Horseman Gaetan Lamy is the latest to prove that you just can't keep a good man down
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In the final race of the March 17 program in South Florida he brought home claiming pacer First Of Fun to victory in 1:57 to end a winless stretch of more than two years. The seven-year-old House Of Fun-M G Argentina pacer is ironically bred in Quebec and was making his second start in the care of trainer Jean Beaulieu after a recent claim by Herve Mainville of Mascouche, Quebec.
Lamy, a past winner of the O'Brien Award as the top driver in his native Canada, thus tasted victory in the bike for the first time since December 18, 2007 at Trois Rivieres, Quebec. The 63-year-old reinsman was a finalist in the 2007 National Driving Championship in Canada (won by Gilles Barrieau) and overall, Lamy now has 6,692 driving wins to his credit for purse earnings well in excess of $30 million.
Just two races before his win, Lamy was a close runner-up with longshot trotter Bluff Springs after a heated stretch duel with Backbackitup driven by Dan Clements. When taking down top prize with First Of Fun, Lamy turned the tables as Clements was the runner-up with pacing mare Splenda. Since the beginning of 2010, Lamy has become a top driving choice for French-Canadian trainers in South Florida including Beaulieu and Marc Major.
Johnson Seeking Two Straight
Based on the increasing number of young horses arriving at the races for their early career starts, spring has arrived in earnest at the Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park.
Jan Johnson will be gunning for a second straight win with his young charges in 2010 when he sends out three-year-old Yankee Glide-Shops For Dresses filly Dressedforsuccess in the eighth race on Friday evening, March 19. She's had a pair of qualifying spins and won her most recent tune-up impressively in 2:01.2. Johnson trains the previously unraced filly for Continental Farm of New Jersey. She was a $62,000 yearling purchase at the 2008 Lexington Selected Sale. In the same field on Friday night is Indefensible, a three-year-old Conway Hall-She Scores gelidng making his first lifetime start. The $70,000 yearling from the 2008 Lexington Selected Sale is trained by Jonas Czernyson with Steve Condren named to drive. Canadian Wayne Henry will also send out three-year-old Amigo Hall-Armbro Cocoa filly Gococoa for her season's debut in this event. She was a $19,000 purchase at Harrisburg in 2008 and her ownership is held by Henry Stable, Joe Coffey and Terry O'Neill of Ontario.
The 59-year-old trotting specialist Johnson is a longtime seasonal resident of Lighthouse Point, FL, and won in his season's debut both training and driving on March 10 at the Isle when he piloted No Im Not to a flawless score in 2:00.4. The Windsongs Legacy-A Youre Adorable filly was a $40,000 Lexington purchase in 2008 for Jorgen Jahre Jr. of Norway.
(With files from Pompano Park)
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