Lucky Chucky Wins August Honors

The Harness Eye selection for Horse of the Month did not make the most money during August. He did not win the most races during the month, either. But Lucky Chucky posted two major stakes victories and arguably posted his best effort in his lone defeat.

Lucky Chucky began his month with the chance to capture the historic Hambletonian. He went to the gate as the favorite to win the biggest race of the year. But the son of Windsong's Legacy encountered a first over trip and came up second best in the final strides. When the dust settled, it was a gut wrenching half-length loss in 1:51.

The mark of a true champion is said to be how they respond to adversity. ‘Chucky’ returned for his next start 15 days later in the $500,000 Colonial Trot at Harrah's Chester. Regular driver John Campbell moved Chucky to the front and he easily powered away from his competition to win by more than eight lengths in 1:53.

With $625,000 deposited in the bank during August, Chucky was back in action on the final Sunday of August looking to add $67,347.50 to his growing bankroll. The loot was up for grabs in the Zweig Memorial, and Chucky was 1-9 to take it home with him. After yielding to another leaver, Campbell sent his charge to the front and they did not disappoint; winning in 1:53.3.

Lucky Chucky, who has earned over $1.4 million during his career, is owned by SGS Partners, Perretti Racing Stable, and Lindy Racing Stable. He is trained by Chuck Sylvester.

By Derick Giwner

We have been doing some summer cleaning here at Harness Eye headquarters in Port Washington. Sometimes, as anyone who holds a yard sale would know, items which are occupying too much space in your garage could be a welcome addition to another household. With that in mind I lead off today’s column with an offer: If you have interest in owning book-bound issues of Sports Eye from the 1970’s and 80’s, come on down!

Perhaps you owned a champion horse and want to recover a story written about him. Maybe you are a collector of harness racing history and are looking to fill out the spare room in your house. Whatever your interest or reason, come on down!

Just to give you a taste of what could be found in these jewels of racing past, here is what I found when flipping open a few random books from the 1980’s: A story from Clyde Hirt with the headline, “Big M Thoroughbred Future at Stake” (sounds familiar, doesn’t it); past performances, charts and entries from Yonkers, Meadowlands, Liberty Bell, Roosevelt, Brandywine, Belmont, and more; stories from Jack Rubin, Clyde Hirt, Jay Bergman, etc.

These volumes are available to anyone who contacts me at dgiwner@drf.com and is willing to come to Port Washington to collect your piece of true memorabilia. Availability will be on a strictly first-come first-served basis. We have over 100 books available for those with a taste for history. And some extra space to fill.

Now in honor of Sports Eye past, I will attempt my yearly rebirth of Clyde’s “Impertinent Questions” column.

Perhaps I’m overly optimistic, but am I the only one who believes that the racing situation in New Jersey will work itself out? After listening to two hours of testimony from Atlantic City, I came away with a positive feeling that solutions for all of New Jersey were of the utmost importance.

Click here to read the full story

Rock N Roll Heaven --- Giwner Photo

By DERICK GIWNER

CHESTER, PA - Amidst torrential downpours and picturesque displays of lightning, Harrah's Chester presented their grandest day of racing. Over $2.4 million was up for grabs with the spotlight on three-year-old trotters and pacers in the Colonial and Battle of the Brandywine.

The day began with rays of sunshine squeezing through the clouds while a strong undercard of events was presented. Then the skies opened up in a big way after the fifth race. You could barely see the tote board from the grandstand and sheets of rain poured from above. Following an inspection of the surface by the drivers, racing action resumed a bit over an hour later. The crowd slowly repopulated their seats and was around to witness some heavy-hitting stakes action.

The $500,000 Colonial was basically a Hambletonian renewal, with all but the winner (resting a creaky back) signed on. Lucky Chucky, who was sent off at a miniscule .30 cents on the dollar, went directly to the front with regular pilot John Campbell. Cassis was pocketed in second and Temple Of Doom came away third.

