstown Kid in the finale, a 2-year-old colt pace.
Contact Rick Dawson at rdawson@jg-tc.com or 238-6855.
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