Stag Party wins a thriller at Rosecroft

On a warm Thursday night (March 23) with temperatures in the 70’s and Rosecroft Raceway harness racing horsemen upgrading their stock, it was no surprise that Thursday night’s card turned out the way it did.

Several amazing finishes with dramatic stretch drives producing nine finishes where the winner won by less than a length and some that were super tight photos. The most dramatic came in Rosecroft’s $17,000 Preferred Pace.

Stag Party (Bettor’s Delight), a winner of almost $800,000 lifetime, continued his return to the racetrack with a win in a lifetime best 1:50.3, edging last week’s winner, Leonard’s Legacy, by the slimmest of margins. Fantastic Voyage and Sea Of Life finished third in a dead heat.

Trae Porter sent Leonard’s Legacy to the lead in :25.1 and cut fractions of :54.4 and 1:22.2, fighting off a game first over challenge from Fantastic Voyage and Jared Moyer. In the final 16th of a mile Jonathan Ahle put Stag Party in position up the rail to prevail, sprinting the last quarter in :27.4.

STAG PARTY REPLAY

It was the second win of the year for the seven-year-old stallion. The new mark erased his previous best set at age two while winning the O’Brien Award as Canada’s top two-year old pacing colt.

He has been standing in Ontario as a stud, and his first foals are of racing age this year. He is owned by the Let It Ride Stables, Bottom Line Racing, Hutt Racing Stable and West WIns Stable and is conditioned by Rosecroft’s leading trainer, Michael Hall.

Precision Blue Chip, another son of Bettor’s Delight, had been winless in 2023 until ripping off a spectacular 1:51 score for driver Russell Foster and trainer Courtney Brooks. Leaving from post two, Foster set sail with fractions of :25.4, :54.3, 1:22.1, while holding off Starship’s first over bid and Can’t Beach That closing at the wire to win by a half length. It was the 34th career win in 145 starts.

PRECISION BLUE CHIP REPLAY

Jason Thompson won three times on the night, while Jonathan Roberts, Frank Milby, Moyer, and Foster all won twice. Hall had a training triple while Thomas Lord won twice.

For complete race results, click here.

by Peter Medhurst, for Rosecroft Raceway