Hey! You're going the wrong way!
by George
A rabbit scooted across the track in the sixth race on the turn for home Saturday night about two seconds before a stampede of horses got there. The field proceeded to play pinball with each other from that point on, resulting in a rare trainer claim of foul.
Other than trainer Roger Hansen scoring with longshot Winning In Overtime ($23.60) in the first race, that was the highlight of the night, as a steady procession of logical horses found the Winner’s Circle. Good for most players, bad for the longshot players. They got their goodies Friday night.
From the second race on the prices marched to the tune of $6.30, $6.20, $5.80, $6.30, $4.30, $8.30 and $6.40. Chalk players went home with a pocket full of money. Longshot players are still waiting for their horse. Oh wait. Here he comes now.
Sorry, that was one of the Post Parade ponies. Fluffy or Buffy or… You can’t bet on them.
Winning jockeys on the evening included Jerry Pruitt, Rohan Singh (2 winners), Paul Nolan (2), Larry Munoz, Chavion Chow and Tim Moccasin. Winning trainers were Roger Hansen, Jerry Gourneau, Wade Rarick, Ardell Sayler, Marvin Buffalo, Marj Patterson, Chad Torevell and Tom Gardipy Jr.
The most exciting race of the evening was the seventh, when Speed Bias ($8.30) used his back class late to out-duel a very game Wooden Ya Know It and hold off a hard charging Barramoon. Trained by Chad Torevell and ridden by Chavion Chow, Speed Bias finished fourth in a $48,000 allowance race last year at Hollywood Park on November 12, yet was claimed for just $3,000 by Torevell at Turf Paradise this spring. He’s 2-for-2 now at Assiniboia Downs.
The wackiest race of the night was the aforementioned sixth, which not only included the cwazy wabbit, but also a successful claim of foul by trainer Ardell Sayler. Trainers rarely claim foul, and often when they do it’s ego-bolstered foolishness, but this claim was justified.
Eventual sixth race winner Samurai Slam (#1) was on the lead inside from the outset, but was bearing out. He turned into the stretch just as the rabbit made his appearance and promptly drifted out into Sayler-trainee I’minittowinit (#3), who had Dixieland Gold (#4) to his outside. While those three were playing bumper cars, Badjo Badjo Badjo (#7) decided he would rally. That didn’t work out so well.
Samurai Slam drifted into the path of Badjo Badjo Badjo, forcing him to check. Seconds later Dixieland Gold drifted in, squeezing I’minittowinit between himself and Samurai Slam, forcing I’minittowinit to check and back up.
None of the jockeys lodged claims of foul, but trainer Ardell Sayler did, against the riders of the top two finishers, Samurai Slam (Rohan Singh) and Dixieland Gold (Trevor Simpson). Those two dueled to the wire after effectively getting rid of everyone else. Dixieland Gold finished second beaten a neck to Samurai Slam and was subsequently disqualified and placed fourth behind I’minittowinit.
The rabbit was held blameless.
Note: Rabbit a little shy. Appears only in first part of video. Three seconds in. Nine seconds out.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/tYX1Hc4TKxw[/youtube]
Next Post Time for Live Racing: 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 30, 2012