Widger Closing in on No. 4,000 (01-18-11)

Posted Tuesday January 18, 2011          

 
                                                               By Mike Paradise

  Sam Widger will go into Wednesday’s program at Balmoral Park needing only eight more winning drives to reach 4,000 for his career. The 47-year-old native of Canton, IL, who now resides with his family on a 10.5 acre farm in Beecher, is on top of both the current driver standings at the Crete track and at Maywood Park.

  Sammy spent most of last year in Indiana and still ended up as the fifth leading driver at Balmoral in 2010. He finished second in the Indiana Downs standings and third at Hoosier Park and will return to compete in Indiana when Hoosier opens up their 2011 season on March 31.

  Two other former Illinois drivers are also nearing major milestones. Going into tonight Andy Miller is eight winners away from 7,000, while Tim Tetrick needs 19 more victories to reach 6,000.

  Local Hopes in Big M Finals: The White Ruffles Series that get under way last Thursday night at The Meadowlands saw the state-bred homebred Fax Me the surprise winner at odds of 23-1 for local horsemen.  

  The1:53 4/5 first round victory assures Fax Me of a starting berth in the $43,500 White Ruffles championship on Thursday, January 27 for her Illinois based trainer Jim Eaton and owners Brent and Lynn Wilfong. Unraced at two, the now four-year-old mare will compete in the series second round this Thursday in New Jersey with Illinois native Brandon Simpson back to drive

  There are other White Ruffles Series hopefuls competing Thursday evening with prairie state connections. 

  Sure Fun Tryin’, a runner-up last week, has the outside nine slot in the fifth race first series division for trainer Tony Alagna of Steger. The second split (sixth race) will see Slippin Away, owned by Carolyn Wiley of Glenwood, take on naperville’s George and Rose Bonomo’s Only The World whose six race winning streak was snapped by Fax Me last week.

   Meanwhile Fax Me, who drew the six-slot in the eighth race third division, will find former Balmoral Park pacer Odds In Riesling to her right. Carl Porcelli Jr. trains the daughter of Artsplace for Odds On Racing of Crete.

  Odds On Racing and Porcelli already had a Series winner at The Big M when Highland Rocks sped to a 1:52.3 victory with Tim Tetrick in last Friday’s first division of opening round of the Clyde Hirt Series. Highland Rocks is expected to compete in an $18,000 second leg division this Friday but has wrapped up a starting spot in the series $90,000 (est.) Final on Saturday, January 29.

   Fixation on Repeat: The four-year-old mare Classic Obsession goes for her second straight conditioned trot victory in Balmoral’s featured sixth race Wednesday night and she’ll again have to buck the outside nine-slot to do it for her owners Tony Alagna and Mystical Marker Farms.

  Brian Carpenter again will drive Classic Obsession for trainer Donna Lee Ozment. Carpenter took the mare to the front in her winning 2:01 mile and could be heading there again when she takes on eight other trotters as the 4-1 programmed second choice. My Name Is Fink (Dean Magee) is the luke-warm 7-2 morning line favorite. 

 To view Archived Notes and Quotes click here.

 (Mike Paradise writes an additional weekly column—Trot Topics—in Saturday's The Daily Journal. The Kankakee, IL based newspaper has expanded its coverage of racing at Balmoral Park and welcomes comments and questions on Illinois harness racing. Just e-mail at harnessracing@daily-journal.com.)