News & Notes
With 10 nights in the books for the fall meet, the trainer and driver standings indicate a competitive racing program at Rosecroft.
Heading in to the Sunday, Oct. 21, program, Arlene Cameron leads all trainers with 9 wins, four more than John Hollingsworth and Megan Roberts, who each have 5. Six trainers each have 4 victories: Buddy Bright, Eric Foster, Michael Hall, Jerry Nock, Sheldon Powell and Brian Wright.
When statistics for the winter/spring meet are added, the top five trainers by wins at Rosecroft this year are Cameron (32), Roberts (25), Hollingsworth (22), Ken Schlotzhauer (20) and Brittany Bounds (19).
On the driver side, Russell Foster leads the way with 21 victories at the fall meet, followed by Frank Milby (16), Jonathan Roberts (15), and Jason Thompson and John Wagner, each with 11. In all, 12 drivers have at least five wins for the meet.
In-the-money (top-three finishes) percentage stats for drivers with 10 or more starts during the current meet show Sean Bier at the top at 63%, followed by Tony Morgan (57%), Roberts (56%), Foster (47%), and Tyler Davis and John Gazzerro, each at 44%.
Those numbers are in keeping with in-the-money stats when the winter/spring and fall meets are combined: Bier is on top at 61%, followed by Roberts (49%); Richard Still and Gazzerro (each at 46%); and Bret Brittingham and Foster, each at 45%.
Overall for 2018 through Oct. 17, the leading horses by wins are Abelard Hanover, Capital Builder and Fashion Smile, each with 6, with Winter Games close behind with 5. The top 25 has nine horses with 4 wins and 12 with 3 victories.
Here’s a look at a few races on the Sunday, Oct. 21, program, which begins at 4:40 p.m.:
Race 5
It’s unusual to see a Standardbred claimed in three consecutive races around here, let alone at Shenandoah Downs (Woodstock) in Virginia, but that was the case with Always A Tiger, who had done decent work on the five-eighths-mile track at Tioga Downs this summer. Brian Tomlinson jumped in for $6,000 in the gelding’s second Shenandoah race; his previous trainer claimed him back for $6,000 in his next start, and then Tomlinson came back again—this time for $8,000—in his final Virginia race.
Always A Tiger now shows up in a condition event for Tomlinson and should appreciate the return to the bigger track; 6-1 computerized morning-line odds may be generous for a horse with a legit shot in a so-so second-level condition test.
Race 6
Major Blue Coat improved greatly on the drop last week and now drops to the bottom condition given the “Maryland Preferred” earnings threshold. He can blast away and get the lead or a two-hole trip in here and has done well with Richard Still driving in the past.
Race 10
If there’s an indication how competitive the top Open pace has been so far during the fall meet, look no further than the fact five different horses have won. There are many ways to go in the top event this week, including with Super Imposed N, who rallied fairly well from ninth to third (:29 closing quarter-mile) in a “non-winners of $6,000 in the last 5 starts” condition event last week from post 8. He had missed the previous two weeks after a rough first-up trip at Rosecroft in the Open 2, draws inside tonight and is due for a return to his best form.