Published: July 02, 2008 09:16 am            

Amateur drivers impress at Newton

NEWTON — The fastest times so far at the 138th Annual Jasper County Fair were turned in by amateur drivers as harness racing continued on a 12-race card Monday at Newton.

Eighteen-year-old Issac Love drove five-year-old gelding Ata Ata to a 1:59 4/5 minute mile in the second division of the $375 amateur driving pace, open to all pacers driven by horsemen who have never taken monetary compensation for their duties.

It was an easy win for the horse owned and trained by Marcus Turner of Clinton, Miss., who earlier in the day trained and drove Worldclassouljaboy to a 2:09 3/5 wire-to-wire win in the second $2,480 division of the two-year-old colt trot.

Ata Ata posted the first sub-two minute mile of the two-day old meet without ever trailing the four-horse run. Eden Runner, a five-year-old gelding, owned by Newton's Mark Anderson and Harold Gene Finn, took second with Freddie Finn in the sulky.

In the first division of the amateur pace — the ninth race on Monday's card — H.G. Finn piloted Sunbeam Boy to a 2:02 2/5 run despite a nice challenge by 16-year-old Kyle Husted and 10-year-old veteran gelding Walter Brown.

That finish was the fastest of the day and the week for all of about 15 minutes before the second division ended its ownership of the title.

Sunbeam Boy, a five-year-old son of Armbro Mackintosh, never led by more than five lengths and that was quite early in the mile.

By the half-mile, it was a two-length race. By the time the two frontrunners hit the homestretch, it was neck-in-neck before Husted had to pull up a little on a slight misstep by his horse.

Husted, the son of Altamont trainer Pam Coleman, was up behind a horse with over a quarter-million dollars in career earnings and 26 victories in 178 lifetime starts. Walter Brown is another offspring of Armbro Mackintosh to boot.

Another Coleman-trained horse, Smashing Colin, picked up a blanket in the first $2,480 division of the two-year-old colt pace when it was ruled that One-Eyed Sandwich and driver Moses Flowers, Jr. made an improper move and sent Smashing Colin offstride late in the run, allowing the Mississippi-owned colt to cross the finish line first.

A judges' decision overruled the final outcome of the run and forced the two to switch places in the final standings of the 2:11 run and gave the blanket to the Randall Finn-driven colt.

Most of the races Monday were not terribly challenging victories for their winners, although the fifth race of the day, the two-year-old trot race won by Worldclassouljaboy, was quite competitive with three runners giving Turner a run for his money before the finish.

The widest margin of victory belonged to Freddie Patton, Sr. and three-year-old gelding colt Little Dan in the $600 second division of the ICF (Illinois Conceived and Foaled) nonwinners of $2,000 lifetime trot.

With every other one of the five entrants breaking stride at some point, the Valley Victor colt cruised to a 25-length victory in an easy 2:09 3/5.

Tropical Punch, a three-year-old filly owned, trained and driven by Tom T. Tetrick, won the first division of the trot in 2:09 1/5.

Today's racing continues with a 10-race card. Post time is once again 1 p.m.

138th Annual Jasper County Fair

Monday's Results

Race One

Big 10 2-Year-Old Filly Trot

First Division

Purse: $1,944

1. Beckys Dream (Moses Flowers Jr.), 2. My Last Valley (Dennis Gardner), 3. American Partner (Stephan Halford II), 4. Tropical Trixie (John D. Finn), 5. Grannie Z (Jared Finn), 6. Mammy More (Freddie Patton, Sr.), 7. Mystical Sugar (Randall Finn)

Time — :34 4/5, 1:08, 1:44 1/5, 2:14 2/5

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Race Two

Big 10 2-Year-Old Filly Trot

Second Division

Purse: $1,944

1. Lane's Game (John D. Finn), 2. Steping High (Jerry Mims, Jr.), 3. Tora Gram (Thomas Graham), 4. Honey's Cowgirl (Freddie Patton, Jr.), 5. Teagan Smiles (Tom D. Tetrick), 6. Tuf Tonic (Clay Simpson), 7. Majestic Girl (Trenton Watson)

Time — :34 4/5, 1:08 2/5, 1:39, 2:09 2/5

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Race Three

Big 10 2-Year-Old Filly Trot

Third Division

Purse: $1,944

1. Ima Good Girl (Brian Cotton), 2. Piscasaw Patty (Freddie Patton, Jr.), 3, OG's Endora (Jerry Mims), 4. Heythere Msamerica (Willie Jones), 5. Soaring Sadie (Jared Finn), 6. Mrs Stafford (Stephan Halford II), 7. Tuf Erman (Randall Finn)

