SHUTOUT HANOVER's return from a month layoff was an improved race, albeit vs. lesser, as driver Whitney went where no Burg horse should go: four wide around the final turn. Still, this guy kept grinding. Pertinent to the driver change here to D. Campbell, Whitney tells a funny story about racing snowmobiles. He's riding a machine with a 600cc (or whatever) engine, and his friend blows by him with an 800. So they switch snowmobiles. Then his friend blows by him with the 600cc machine. Whitney's metaphorical point: The better driver on the lesser machine will beat the lesser driver on the better machine. Or horse.... Speaking of the snowmobile theory, I'M EXCITING N gets Switzer for the second time in his last 10 starts. Each time the horse has posted competitive (73 and 75) Trackmaster speed ratings. His tactical early speed completes enticing package.... Just look at APACHE MISS: 4 wins, 1 place, 10 shows in 50 career starts. Still, she has an excuse in last, which is an example of why the trailing spot at Fryeburg, Windsor, etc., is so hard (e.g., in Fryeburg pace races, only one 8 horse won all week.) Trailers cannot use their tactical early speed, and following the 1 horse out is far harder than it seems. So APACHE MISS landed fourth early and didn't get a trip, as opposed to the race before when she hit the tri by sitting in the top three. Jason Bartlett will probably require LEWIE HOXIE's presence among the leaders at some point in the race, but this one's had all kinds of chances all summer and fall.... ROY BEAN HANOVER is attractive returning to lasix for key second trip since layoff. Yet, his efforts last spring show an inability to finish a mile, and he's only 3 for 52 the last two years.... GLOBAL RAIDER faces his easiest field in 10 starts, but your call if it's a worthy bet from the 8 post. Me, I'd demand some odds.
 

Race 2, Trot $2,300

MARK'S FINE CHINA trotted an alert mile with owner Mark Harris up at Fryeburg. Despite incredible urging (by me, cheering eventual third-place finisher Miss El Paso), Harris blew by EL PASO in the lane. It was a nice effort by a mare who seems to have rebounded after some dull efforts in August and September.... Four good efforts by STEUBEN SIRCHARLES vaulted him into too-tough races vs. likes of Yale Hall, Star's Photo, and Another Lindy, and now he's back to right level, though in two years he's not beaten 2:04.2... Two months ago EARL VIC DOL was facing the likes of Snap Dancer. But since a lifetime effort around that time he's been little more than a tagalong.... BIRDSALL LEO drops back to $3000s but has 8 post.
 

Race 3, Trot $3,000

BLACK CHIP WINNER hasn't been seen since a runaway win at Oxford. Layoffs are always a poor sign. A regular in winners-over events, he's clearly best if right.... Pairing Jason Bartlett with frontrunner HUSTLINLAD, he of the 28.2 first quarter at the Downs back in August, creates a speed scenario that could humble this field if the top foes, both of whom have questions marks, don't fire.... MIGHTY DRAGON has a certain speedy but flighty style that's good enough for first (or, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth).... It's tempting to consider MIDNIGHT HUSTLER for the win, with rail and D. Campbell, but he's been on our no-win list since struggling to beat Chautauqua Jamie at Windsor in a slow mile.... Kevin Switzer told an interesting story about NOWERLAND ALAN, a five-figure purchase earlier in the year who went lame. Switzer nearly retired him, but gave him one last chance to come out of his soreness, which he did. He's now on the improve, though steps way, way up here.

It's so overdue for OMEGA ANGEL to get the quick early fractions / slow late fractions he needs, or at least get a second-over trip behind live cover from VEEBA'S ROSE or LORD LANGFORD. At Oxford, OMEGA ANGEL made such a great slingshot move very wide around the final turn. Other times, he's had to make his move into fastest part of the mile.... GRAEME JOHN N beat a lesser field (and a short field at that) on the lead in his Maine debut and showed little his next start and was way overmatched in last. Still, D. Campbell will have him on/near lead.... BALANCED SERENADE requires a forward position to compete, and H. Campbell always gets it... VEEBA'S ROSE's worst trips are when she moves early and best trips when she gets early position. Doubtful she'll sit any better than third, which leaves her boxed. Would like to a late move, which worked well for substitute driver Loubier at the Burg.

Congrats to all connections for arriving at the 3-year-old colt/gelding trot final.... FOX VALLEY MICHAEL is the heavy favorite, though in his past performances there's reason to doubt he can overcome the 7 post.... Owner-trainer Billy Childs chooses the $69,000 final to make a major driver change, to D. Campbell, on RACE ME YUGIOH, which brings his likely odds down to 3-1.... The default chaser has been PEMBROKE FORWARD who, with the other two far outside, should get a nice forward seat.... These three loom large at unappetizing odds; to catch a decent trifecta one has to go a bit deeper, to WALDO who trotted final quarter in 31 and change in both Burg prep miles. Or press the "All" button.

One could say that HURRICANE SIGNS lucked into his last win, what with the half going in 58 and him sitting within striking distance. But the same could happen here. With ELNINO SCOT, TSM ELECTRICELWOOD, and CARDIOGRAM having no gate speed, HURRICANE SIGNS should easily lead and sit on or near lead.... RAYS DILEMMA A is quite vulnerable. Any horse that dips down to $2000 during the fair season, as he did, should be regarded as suspect when rejoining the $2500s at the Downs.... Note that TSM ELECTRICELWOOD actually faced $3000s most of the fall but the driver assignment (3 percent Clifford Keene) is disheartening.... ELNINO SCOT has put together sharp miles throughout the late summer and fall.