The field remained in that alignment as Pilgrims Taj took a shot first over while the field passed the half in a pedestrian 57.3-seconds. But Lucky Chucky was having none of that today. He quickly dispersed of `Taj' at the three-quarter pole as the rain made another appearance from off the far turn. While Chucky was opening up with every stride he appeared to be bringing the rain cloud down the stretch with him and fans began to flee for cover. When the mud settled, Chucky was an eight-plus length winner over a willing Temple Of Doom in 1:53.

"He was trotting comfortably and he was relaxed. When you get a breather like that with a horse like that, he is tough to run down," said Campbell after taking winner's circle pictures in a brief downpour.

While the fans were running for cover, Campbell was left to do his job.

"You could feel [rain] around the last turn. It started coming down in big drops; you definitely notice that during a race," said Campbell.

As wonderful as the performance by Chucky was, the attention getter was clearly a rainbow that formed from the far turn directly over the backstretch just after the race. Was it a sign from above?

"My son did that," said trainer Chuck Sylvester referring to his son Troy who passed away from injuries sustained in an ATV accident last August. "He passed away a year ago and we tried to have a memorial for him in Kentucky. It was perfect. When we went out to have the memorial it just poured down rain on us for 10 minutes. Here we go out there now and it pours down rain on us and quits as soon as the race is over. So, we blame that on Troy."

Perhaps Campbell summed up the moment best.

"That's a Troy Sylvester rainbow."

As emotional and invigorating as the Colonial turned out, another half-million was still up for grabs in the Battle of the Brandywine. The one-two finishers from the Meadowlands Pace (One More Laugh & Rock N Roll Heaven) were back for a rematch against six others.

Though the favorites were on the inside, it was World Of Rocknroll from post six who stole the early show as driver George Brennan put the gas pedal down and motored through the opening half in 26.1- and 53.4-seconds. The chalk was in chase on the rim as Delmarvalous (4-1) was first to the outside followed closely by One More Laugh (7-5) and Rock N Roll Heaven (9-5).

One by one they cleared the tired leader. Delmarvalous held the lead into the stretch before One More Laugh took his turn. But Rock N Roll Heaven had dead aim on his rival from five weeks earlier and was loaded with pace in the stretch. The Bruce Saunders trainee exploded in the final stages to win by a widening 2 1/2 lengths in a sparkling 1:48.4 (stakes record) over a "good" track.

"I was following a good horse. I knew that one could carry me to the top of the stretch easily," said driver Dan Dube, who only recently returned to the bike after an accident sidelined him and robbed him of the drive behind Rock N Roll Heaven in the Meadowlands Pace. "[Rock N Roll Heaven] was the reason I wanted to come back so quickly," remarked Dube." I thank them for putting me back on."

"You don't win races like this every day. You want to cherish the moment and the memories," said Saunders.

Now that Lucky Chucky and Rock N Roll Heaven are back in the win column, their connections both have decisions to make for the rest of the year. `Team Chucky' has the near future mapped out, while the path for Rock N Roll Heaven, like the skies above him, remains cloudy.

"Next week is the Zweig memorial at Tioga, then up to Canada (for the Canadian Trotting Classic)," said Sylvester.

"We'll probably go to Yonkers and school either this Friday or the following Friday; see how he is on a half-mile track," said Saunders. "The next thing that he has on his agenda is the Little Brown Jug. The issue with the Jug is that it is two heats nine days before the Breeders Crown. The Jug is in Ohio and the Breeders Crown is in Pennsylvania. And I still contend the Breeders Crown is a crucial race for Rock N Roll Heaven to win if he wants to be the three-year-old Colt of the Year. I wouldn't want to do anything with regard to the Little Brown Jug that would compromise his chances to win the Breeders Crown. After the Breeders Crown well go to Lexington for the Bluegrass, then we have the two events (Progress & Matron) down at Dover."

`Show' continues on

Just before the dynamic duo of $500,000 events, the $350,000 Valley Forge for three-year-old fillies was contested. The continued rivalry of Put On A Show and Dancinwiththestarz was renewed. The two have been meeting since qualifying action back in May, with `Starz' coming out ahead in their richest contest to date, the $275,000 Mistletoe Shalee.

