Scarborough,
Maine –
Ideal
Conditions
found
Scarborough
Downs the
perfect spot
to launch
his attack
on the New
England
Invitational
circuit as
the
six-year-old
Western
Ideal
gelding
powered
through the
long
Scarborough
stretch to
claim
victory in
the $20,000
renewal of
the Mid
Summer
Classic
before a
packed
grandstand
filled with
both
hardcore
harness fans
and casual
spectators
alike.
Expertly
teamed by
Maryland
native
Jonathan
Roberts,
Ideal
conditions
broke second
from the
start as he
tracked the
veteran
Chewy Gross
(Heath
Campbell)
through
opening
panels of
27.1 and
56.2 – fast
enough to
ensure an
honest pace
as the field
geared up
for their
second spin
around the
quaint
seaside
oval.
 |
|
Ideal Conditions
and driver
Jonathan Roberts
float like the
ReMax balloon
over the raceway
at Scarborough
Downs – photo by
EJS photography. |
“Legitimate
fractions
created a
legitimate
mile” said
winning
trainer
Joseph
Nelson.
“Credit
Heath
Campbell for
letting the
old horse
roll on a
little in
the early
going. He
gave
everyone of
us a chance
to win this
race and
ensured an
exciting
race for the
fans to
watch. I’m
glad for the
fans and
glad for the
track that
we were able
to stage
such a fast
mile here
today.”
Ideal
Conditions
sat patient
until the
final turn
when Roberts
guided his
charge off
the pylons
and geared
him up to
engage the
classy
leader.
“I’ve raced
against
Chewy Gross
down at
Harrington
and I know
what a tough
competitor
he can be”
Jonathan
Roberts
remarked.
“It was no
forgone
conclusion
that we
would be
able to pass
him by but I
had talked
to Jason
Bartlett
this morning
– Jason
drives Ideal
Conditions
down in New
York – and
he told me
what to
expect.
Jason said
he was a
real animal
and that he
would
respond well
at the Downs
– the horse
did
everything
that Jason
said he
would.”
Ideal
Conditions
then engaged
Chewy Gross
in an epic
battle
through the
storied
Scarborough
stretch
before
marching on
to victory
while
stopping the
tele-timer
in
blistering
1:54.1 – the
third
fastest mile
ever paced
at
Scarborough
Downs.
“I’m so glad
that
everything
worked out
today” said
jubilant
owner Scott
Dillon who
resides in
Anson,
Maine.
“There’s so
much
pressure in
bringing a
horse like
him to race
at home –
you never
know how
things will
work out.
It’s good to
own a fast
mile at the
Downs and it
was great to
showcase him
before the
local fans.”
“I’d like to
thank
Scarborough
Downs for
putting some
of the old
Invitational
races back
on the
schedule”
Dillon
continued.
“Races like
this one
allow owners
to invest in
quality
animals.
We’re all
proud of our
horses –
they’re like
our children
--we like to
show them
off. The Mid
Summer
Classic and
the Joseph
Ricci
Memorial
give us a
chance to do
just that.
It’s a lot
more fun to
watch these
horses race
at the Downs
than to
watch them
on
simulcast.
This is the
way racing
should be.”
Ideal
Conditions
now heads to
Bangor
Raceway for
next
Sunday’s
edition of
the Paul
Bunyan
Invitational
then off to
Woodstock,
New
Brunswick
before
returning to
Maine to
compete in
the Height
Memorial at
the Maine
State Fair
in
Skowhegan.
His
connections
leave with
the lion’s
share of the
$20,000
purse but
they also
leave with
glowing
praise for
Scarborough
Downs.
“The folks
at
Scarborough
put on a
first class
event here
today” said
Jonathan
Roberts as
he awaited
his lobster
dinner in
the
clubhouse
dining room
“I’ve never
been treated
better or
made to feel
more at
home.”
“The
redesign of
the
racetrack
itself is
also quite
impressive”
Roberts
continued.
“The turns
are perfect
and the
surface was
consistent.
They’ve done
a lot of
good work
here since
the last
time I
visited – I
can’t wait
to come
back.”
Roberts and
Ideal
Conditions
did a lot of
good work on
the track
today too as
they enter
the record
books as the
third
fastest
tandem to
ever
traverse the
Scarborough
oval –
topped only
by Hotrod
Falcon’s
(Walter
Case, Jr.)
1:52.4 in
1993 and
Prince
Ebony’s (Ron
Pierce)1:54
in 1990.
With today’s
successful
renewal of
the Mid
Summer
Classic, the
age of the
Invitational
has surely
returned to
Scarborough
Downs.
Scarborough
Downs
proudly
features
live harness
racing every
Thursday,
Friday and
Saturday
evening at
4:15 pm
(EDT). The
popular
Sunday
matinees
feature a
1:30 pm post
time.
