Monticello Raceway’s Name Your Price Claiming Series got underway on Monday, February 4 with three divisions for fillies and mares. Strangely, the win times for all three victors, Pot Limit, Romi Mystic and Traceys Song, was 2:00.3.
The event, which has three preliminary legs and a final, allows in the second and third legs for owners to choose claiming prices from $4,000 - $6,000, obviously with the horse(s) with the higher price tags drawing for positions outside the lesser priced entrants.
On Monday, all entrants went for a $4,000 claiming price, and when they were completed only one horse changed barns, that being Franny The Great, who went from Irving Bork to the Melissa Guido Stable.
Pot Limit won the first division for driver Anthony Napolitano by a neck over Bet On Lindy (driven by Jimmy Taggart Jr.) and returned to her backers a $21.00 Win payoff. Pot Limit, a five-year-old daughter of Rocknroll Hanover, is owned by Joanne Giglio, John Giglio, Maria Lofrano and Nick Lynch and is trained by Tony Cuccio. It was the mare’s first win of the year.
The second division was won by Romi Mystic and driver Jimmy Marohn Jr., who recorded a one and a half length victory over Winsmith Molly (Jimmy Taggart Jr.). Romi Mystic, a 13-time winner last year, notched her second seasonal triumph for owner Ed Hall. The seven-year-old Modern Art mare is trained by Danny Gill. She returned $7.30 on a successful Win wager.
The final Name Your Price division saw Nancy Fugere’s Tracys Song and driver Bruce Aldrich Jr. overtake Firiel Hanover in the deep stretch to score a one and a half-length victory.
An eight-year-old daughter of Astreos, Tracys Song scored her third consecutive victory of this fledgling season and remains undefeated in 2013. Trained by Bob Lounsbury she returned a $6.20 Win mutuel.
The series continues next Monday where horses can be entered for a $5,000 claiming price if owners so desire, but they’ll draw outside the $4,000 claimers.
(Monticello)