The countdown to Super Night 2010 continued on Sunday at Balmoral Park with the final three eliminations for Illinois’ biggest night of racing being contested
. A total of eight championship tilts will be contested by Illinois’ finest pacers and trotters on Saturday, September 18 with more than $1.5 million in purse money up for grabs.
Sunday night’s action began with a field of ten sophomore trotting fillies looking for seven open spots in the $100,000 Lady Ann Reed Stake. They will be joined by Merry High, Powerful Bella and Fox Valley Click, who received byes into the final on a money earned basis.
Taking home top honours in the $12,000 elimination was Anthony Munoz and Carol O’Brien’s Fox Valley Ripple as she rallied in the final strides to win by a half-length in a career best of 1:55.4.
After getting away fifth driver JD Lewis moved the Robert Taylor trainee to the outside as the field neared the half-mile mark. Despite losing his cover as Claires Rose (Brandon Simpson) moved back to the inside at the top of the stretch Lewis kept after the daughter of Vaporize-Recoopment and she responded gamely as she wore down the pacesetting Southern Maebelle (Brian Carpenter) to win for the second time in seven starts this season.
Southern Maebelle turned in a solid effort to hang on for second after starting from Post 10, while Kfspictureperfect (Leroy Miller) shook loose late to finish third. Also gaining spots in the final were Fox Valley Sienna, Southern Jen E B, St Louis Holiday and Claires Rose.
The trotting action continued with a total of 15 diagonally-gaited three-year-old colts battling in a pair of $12,000 Su Mac Lad Stake eliminations. The top five finishers in each elimination will be back next Saturday to go for a $105,000 jackpot.
In the first elimination Sue Phillips and Jerald and Donna Viviani’s Showmeyourstuff did just that as he trotted to a one-length victory in 1:58.1 for a red-hot Marcus Miller.
After getting away last in the field of seven Miller moved the son of Armbro American-Pine Bough to the outside with five-eighths of a mile to go. Picking up live cover from Big Bucks (Brandon Simpson) as the field headed around the turn Miller had Showmeyourstuff in a perfect second over position as the field turned for home. After a tiring Run And Tell Pap (Mike Cox) made a break with a sixteenth of a mile to go Showmeyourstuff then found his best stride as he rallied in time to notch his fifth win in 14 starts this year.
Gumcorner Road (Connel Willis) was second while MA Cody (Brian Carpenter) finished third. Somore Set and Big Bucks finished in a dead heat for fourth to earn spots in the final.
The second elimination went to Kjell Magne Andersen’s Rock Hollywood, who was sent off as the odds-on choice in the eight-horse affair. He made his return to the Prairie State a winning one scoring by a well-measured three-quarters of a length in 1:55.2.
After sitting in the pocket through the opening quarter, driver Tyler Buter sent the gelded son of Psychic Spirit to the front as the field headed towards the half-mile mark. The issue was never really in doubt from that point on as the Mike Brink trainee comfortably held off the pocket-sitting Leaveitonthetrack (Robert Smolin) to post his third win in eight starts this season.
Leaveitonthetrack gave trainer Jerald Viviani another starter in next week’s final with his second-place performance while Powerful Speed (Todd Warren) finished third. The last two spots in the final went to Super Sonic Flash and Muscatine.
The last of the elimination action featured filly and mare pacers as a total of 19 distaffers battled in a pair of $12,000 Lorna Propes Stake eliminations. The top five finishers in each division will slug it out for a purse of $115,000 on Super Night.
In the first elimination Kay Willis and Richard Beere’s Native Hotspur came charging down the lane to score by a half-length in 1:51.3.
The daughter of Ft Apache Hanover came away eighth from her outside starting spot but was immediately placed into a live outer flow by driver Mike Oosting. Steadily gaining ground as the field raced around the final bend the Nelson Willis-trained miss narrowly avoided several traffic jams as she worked her way into striking position. Taking aim on the pacesetting Linden Beauty (Dale Hiteman), last year’s third-place finisher in the Grandma Ann proceeded to uncork a wicked :26.2 final quarter to post her fourth win in 19 starts this year.
Linden Beauty held on gamely for second while Joinusforsomefun (Sam Widger) was third. Pride Park and Helens Place Girl also gained starting spots in the final with their fourth and fifth place finishes.
As was the case on Saturday night, the final elimination of the night on Sunday also produced the longest price of the night as L And L Devisser LLC’s My Heart Was True, a 14-1 longshot, posted a neck upset in 1:51.1.
Despite leaving from Post 9 driver Brandon Simpson managed to get the daughter of Cole Muffler away in sixth through the opening quarter. Moving up first-over as the field raced down the backside the Nick Giberson-trained four-year-old gradually pulled alongside the pacesetting Townes Party Girl (Todd Warren) at the top of the stretch. With the tiring leader bearing out in the stretch Simpson moved his charged to the inside where she gamely wore down the leader while holding off a late charge up the inside from Fox Valley Absolut (Robert Smolin). Townes Party Girl held on for third. The final two spots on Super Night went to Dee Dee Sage and Fox Valley Topaz.
(Balmoral Park)