Roger Plante Jr. scored the 3,000th win of his driving career when he steered five-year-old pacing mare Killer Waves to a victory on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at Rosecroft Raceway.
Plante landed on top with the favoured Downbytheseaside-I Kill Time mare after a contested :27 first quarter and cruised through middle panels of :57.1 and 1:26.2 en route to the 1:56.3 victory in the evening's sixth race, a $5,714 first-level conditioned pace for fillies and mares. They won by 1-1/4 lengths over Beach Boutique (William Carter) with Ea Casualty Loss (Russell Foster) completing the top three.
Killer Waves, a nine-time winner after her successful season's debut, is trained by Eli Scott Jr. and owned Leonard Hubbard of Cambridge, Maryland. She paid $4.20 to win.
A native of New Hampshire, the 57-year-old Plante logged his first career start in 1984. Since 2001, he has been a mainstay in the Delmarva region and he has driven the winners of more than $27 million in his career.
Sent off at 3-5 in her return to Rosecroft, Phoenix Rising stole soft fractions and kept pocket rival Bluebird Ina a length at bay to win the night's featured $16,429 Mares Open Handicap Pace.
Frank Milby gunned the five-year-old Movie Idol-Scarlet Pandemic mare to the top through a :27.1 first quarter and the pair then coasted through middle splits of :58 and 1:26.2 while Bluebird Ina (William Carter) drafted from the pocket. Turning for home, Phoenix Rising had plenty in reserve to parry a mild challenge from Bluebird Ina and win in 1:55.2. Dice Dice Baby (Roger Plante Jr.) finished third after stalking the top pair the entire mile.
Trainer Franklin Gannon III co-owns 18-time winner Phoenix Rising with Elizabeth Gannon. The winner paid $3.20.
Plante and Milby both recorded driving triples on the 12-race card.
Amateur driver Steven Robinson earned his 100th career driving victory when Awesome Times Two ($3.20) posted a 3-3/4-length, 1:59.2 win over Moneyorroses (Adrian Wisher Jr.) in the $6,429 Mid-Atlantic Drivers Club pace. The 59-year-old Robinson, who also trains a small stable, first lined up behind the gate in 1994 and has driven off and on in the three decades since, primarily in amateur events.
The 50-cent Jackpot Hi-5, in race 10, returned $3,984.10 to one player with the winning combination of 5-2-8-6-9.
Live harness racing returns to Rosecroft on Monday, Feb. 3 with first post at 7:15 p.m.
(With files from Rosecroft Raceway)