Northville Downs kicked off its inaugural meet at the Barry Expo Center in Hastings, Michigan with a pair of eight-race cards on Tuesday, Aug. 12 and Wednesday, Aug. 13, with trainer Gerald Malady sweeping all three features.
The very first race of the meet, however, went to TL All Business ($3.60), who went wire-to-wire and won by two lengths in 2:07.4 in the conditioned trotting affair with Kody Massey driving. Trainer Thomas Laier and Kim Laier own the homebred eight-year-old daughter of Plesac-AJ.
A pair of $12,329 Opens highlighted the Tuesday card, with Crypto Currency going first-over to take the Open Trot. Driver David Lake had the call on the odds-on favourite, grinding from fourth in the middle-half before trotting away by 3-3/4 lengths over Broadway Liberty (Tim Driver) and Swan Leader (Charles Taylor.) James Lay owns the winning five-year-old gelded son of International Moni-Clover Market while Gerald Malady trains.
Lake and Malady teamed up to take the Fillies & Mares Open Pace as well with Go Go Lyla Jane. The 3-2 favourite worked to the lead through a quarter of :28 before leading middle-half fractions of :58.4 and 1:29.2 before coasting home and easy winner in 1:59.1 by 1-1/2 lengths. Avalon Freeze (John Moody) finished second, with Lady With No Fear (Ed Hennessey) finishing third. The four-year-old daughter of Rockin Amadeus-Rei To Go is owned by John Turigliatto and is now a 15-time winner for her career.
Malady swept all three Opens on the week as he came back on Wednesday to take the Open Pace with Born Wild for owner John Turigliatto. This time, Art McIlmurray had the call with the 1-5 favourite, getting his way through fractions of :28, :57.3 and 1:27.3 before coasting by 1-3/4 lengths in 1:59.2 over Rb (Kim Pluta) and One Lucky Dude (Kody Massey). The victory was the 20th in the career of the winning four-year-old gelded son of Well Said-Artistic Heart.
Driver Kody Massey reined seven winners over the two-day period with five coming on Wednesday’s card alone. David Lake and Art McIlmurray each had two driving winners each.
Malady had a total of four training wins over the two days while Paul Cloer Jr. and Jason Hanna each had two training wins.
Racing resumes next Tuesday, Aug. 19 in Hastings, Michigan at Northville Downs with a first race post time of 1 p.m.
(With files from Northville Downs; photo of Born Wild winning on Aug. 13)