$200,000 Championship Finals set for Sunshine Meadows

The South Florida harness racing season concludes on Saturday, Dec.10 with eight championship finals for two-year-olds and three-year-olds with over $200,000 in purses up for grabs for Florida-breds. The races will take place at Sunshine Meadows Equestrian Village in Delray Beach, FL beginning at 11:00 am.

The general public is invited, free of charge, to attend and are reminded to bring your own lawn chairs.

The $26,200 Two-Year-Old Filly Trot kicks off the festivities with Legacy’s Jailbreak (Dontyouforgetit) attempting to stretch her unblemished record to five for towner-trainer Nick Coblemtz, who will have veteran Mike Simons in her sulky. Her perfect record thus far shows a pair of winning miles in 2:02.

Among her opponents is Atlantic Wave (Odino Jet), who also has a win in these stakes competition, that coming a week in which Legacy’s Jailbreak did not compete. Owner-trainer Serge Corona has employed Alessandro Spano for Saturday’s event.

The $26,200 Two-Year-Old Colt/Gelding Trot features six geldings and appears to be a wide-open affair as five different youngsters have reached the winner’s circle at Sunshine Meadows during this fall stakes season—Detnthecarchickie (Class Included), Prairie Nugget (Shibboleth Hanover), Seminole Moon (Shibboleth Hanover), Prairie Famous (Diamond Goal) and Rhinestone Camo (Southward Camo), last week’s winner being a maiden score in a very respectable 2:03. Prairie Nugget has the fastest mile during the fall stakes season here at 2:02 but Getnthecarchuckie has the fastest mile of this group—a qualifying win at Hoosier Park in 2:01.

The $26,200 Two-Year-Old Filly Pace features a sextet of fillies with a trio of winners during the Sunshine Meadows season—Prairie Special (Royal Millennium), Prairie Lynx (Royal Millennium) and Flo Jo (Keystone Velocity) all reaching the winners’ circle.

Both Prairie Lynx and Flo Jo have won a pair of stakes events this fall with the latter having won the last two for Mike Simons, the last one in a new life mark of 1:58:3—L57.3—:28.1. The week prior, she paced her last quarter in :27 to win in 2:00.4. Nick Coblemts trains for owner Mr. Dale Witcher II.

The $26,200 Two-Year-Old Colt/Gelding Pace also features a field of six with Gator Growl (Well Said), Easy As That (Tarver Hanover) and Gator Forty Five (McArdle) all victors this fall. Gator Forty Five comes a new life mark win of 1:59 for Kevin Wallis, who was in the sulky for Mickey McNichol, who trains for George C.L. Birkhold and Mary Birkhold.

Garor Growl owns the fastest mark of this group at Sunshine Meadows—1:58.1, he also trained by McNichol for Mr. Birkhold and Indigo Racing, while Easy As That has a win for trainer Tony Dinges and owner Lee Clarke with Wally Hennessey handling the lines.

The $25,000 Three-Year-Old Filly Trot features just a trio of ladies with G’s Independence (Big Chocolate) having dominated this group so far in her quartet of starts—the last one by 19 lengths in 2:04.2. Owned, trained and driven by Justin Mullett, G’e Independence has the fastest mark of these in 1:59.1 at The Meadows. Charis (Shibboleth Hanover) also has one win this fall, that accomplished during the absence of G’s Independence.

The $25,400 Three-Year-Old Gelding Trot features last year’s Super Night winner, Prince Of Sussex (Creatine), who has been untouchable in his four starts this fall with a 4-for-4 scorecard. Trained by Justin Mullett for Heather Wilder and Herman Brewer, Prince Of Sussex has 13 career wins in 27 starts and looks to defend his crown from last year which would push his bankroll just a “nose” short of $140,000.

The $25,800 Three-Year-Old Filly Pace features a field of five, including the new rivalry between last year’s champion, Come On Spank Me (Tellitlikeitis), and the rising star Benicio (Six Of Diamonds). Come On Spank Me has three wins during the fall with Benicio arriving in the winner’s circle on two occasions.

Come On Spank Me is trained by Tony Dinges for the Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi and will have Wally Hennessey in her bike looking to repeat her Super Night win of last year. She boasts a 1:52 mark at Hoosier Park this year with her fastest win at Sunshine Meadows being 1:55.4. Benicio chased Come On Spank Me home three times this fall and does possess the fastest mark here coming in with a 1:54.4 score. Matt Krueger will be in the bike for owner-trainer Kim Sears.

The $25,000 Three-Year-Old Gelding Pace features a trio—all of them winners at Sunshine Meadows this fall. Cowboy Cool (Western Terror) made his debut in these FSBOA stakes events last week and promptly won in 2:01.3—:28.3 for Wally Hennessey, in the bike for trainer Tony Dinges and owners Souren Hovsepian and Geoff Howles.

He sports a 1:54 mark at Tioga Downs in September. Gator At The Well (Well Said) has a pair of wins and a pair of seconds in fall competition with two of those wins coming in “match races” with young George Birkhold in the bike. Mickey McNichol trains for George Birkhold. The lightly raced Vinnie V (Six Of Diamonds) has banked $39,224 in just six lifetime starts with two of them walkover events worth a total of $32,000.

Going into Championship Saturday, Wally Hennessey is the leading driver with 10 wins, followed by Mike Simons (7), Matt Krueger (6), Justin Mullett (5) and Tony Dinges (4).

On the training side of the ledger, Dinges leads with nine, followed by Mullett (8), Nick Coblents and Mickey McNichol, both with seven, and Kim Sears (4).

Mullett, by the way is a perfect 5-for-5 in the bike and 8-for-8 in the training side.

Post time for Saturday its et for 11:00 a.m.

For complete race entries, click here.

by John Berry, for the FSBOA