A week after posting the fastest win time of the current Rosecroft Raceway meet with a 1:49 victory in a conditioned pace, Sheer Terror again cracked the 1:50 barrier on Monday, April 28, holding off Dontmesswithles for a 1:49.4 score in the $16,667 Open Pace and kicking off a five-win night for driver Jonathan Roberts.
Sent off as the 2-5 favourite, Sheer Terror pushed three-wide on the first turn to clear Dontmesswithles (Roger Plante Jr.) and a retreating Water Sports Teen (William Carter) through a :26 first quarter. Sheer Terror, who controlled middle splits of :53.3 and 1:21.2, easily turned aside a mild outside challenge from Dontmesswithles entering the far turn but had to work harder in the homestretch as his pocket rival took better aim up the open stretch. The five-year-old Always B Miki-Economy Terror gelding dug in to prevail, keeping Dontmesswithles at bay by a diminishing quarter of a length. Shethinksistilcare (Russell Foster) rallied mildly up the inside to take third, another five lengths in arrears.
Willard Reynolds trains Sheer Terror for Mark Howard of Federalsburg. Maryland. The pacer now has four victories from 13 seasonal starts and paid $2.80 to win for his second in a row. A career winner of 13 races, he has banked $182,140 from 50 starts.
Roberts also won with Manaccount (1:54, $4.20), R N B Band (1:53, $6.20), Dragon Hunter (1:54.1, $37.20) and Chalk Hanover (1:50.4, $4).
Live harness racing returns to Rosecroft on Wednesday, April 30 with a program that features the first round of the Maryland Sire Stakes for three-year-olds and a $2,514.35 Jackpot Hi-5 carryover in race 10. First post for the 13-race pari-mutuel card is 7:15 p.m.; pair of non-wagering stakes events are slated for 6:30 p.m. and 6:45 p.m.
(With files from Rosecroft Raceway)