The pair came away third and fourth. `Show' moved to the front first and `Starz' followed, leading the talented ladies into the stretch by a bit more than a length. But it was time for a `Show' in the stretch and when driver Tim Tetrick called on his filly, Put On A Show responded with a strong surge to win by open lengths in 1:50.1 over a then listed sloppy surface.

"She was very, very good; strong all the way," said Tetrick.

Other notables The talented yet camera shy in big events Rockin Image came up short again with big money ($200,000) on the line. He made an impressive move to the front past the half but tired badly to be a well beaten sixth.

Presidential Order, who was claimed for just $15,000 in May, took home his eleventh consecutive win in a $50,000 open event. The Lou Pena-trained gelding paid an amazing $8.20 despite his recent success.

Considering the bad weather, Director of Racing Barry Brown was hopeful that handle would remain flat from the previous Super Stakes Sunday and remained optimistic despite spending much of his day in the rain.

"This is a great day. Every track should have a super day of racing like this," said Brown.

Lucky Chucky returns at Chester Sunday

By Derick Giwner

With all due respect to Hambletonian Day, Chester’s Super Stakes Sunday on August 22 has attracted many of the games' best horses and will certainly rank as one of the top racing days of the year.

The glamour boys of the harness game are the three year olds and they are out on the trot and pace in full force. The $500,000 Colonial will showcase the trotters, while the similarly funded Battle of the Brandywine hosts the pacers.

While the Hambletonian winner Muscle Massive elected to skip the rich Colonial, the second through fifth and seventh through ninth finishers all came to play (sixth place finisher Mystery Photo goes to post in a consolation event due to lack of earnings).

Of course the battles are won on the track but all eyes will clearly be focused on Lucky Chucky. The Hambletonian favorite came up just short after an uncovered trip in the sports most prestigious event. Now driver John Campbell will try to get the talented son of Windsong’s Legacy back to the winner’s circle at the likely price of 4-5 or lower.

The battle for second choice in the Colonial will likely come down to Pilgrims Taj or Temple Of Doom. The former picked up his game dramatically by winning his Hambletonian elimination but was jammed in along the cones in the final and had no chance at a board spot. The latter was a model of consistency entering the Hambo. Unfortunately he fell victim to post nine and could only rally for a small check.

Other interesting entrants include Hard Livin, Wishing Stone and Cassis. Hard Livin displayed his usual early speed in the Hambo but lacked any staying power. On the smaller five-eighths oval he could certainly have a bigger say. Wishing Stone is a one-run type. If the pace is hot he is quite capable of picking up the pieces. Cassis was one of the favorites in the big dance after clocking the fastest elimination race. But ambitious fractions took their toll on the handy son of Cantab Hall.

Rounding out the field for the Colonial (race 11) are Shaq Is Back and On The Tab.

The co-feature on the docket is the $500,000 Battle of the Brandywine for second year pacers. The headliner is certainly Meadowlands Pace winner One More Laugh. Since his Pace win, the Ray Schnittker trainee came back to be a solid second in the Oliver Wendell Holmes and torched a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes field right here at Chester in a spiffy 1:51.1.

Serving up the competition will be Pace runner-up Rock N Roll Heaven and Adios and Holmes winner Delmarvalous. Rock N Roll went a monster mile in the Meadowlands Pace only to lose out at the wire to a fresher foe. Three weeks later he was back with another gutsy second place finish in the Holmes. With this division wide open, a win on Sunday would go a long way to putting him back in the mix for year end honors. Delmarvalous is the “now” horse in the class. After eight winless and mostly nondescript starts, he posted an unbelievably brave effort in winning the Adios and followed it up by besting One More Laugh in the Holmes.

“I think (Delmarvalous) has shown he can beat some of the better horses,” trainer George Teague said to Harness Racing Communications. “I think he shows the same talent as a lot of those other horses. He’s definitely going to be a factor (in the Battle of the Brandywine) if he races like he did in his last start. That was pretty good stuff.”