Time — :32 2/5, 1:03 3/5, 1:35, 2:08

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Race Four

Big 10 2-Year-Old Colt Trot

First Division

Purse: $2,480

1. Smashing Colin (Randall Finn), 2. One-Eyed Sandwich (Moses Flowers, Jr.), 3. Sportsmens Lyric (Kelcey Perrymond), 4. Zoochie (John D. Finn), 5. Nickolas K (Leo Burns), 6. Worldclass Romulus (Freddie Patton, Jr.), 7. Holly Hill Bill (Michael Whitaker), 8. Dream Of A Prince (Marcus Turner)

Time — :31 4/5, 1:07 3/5, 1:40 1/5, 2:11

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Race Five

Big 10 2-Year-old Colt Trot

Second Division

Purse: $2,480

1. Worldclassouljaboy (Marcus Turner), 2. Fox Valley Dewey (Jerry Mims), 3. Fox Valley Sorocco (Willie Jones), 4. Al's Game (Frank Fisher), 5. Pennys Dream Boy (Freddie Patton, Jr.), 6. Principal Gonewild (Tom T. Tetrick), 7. Game Link (John D. Finn)

Time — :32 2/5, 1:05 1/5, 1:37 1/5, 2:09 3/5

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Race Six

2-Year-Old Maiden Pace

First Division

Purse: $600

1. M A Irene (Brian Cotton), 2. Oyouhotthang (Kelcey Perrymond), 3. Hopping Mad (Clay Simpson), 4. Fox Valley See Ya (Frank Fisher): 6. Special Ladyamine (Michael Whitaker), 7. V-Anna's Terri (Jerry Mims, Jr.). Scratch - Happy To Be Here (Chad Bell)

Time — :32, 1:03 2/5, 1:34 1/5, 2:06 4/5

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Race Seven

2-Year-Old Maiden Pace

Second Division

Purse: $600

1. Salvations Dream (Jared Finn), 2. CN Loufly Loretta (Merle Finn), 3. Verve Bluegrass (Terry Skinner), 4. LR Dancing Dream (John D. Finn), 5. Newcastle Brown (Trenton Watson), 6. DK Party (Darla Martin), 7. Victory Julie (Tom D. Tetrick), 8. Tea Cake Plate (Michael Whitaker)

Time — :31, 1:04 1/5, 1:35, 2:05 4/5

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Race Eight

2-Year-Old Maiden Pace

Third Division

Purse: $600

1. Battleshoe Mac (Buddy Simpson), 2. Fox Valley Patina (Ray Hanna), 3. OG's Millie (Chad Bell), 4. Real Sure (Kelcey Perrymond), 5. Mack Mett (Trenton Watson), 6. Classy Cam (Michael Whitaker), 7. Fox Valley Martin (Dale Kanitz)

Time — :32 3/5, 1:04 3/5, 1:35, 2:05 4/5

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Race Nine

Amateur Driving Pace

First Division

Purse: $375

1. Sumbeam Boy (Harold Gene Finn), 2. Walter Brown (Kyle Husted), 3. Just What I Needed (Kyle Wilfong), 4. Final Wife (Gene Birch): 5. Beachy's Destiny (Mitch Finn)

Time — :30 4/5, 1:01 2/5, 1:31 3/5, 2:02 1/5

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Race 10

Amateur Driving Pace

Second Division

Purse: $375

1. Ata Ata (Issac Love), 2. Eden Runner (Freddie Finn), 3. Tinkers Damn (Jordan Kniceley), 4. Princess Abigail (Dakota Birch)

Time — :31 2/5, 1:01 2/5, 1:30, 1:59 4/5

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Race 11

3-Year-Old ICF Trot

Nonwinners of $2,000 Lifetime

First Division

Purse: $600

1. Tropical Punch (Tom T. Tetrick), 2. Jimmy Go Boy (Kermit Travis), 3. Deucalion (Cathy Rutherford), 4. Flamingo Jack (Tom D. Tetrick), 5. Tropicana Miracle (James Hughes), 6. Mella Ann (Charles Finn)

Time — :32 3/5, 1:06 2/5, 1:38 4/5, 2:09 1/5

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Race 12

3-Year-Old ICF Trot

Nonwinners of $2,000 Lifetime

Second Division

Purse: $600

1. Little Dan (Freddie Patton, Sr.), 2. I C Arose (Randall Finn), 3. Vanishing Mist (Cathy Rutherford), 4. Tropicana Red Star (Tom T. Tetrick), 5. Banshee (John Knifley)

Time — :32 4/5, 1:04 1/5, 1:36, 2:09 3/5