Iowa racing features held at What Cheer
–from the Iowa Harness Horse Association
What Cheer, IA — The Keokuk County Fairgrounds hosted a weekend of Iowa-Registered racing on Saturday and Sunday (Aug 17 &18). With only four meets left to accumulate points toward the 2019 Iowa-Registered Finals, fifteen fields of feature 2- and 3-year-olds battled to work their way up or stay on top of the points standings.
Top 3-year-old trotting colt Ricky Be Sharp added another win to his 2019 campaign. The son of American Native took the early lead out of post position four and led wire-to-wire in 2:06.1. Owned, trained and driven by Lorenza Gooch, Ricky Be Sharp has six wins in eight starts. The second division of 3-year-old trotting colts went to JR’s Broadway in 2:07.4, an upset win for the Broadway or Bust gelding that is owned, trained and driven by Gary Liles.
Second ranked 3-year-old trotting filly CR Blaze edged out top filly Bankn-On-Emily in the fastest division of 3-year-old trotting fillies. Both fillies had won their divisions last week at Humboldt, but the Huffman Stable’s CR Blaze crossed the wire first by a length to win in 2:03 with Rob Anderson in the bike. Eighty’s Mercedes, a 3-year-old filly by the Ohio sire Clocked At Eighty, took the other division in 2:05.1 for Set the Pace Racing, LLC.
Two-year-old trotting colt Lone Star Tap found the winners circle for the second time in August. The Claudius Augustus gelding has finished no worse than third in all his Iowa-Registered starts. Trained and driven by Brandon Jenson, Lone Star Tap powered home taking the lead in the final stretch for his 2:08.3 win. Top 2-year-old trotting colt Itsonlymoneyhoney finished first by four lengths to take the other division in 2:09.4 for trainer and driver Dan Roland.
Top filly Battle Queen continued to dominate the 2-year-old trotting fillies in a 2:07.2 performance. Owned, trained and driven by Gary Liles, Battle Queen had the fastest last quarter of the weekend for a winning trotter, coming home in 29 seconds. The second division of 2-year-old trotting fillies went to CR Valentine in 2:07.3. A full sister to 3-year-old winner CR Blaze, CR Valentine is also trained by the Hufflman Stable and was driven by Rob Anderson.
Leading pacing gelding Oh Toodles held off a tough field of 3-year-olds to take the only division of pacing colts in 2:00. Trained and driven by Scott Smith, Oh Toodles sprinted off the gait to take the early lead. He was challenged throughout the mile by My Money Honey parked at his side, who had just come off of two wins. Oh Toodles edged ahead in the final turn and came home in 29.2 for the win for owners Debbie Philipp and Shirley Smith.
Three-year-old filly Jumping Jillybean is the only undefeated competitor in Iowa-Registered racing. With no starts her 2-year-old year, the daughter of Panpacificflight has lost no time proving her prowess in 2019. In another wire-to-wire performance, Jumping Jillybean paced a 2:00.4 mile with Adam Hauser in the bike upping her perfect record to five for owner Set The Pace Racing, LLC. The second division went to Nat A Cam in 2:02.1 in her first feature win of 2019 for owner Keith Carey.
The top pair of 2-year-old pacing colts each won their respective divisions. Hailing from the Curtis Carey Stable, Slippin The Clutch took the first division in 2:03.3. Will Roland piloted the Millionaire Cam colt to the front off the gait and gradually increased his lead throughout the mile. Slippin The Clutch came home in 30.3 in another win for owners Jesse Delong, Jeff Carey, and Rick & CD Huffman. Top 2-year-old pacer Waco Sassy Kid drew in a mixed division of fillies and colts and easily bested the field in a 2:04.4 mile. Trained by Lorenza Gooch and driven by Brett Erickson, Waco Sassy Kid brings his 2019 Iowa-Registered tally to five wins and one second in six starts.
Coming off a win last week, 2-year-old Jennie Ann led the first division of pacing fillies from gait-to-wire to take the mile in 2:03.4. Owned, trained and driven by Rob Anderson, the win bumps Jennie Ann from third to second in the points standings for the 2019 Iowa-Registered Finals. The second division of 2-year-old pacing fillies went to first time feature winner Lucy In The Sky. In a tough trip beginning in post position seven from the second tier, the Hot Pans filly and driver Cory Larson picked off her competitors as the race progressed until she gained the lead, parked first, at the three-quarters before taking mile in 2:07.4.
The final day of Iowa Sires Stakes racing will be next Saturday (August 24) at the Humboldt County Fairgrounds with a 12:30 post time. Iowa-Registered racing resumes in two weeks at the Keokuk County Fairgrounds at What Cheer on Labor Day weekend, Saturday (August 31) and Sunday (September 1). Post time is 12:30.
Category: RACE RESULTS