Can SHE'S AHCORKER TWO win her seventh in a row and capture the 3-year-old filly trot stakes final? She might, and you're free to bet her, but one handicapping rule is to never bet a horse to do something it's never done. In SHE'S AHCORKER TWO's case, it's two things. First, driver Kim Ireland is unlikely to get an easy lead and back down the half (Ireland is the last of the back 'em down drivers). Sure, she's won without the lead, but that brings the second thing she's never done: win from a far outside post. Even facing those two challenges, it's hard to imagine Ireland not giving a smart drive.... If looking inside, you have to hope two lesser drivers aboard good horses, Gary Hall aboard THEREDONE and provisional driver David Hall aboard CRANMEADOW RAVEN don't decide to make this a race to the half mile, which would put the race back in Ireland's hands.... Given the $69,000 on the line, and the jitters it gives drivers, we like the chance for a lively pace that sets for a closer, like GRISWOLD GIRL, the best of these earlier before breaking troubles.

Race #8, Trot $6,000

Speaking of Ireland and his love of a slow lead: that's what has created, right here, one of the great grudge matches of 2007 between his KEROGEN and the Varney/Grondin/Campbell trotter YALE HALL, recently purchased from Don Richards. Of KEROGEN's three front-end wins in his last 10 starts, the first half was slower than the second in all three. It works for Ireland, and we don't begrudge him for it. But what to do if you face Ireland? Heath Campbell, aboard YALE HALL last weekend at Fryeburg, figured he'd take it to Ireland early in Keller Trot. So Campbell came hard before the quarter, daring Ireland to take back. But Ireland didn't budge; he was willing to give up his slow lead but not the lead. So the first quarter was in an Ireland-esque 31 seconds. Then, with YALE HALL churning on the outside, they went a -- get this -- 29.2 second quarter! YALE HALL stayed eye-to-eye with KEROGEN until deep stretch. Ireland won the battle and lost the war, as Another Lindy got the perfect trip and won. There's little doubt what happens here. If KEROGEN gets a controlling lead, he has a good win chance. But based on YALE HALL'S tremendous air-mile effort in last, and with the inside post here, Campbell should have an edge.

The 3-year-old filly pace stakes final presents an array of possible driving strategies. Start with MS JEANNE MARIE and PEMBROKE LORI-LOU. The two fillies engaged in a stop/swap during opening quarters of 28.4 and 29.2. That maneuver cost MS JEANNE MARIE the win, and put PEMBROKE LORI-LOU out of the top three for the first time in 2007 (her out-of-the-money finish cost some poor bridge-jumpin' sap the $5000 he bet on her to show). In the final, PEMBROKE LORI-LOU is joined by stablemate PEMBROKE PRIMO, the former driven by Valerie Grondin and the latter by Heath Campbell. It certainly appears LORI-LOU will, as at Fryeburg, be charged with not allowing MS JEANNE MARIE to get away with a rated mile.  Who does this benefit? PRIMO for sure, but also RED BIRD OF BUXTON, who gets Jason Bartlett for the final and who's shown ability to beat PRIMO. Problem is, the RED BIRD OF BUXTON likely sits behind MS JEANNE MARIE, and that might not be the catbird seat but the bird box.

Race #10, Pace $69,480 Three Year Old Colt Pace Final

So much seemed aligned for FRAPPER JOE to win in last. He was in the slower division at Fryeburg. One of the favorites, OK MARK, had suffered a pre-race accident at Cumberland the weak before and been scratched, thus missing a key week of racing. The other favorite, CAPPUCCINO BLAZE, was racing from the horrid 6 post and was coming off one of his poorest 2007 races. FRAPPER JOE himself had posted his best Trackmaster speed rating at Cumberland (74) with new driver Heath Campbell aboard, and he returned at Fryeburg. So the race begins, and one of the contenders, My Ding A Ling, spins himself out of contention by being hard used to the quarter in a silly 29.2. With CAPPUCCINO BLAZE not himself and the dead Dingaling speeding on the lead, all was perfectly primed for FRAPPER JOE to make a move from the three hole leaving three-eighths. Then, inexplicably, driver Heath Campbell did nothing. The wise Kim Ireland pulled MYSTICAL TRUTH from fourth, boxing in Campbell, who in turn was further boxed by CAPPUCCINO BLAZE making a mild move. Ireland went to the lead up the backside as Campbell remained boxed behind the struggling Dingaling and OK MARK. Ireland pulled away by at least seven lengths by seven-eighths, as Campbell finally got room. FRAPPER JOE closed in a roan rush but finished three-quarters behind -- at juicy 5.5-1 odds. The autumn leaves lost a little of their color for a few of us that afternoon. So what happens here? It appears BOOGEYMAN gets an easy lead and WILLUM, hard used in last, getting a much easier suckalong second trip. CAPPUCCINO BLAZE seems unlikely to rebound here... And the tragic FRAPPER JOE? We doubt he gets boxed.

Race #11, Pace $1,600

PENN MCOY takes big drop with D. Campbell to nonwinner $2500s.... ACTION RAIDER is favored but has mostly been tagging along, not racing... AJ'S BEASTIE BOY gets Heath Campbell.... DR DALOOOOOOZEE raced capably for amateur driver Joe Douglas in last two, now gets Switzer... SONNY N MATT was a complete bust for trainer Chenard, hence the move into Wentworth barn.

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