The top three will take the bulk of the action, but We Will See should get some consideration. The Sam De Pinto trained colt has had his way in PaSS action and held his own against the big boys in the Adios and North America Cup.

Rounding out the grouping for the Battle of the Brandywine (race 12) is: BGs Folly, World Of Rocknroll, Fred And Ginger and Versado.

The best three year old pacing fillies are also in action at Harrah’s Chester on Sunday in the $350,000 Valley Forge. Mistletoe Shalee winner Dancinwiththestarz and her arch rival Put On A Show are the standout performers. The former has never finished worse than second in nine 2010 starts and the latter’s only sub second place finish was in the Shalee where she couldn’t handle a first over trip.

In addition to the big stakes action, each of the aforementioned races is complimented by a pair of consolation races. The Colonial and Battle of the Brandywine both feature $100,000 and $200,000 events. Meanwhile the Valley Forge will be represented by $75,000 and $150,000 secondary races.

The biggest name on the undercard is undoubtedly Rockin Image. Fresh off a win in the Oliver Wendell Holmes, “Image” already has three sub-1:49 winning efforts on his résumé but has fallen short in the sports biggest races.

Post time for the star studded 14-race card at Harrah’s Chester in Pennsylvania is 2pm.

Muscle Massive heads to the track Here they come in Hambo 2010!

Photos and Story By Derick Giwner

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - Whether you are attending Hambletonian Day at the Meadowlands as a fan, a driver, a trainer, or covering the events as a writer, it can be a grueling grind of a day. Fans and bettors must manage their money through a long card. Drivers and trainers must deal with their horses, bad trips, and a slew of questions from the media. I can attest that standing for two-plus hours in the winner's circle does little to help my back.

For trainer Jimmy Takter Hambo Day 2010 started with a bang as his first starter (Thatsnotmyname) won the $437,000 Merrie Annabelle. But the jubilation was short lived.

In the $500,000 Peter Haughton Memorial, Takter sent out the heavily favored Leader Of The Gang and second choice Pastor Stephen. Leader Of The Gang set most of the pace and tired. Pastor Stephen, however, crossed the wire first, only to be taken down for interference on the backstretch.

After an uneventful race from his longshot In Focus in the Nat Ray, Takter would send out three in the Hambletonian. Muscle Massive placed Takter back to the top of the ride when he won the $1.5 million Hambo. Rockin Image kept Takter on cloud nine when his sophomore pacer won the $115,000 Oliver Wendell Holmes.

Disappointment, though, was right around the corner when his favored Vintage Master came up short in the $185,000 US Pacing Championship.

That is the life of a top trainer. Extreme highs and lows are the norm when you train top flight stock. Nine starters, three wins and one that almost was.

More than two-thirds through the day and following his Hambletonian win, Takter wasn't quite all smiles about the wild ride that was his Hambo Day.

"I spoke to every horseman in the business. Guys that I don't even know have come up to me and said that is the worst (call) they have ever seen. To be quite honest, I'm such a weird guy, I'm still very upset," said Takter on the disqualification on Pastor Stephen.

"I'm very upset because I'm a perfectionist. [The judges] took that win from my owners. [Owners] didn't get the opportunity to stand in the winner's circle because [the judges] made a bad error. I think that's wrong.

"I'm still mad."

Takter, as many horsemen do, takes special pride in his work. He is not in the claiming game picking horses up from other trainers each night and racing them back the following week. He heads to the sales armed with strong financial support and goes to work teaching his new pupils how to trot and pace, and eventually win.

"You know I have nine horses racing here today and I take a lot of pride in it because every single one I developed from scratch," said Takter. "The feeling to take a horse, you pick him up at a sale and bring him here to win the Hambletonian, it is extra special."

Muscle Massive turned into one of Takter's success stories. With six in-the-money finishes and three wins in seven starts, Muscle Massive had the looks of a player coming into the Hambletonian final. But the public was looking elsewhere as he went behind the gate as the 6.50-1 fourth choice.

