Full Send (Jim Morand) returns to the paddock after capturing the $14,000 Preferred Handicap at Rosecroft Raceway on Saturday night in 1:50.3 for trainer Eli Scott, Jr.
Call Me Goo (Jonathan Roberts) receives the ceremonial blanket among a bevy of connections after capturing the $85,000 Maryland Sire Stakes Final for three-year-old filly trotters last Tuesday evening in 1:58.1 for trainer Jason Skinner.
Full Send (Jim Morand) returns to the paddock after capturing the $14,000 Preferred Handicap at Rosecroft Raceway on Saturday night in 1:50.3 for trainer Eli Scott, Jr.
Staff photos by Ted Black
Call Me Goo (Jonathan Roberts) receives the ceremonial blanket among a bevy of connections after capturing the $85,000 Maryland Sire Stakes Final for three-year-old filly trotters last Tuesday evening in 1:58.1 for trainer Jason Skinner.
Last Saturday evening, shortly after novice and serious racing fans alike witnessed National Treasure capture the latest edition of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Rosecroft capped a busy spring meet with a solid program impacted somewhat by a late evening storm.
Saturday offered Rosecroft the chance to put the finishing touches on its winter-spring meet as well as honor its top equine and human performers over the past four months. Catch driver Jonathan Roberts edged clear from Johnathan Ahle to capture the driving title, while Mike Hall clearly won the training title. Throughout the spring, Roberts was the primary pilot for Hall trainees.
In the featured $20,000 Preferred Pace for older pacers, Full Send (Jim Morand) forged a genuine 21-1 shocker when he gained command in a 25.3 opener, rolled by the half in 53.2 and by three-quarters in 1:21.1 and outlasted the late surge of Fantastic Voyage for a length score in 1:50.3. Morand, a perennial driving champion at Rosecroft in the 1990’s, is approaching 10,000 wins in his career.
A six-year-old Western Ideal gelding trained by Eli Scott, Jr. for the Chesapeake Equine Clinic, Full Send recorded his fifth win in 15 seasonal outings and he now owns 29 victories and nearly $250,000 in career earnings from 113 lifetime tries after prevailing over a “good” track while rebuffing several foes through torrid fractions.
One race earlier in the 3-5-Year-Old Open, Stunners Wish (Tony Morgan) forged a ild upset as the 9-5 second choice when he gained command soon after the start and rebuffed a late bid from Transparency to score in 1:53. A five-year-old Rusty’s For Real gelding trained by Tim Crissman, Stunners Wish posted his second straight score and now owns a 17-10-8 slate and nearly $190,000 banked from 62 career tries.
Also on Saturday night Rosecroft honored its leading driver for the meet, Jonathan Roberts, and trainer, Mike Hall, as well as its top pacers, Somegirlsomewhere A and Leonard’s Legacy. Somegirlsomewhere A won four of 10 starts at the meet for trainer Steve LeBlanc and owner Robert Cacamese to earn top distaffer, while Leonard’s Legacy recorded five wins in 15 outings in the Preferred for trainer Basil Sapienza and owner-breeder Leonard Hubbard.
Five days earlier on the final Tuesday card of the meet, Rosecroft hosted a quartet of $85,000 Maryland Sire Stakes finals for three-year-olds of both gaits and genders. Offered as the first four races on the Tuesday card, the four MDSS finals presented a equal mix of successful favorites and stunning upsets.
In the opener on the card, Phoenix Rising (Frank Milby) forged a 35-1 shocker when she benefited from a pocket trip behind 1-5 favorite Val’s Girl (Roger Plante, Jr.) through the first three calls, angled to the passing lane and just got up for a nose score in 1:54 in the MDSS final for three-year-old filly pacers. A sophomore daughter of Movie Ideal owned, bred and trained by Frank Gannon, III, Phoenix Rising recorded her third win in nine ties this year and 13 overall.
Val’s Girl, a sophomore daughter of Rusty’s For Real trained by Steve LeBlanc, suffered her first setback in three starts this year and 13 career outings. She had been the dominant force among her age, gait and gender through the first three rounds of the series dating back to last fall but in her last local outing.
One race later in the MDSS final for three-year-old pacing colts & geldings, Smooth Rocket (Russell Foster) lived up to his role as the 3-10 favorite when he benefited from a pocket trip to the half, angled out before three-quarters then wore down Babes All In (Jared Moyer) for a gritty nose victory in 1:52. A sophomore son of Cam’s Rocket trained by Megan Foster for owner-driver Russell Foster, Smooth Rocket notched his fourth win in five starts this year and now owns nine wins and nearly $140,000 banked from 13 career tries.
“I had to pull with him when I did otherwise I might have got caught in,” Foster said. “He raced good the last part of it.”
Then one race later in the MDSS final for three-year-old filly trotters, Call Me Goo (Jonathan Roberts) lived up to her role as the 3-5 choice when she gained command early, got a breather to the half and held sway late for a two-length score in 1:58.1. A sophomore daughter of Googoo Gaagaa trained by Jason Skinner for Graham Grace Racing, Call Me Goo recorded her third win in five starts this year and seventh score in 11 career outings.
Then in the last of the quartet of MDSS finals, Jewett (John Wagner) picked the ideal time to record his first win of the season when he forged a 42-1 shocker in the final for sophomore trotting boys. Trained and driven by Wagner, Jewett posted his first win in four starts this year and just his second score in 11 career outings while stopping the timer in 1:59.2.
