When a local horse, with a local trainer, and a local driver wins a $50,286 Sire Stakes race on their home track, the place goes wild. That’s exactly what happened
Friday night as So Over, driven by Ray Fisher, Jr., and trained by Jim Graham, won in season’s best 1:55.4 for the Cadesway Stables of Alden, New York.
There were both tears of joy and sadness, as driver Ray Fisher Jr., proclaimed in the winner’s circle, “Eddie Dee is looking down on us,” this in reference to one of Cadesway’s owners, Eddie Dee, who passed away last December.
“Eddie always wanted a stakes caliber horse,” said his widow Eileen Dee. “He would have been so proud of this night.”
So Over ($25.40), dismissed by the bettors at 11-1, settled in fourth as Quinnman (Jack Flanigen) hit the quarter-pole in :29. Eventual second place finisher Test Of Will (Stephane Bouchard) re-took the lead and hit the half in :57.2. Third place finisher Bombay Away (Sam Caruso, Jr.) brushed to the lead down the backstretch and hit the three-quarters in 1:26.3. All this early action set it up perfectly for So Over as the three-year-old son of Artiscape unleashed a :28.4 last quarter-mile to win by one-half length at the wire.
“The trip went perfect,” said Fisher. “Caruso’s horse pushed the pace, the big favourite broke and I had a perfect second over trip with cover.”
It was the second win in nine attempts this season for So Over, and the $25,143 share of the winning purse put his season’s earnings at $33,585 and $69,054 lifetime.
In other Sire Stakes races, Bettors Glass ($9.80), driven by local reinsman Chris Page, won in 1:55 for owners Linda Glassford and The Stake Your Claim Stables. It was the first lifetime win for Bettors Glass, who was coupled in the wagering with the Flipper J (Scott Zeron).
“I had to stick up for the other half of the entry,” said Page with a laugh. “This is a really nice colt, that’s only going to get better.”
The fastest Sire Stakes race of the night was turned in by Mojo Terror and driver Stephane Bouchard. Mojo Terror ($3.00) was timed in 1:54.2 for owner Bulletproof Enterprise of Oley, Pennsylvania. The three-year-old Western Terror gelding went wire-to-wire, setting all the fractions, :28.3, :58.1 and 1:27.1.
“This is a really fast horse,” said Bouchard. “He gets through the turns really nice.”
Chris Oaks trains Mojo Terror, who now has eight wins in 15 attempts.
(Buffalo Raceway)