Regular driver Ron Pierce left with Muscle Massive and established good position in the pocket. The duo waited patiently as favored Lucky Chucky and driver John Campbell attacked and began to edge past the early leader Cassis passing the three quarter marker.

In the stretch Pierce took aim with "Massive" and the son of Muscles Yankee-Graceful Touch responded with a strong rally to capture the Hambletonian in a sharp 1:51 final clocking.

"When I got him on the track and scored him down, I saw how good he was. I knew it was going to take a bad drive to get the colt beat," said Pierce.

"I felt really comfortable going around the first turn when I landed in the two-hole. When John (Campbell) pulled up along side of us around the last turn, I got a little concerned because he had a chance to lock us in. But when he went by us that was a relief and I knew it was looking good," recalled Pierce.

Second place finisher Lucky Chucky went another big mile in defeat but came up a half-length shy.

"It was just unlucky. I needed the outer tier to follow me up and keep [Muscle Massive] in. I looked around and nobody could keep up, which is very unusual in a race like that," said Campbell. Wishing Stone rallied nicely for third while elimination winner Pilgrims Taj was locked in most of the mile and settled for fourth.

The victory by Muscle Massive pushed his career bankroll to $995,192 for owners Brixton Medical Ab, Order By Stable, Louie Camara and Mkatz Alibfeld. Ups and downs aside, Takter's horses banked over $1 million on the day.

Bar Slide captures Oaks

With a slick drive by Tim Tetrick, who slid Bar Slide out of the pocket before three quarters and opened up a huge lead, Bar Slide scored the slight upset victory in the $750,000 Hambletonian Oaks.

"If I don't pull I'm definitely going to get beat, so it made the race," said Tetrick.

"I was going to pull as soon as I had to because I knew that other mare couldn't take me to the top of the lane. I was watching Brian's (Sears) horse really close and I could see she was getting tired. I knew I could zip around her when I needed to."

Ultimate Cameron left for position and rallied nicely late for second. Springtime Volo was third.

Bar Slide more then doubled her career earnings with the victory. She has earned over $550k for Fredericka Caldwell and Bluestone Farms LLC.

Records were falling early

It was like a broken record. Race after race tracks records were going by the waist side.

Buck I St Pat waited behind live cover and pounced on the leaders to take the Perretti Matchmaker in 1:51, a track record for four-year-old mares. Next up was Thatsnotmyname. The rookie trotting filly made a quick move to the front and never had a true anxious moment as she posted the third win in her four-race career. She stopped the tele-timer in a brisk 1:55 and equaled the track record set here by Macaria Hanover in November of 2005.

The trend continued in the US Pacing Championship when the favored Shark Gesture was cruising along on the lead before Hypnotic Blue Chip stunned him with a charge on the final turn. Driver Jody Jamieson went from fourth to first in a flash and easily held sway in a stunning 1:47.2. The final clocking eclipsed the mark of 1:47.3 set by Jenna's Beach Boy (1996) and Lis Mara (2006).

But hold the presses!

Put On A Show, perhaps the heaviest favorite on the Hambo Day card (sent off at 1-5), went first over in the Mistletoe Shalee and just couldn't overcome the fractions (:27.1, :55.0, 1:21.2) being posted by Dancinwiththestarz. When the dust settled ©Starzª crossed the wire first in a miraculous 1:48.4, knocking one tick off the co-world record set by Not Enough last year on Hambo Day. With Put On A Show finishing out of the money, the tote board received a workout. Rock N Soul, who finished second, paid $50.60 to place and $133.80 to show. Third place finisher A And Gs Princess paid a hefty $48.80 to show.

Other stakes winners were: Likeabatoutahell (Vincenes), The Lindy Reserve (Peter Haughton), Slave Dream (Nat Ray), Won The West (US Pacing-div two), On The Glass (Lady Liberty), and Delmarvalous (Holmes-div two).

A crowd of 26,712 (up 4% from 2009) came out to enjoy the festivities. Total handle was $8,391,600; placing 2010 third on the all-time Hambo Day wagering list.