Wednesday Notes

The most impressive winner at Delaware on Wednesday was Brian Brown’s 2YO Western Terror filly, Tipton Teez, who overcame the overland trip from hell and won The Standardbred for Yannick Gingras. She won in 55.3 at odds of 2/1.

Western Terror was the highest volume seller at Lexington Selected a year ago, but it was an exercise in futility as 41 brought a very soft average of $15,146. Tipton Teez was purchased there for $20,000. Her granddam is the Big Towner millionaire, Sweet Reflection, who won a Dan Patch at three, after winning the BC, Tarport Hap and Bronx Filly. Tipton Teez’s dam Finest Arts is a three-quarter sister to Whosurboy.

The Burke Barn took both Jugette eliminations, with Bettor N Better and Sassa Hanover, and wound up with the one, two and three posts in the final—Southwind Roulette was the third member of the trio. Sassa wired the field for Matt Kakaley, and Southwind Roulette was second. The winning driver was ecstatic. It was reminiscent of his first major stakes win with All Bets Off in the Rooney 16 months ago. Southwind Roulette, who won five times and earned 300K at two, is winless in 12 starts.

Weekend Preview, which was released a few hours before the race, carried some prescient quotes from Brett Miller about how he has won plenty of races from off the pace at Delaware, so he wasn’t too concerned about Revenge Shark drawing the seven in the second Jug elimination. That came to pass in the second split of the Buckette, when Jimmy Takter’s back bencher, the Credit Winner filly Speak To Me, came from fifth at the top of the stretch to win on the far outside at 13/1. Brett knows Delaware.

Aaaron Merriman, who left the afternoon 19 up on Ronnie Wrenn Jr in the dash contest, won the first $49,000 division of the Ohio Championship for freshman trotting fillies with Chris Beaver’s wire to wire specialist Kestral, a daughter of Triumphant Caviar. And he won the first division of the Buckette with the Andover Hall filly, Classical Annie. Beaver also won another split of the Ohio Breeders Championship with the Pilgrims Taj filly Evanora. Ryan Stahl drove her. Gingras won the Standardbred and a Jugette elimination.

***** 

It will be a big night at Hoosier Park on Saturday, and for a change the card won’t be full of those tedious ISS races. Creampuff crusher Freaky Feet Pete moves out into the unrestricted world in the Jenna’s Beach Boy, where he’ll take on North America Cup winner Wakizashi Hanover. The son of Rockin Image has won 18 races in two years, but most of them have been against hapless state bred punching bags. He drew the nine, to the six for Waki. That’s good; let him deal with a little adversity for a change. Always B Miki came out of that program and wowed everyone in Lexington. Let’s see if Pete can do the same. There are a lot of filler horses in the Jenna’s.

Natural Herbie and Creatine were announced as the US representatives to the million dollar Yonkers International earlier in the week. Creatine has been lighting it up in Europe, but Herbie has not had a good year. He has three less than consequential wins and 150K in earnings. Let’s hope he doesn’t fall flat on his face in Saturday’s Centaur Trot. He leaves from the six with Verlin Yoder.

David Miller will steer Maple Leaf winner Bee A Magician, from the nine post. Regular driver Brian Sears will stay at Yonkers, where he has nine drives, includng three in the $225,000 NYSS championship round.

Master Of Law, last year’s Centaur winner, at 21/1 for trainer Jimmy Takter, drew the ten and will be driven by Brett Miller.

The Elevation, in which JK End beat Miki two years ago and ARNRD and Sweet Lou took splits in 2011, has drawn three each from the Burke and Alagna barns and a pair from Erv Miller.

Joe FitzGerald