On Thursday night, five racehorse owners were extremely pleased. They raced in five separate races, for purses totalling more than $400,000, and they didn't face any competition.
It was "Showcase of Champions Night" at Ocean Downs, the climax of the 2013 Maryland Standardbred Race Fund (MSRF) season. Five of the races were non-wagering stakes with just one horse in each race; or in racing terms, a walkover.
$75,225 two-year-old colt trot -- Doc Banning;
$75,225 two-year-old filly trot -- Ruby Rayne;
$75,225 two-year-old filly pace -- Coming Out On Top
$75,225 two-year-old colt pace -- Spinout; and
$100,270 three-year-old colt trot -- Perfect Tententen
There were two divisions of finals that were raced on the wagering portion of the card with more than five horses, both won by 1-9 shots. The $73,000 final for three-year-old pacing colts went to Roger Hans’ Firecracker Steady, who has now won eight of nine starts this year. Another $73,000 race, this one for three-year-old fillies, went to Bonnie Ben Jamin. Both are sired by Cams Rocket, who made headlines as the sire of pacing-bred trotter Googoo Gaagaa.