The Saugeen Claiming Series continued with a pair of $8,000 second leg divisions on Wednesday night at
Hanover Raceway.
Fresh off a win in his first leg division, favourite Found Treasure went gate-to-wire to win once again for teamster Anthony Haughan and trainer George Way. The six-year-old gelding held off pocket-sitter Vegas Venom (Bruce Richardson) by half a length to win in 1:58 flat. Essence Image (Stuart Sowerby) went three-wide at the three-quarters mark to come on for third.
The win was Found Treasure’s third in a row and fourth of the season in 11 starts. Way shares ownership of the son of Mach Three-Lifes Treasure with Ronald Eaton of Brockville, ON.
Midnight Horizon, who finished second in his first leg division, also delivered on his pari-mutuel promise with a front-end effort in line to Jonathan Drury. The Bruce Goit trainee prevailed in 1:56.4 by a length and a half over D J Adonis (Ryan Holliday) and Lucky Acquisition (Bruce Richardson), who won their first leg split in a dead-heat.
Patrick Ryan of London, ON owned the three-year-old gelded son of Astreos-Countryview Miss, who was claimed for $12,000 by William Brown of Hanover, ON. Unraced at two, Midnight Horizon has won four of his 16 starts this year,
The series, for non-winners of $45,000 as of August 1, 2010 racing for an $8,000 price tag (with allowances), will wrap up with the top eight point earners competing in the $24,500 final on Saturday, September 11.
The top point earners include Found Treasure (100), Midnight Horizon (75), D J Adonis (62.5), Grinfromheretoher (50), Lucky Aquisition (49.5), Surfin Bali (30), Vegas Venom (25) and D Island Rebel, Lexilowguy and Essence Image tied for eighth with 20 points each.
A draw will be made by the race office to determine the eighth horse in the final, and the first and second also eligible.
Wednesday night was also the final night of the Hanover Raceway/Trot Magazine handicapping contest. Over 110 people took part in the event, and retired family physician Paul Fisher of Freelton was the winner with $208.80 earned in hypothetical dollars based on his selections in 30 races over the past six Wednesday night racing cards.
Fisher, the father of Trot Magazine/Standardbred Canada's Ad Director Dan Fisher, says he actually was raised in Ayton and went to school in Hanover, and now he has a cottage in Port Elgin and enjoys his Wednesday nights watching the races. In fact, Fisher says he used to own horses in the past and now enjoys relaxing with his program and pencil.
Jim Spence of Hanover finished in second place, and because Fisher is going to be residing in Florida during the Trot Canada National Handicapping Championship, he has decided to give the trip to the second place finisher. Spence finished with $187.70, while Sid Garrett of Hanover finished third with $184.80 earned over the 30 races, based on the money paid for horses finishing either first or second in each race.
The Trot Canada National Handicapping Championship will be held Saturday, October 30 at Georgian Downs in Innisfil, ON, and it features a top prize of $25,000 cash. For more qualifying dates, click here.
Hanover Raceway plays host to the Balanced Image Trot Championship this Saturday. A total of 24 horses will compete in three divisions hoping to advance to the final on Saturday, September 4. The first 100 fans to lineup at the Kiosk at 6:00 p.m. will also receive a glass paying tribute to A Worthy Lad, who was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame on August 19. A Worthy Lad was trained and driven by Bud Fritz of Walkerton and won 30 races without a loss in 1989 and 1990 before being sold to interests overseas. He earned over $400,000 during his amazing but short two-year racing career in Ontario.
(With files from Hanover)
To view Wednesday's results, click here.