The Legislator Invitational
  1987
SCOTCH NOTCH A
2:00.1
 
SCARBOROUGH DOWNS 8/30/1987 $25,000 INVITATIONAL
TROT 1 MILE   TRACK  
28.2 59.3 (31.1) 1:29.1 (29.3) 2:00.1 (31.0)
Horse Name PP 1/4 1/2 3/4 Str Finish Actual LQ Odds Driver Trainer
SCOTCH NOTCH A 4 6 4° 4° 3 /NK 1 /1H 2:00.1   3.10 Bruce Ranger Peter Vumbaca
JERSEY BLIZZARD 8 5 2° 2° 2 /NS 2 /1H 2:00.2   5.20 Jody Stafford William Gower
FORTUNE MARK 6 7 6° 6° 6 /2Q 3 /1T 2:00.3   22.90 R. Edward Morgan Gerald Smith
I ENVY NOAH 3 1 1 1 1 /NS 4 /2H 2:00.3   *3.00 Gary Mosher An. Goetz
SHACK x1 8 8 8° 8 /1Q 5 /3 2:00.4   3.10 Edward Lohmeyer Ro Turner
NEMO HANOVER 7 3° 3 3 4 /1Q 6 /3Q 2:00.4   14.90 Richard Macomber Richard Macomber
FRANKENSHEW 5 4 5 5 5 /2 7 /4 2:01.0 5.80 Francis Inman Francis Inman
DONAVAN HANOVER 2 x2 7 7 7 /3 8 /5Q 2:01.1   19.00 Paul Battis Ve Mitchell
Win Place Show Wager Payout
8.20 5.00 4.00 Quiniela 27.40
  4.40 4.40 Exacta 28.20
    6.40    
SCOTCH NOTCH A 10, M, SCOTTISH BRET - ADA GELNFERN - TARPORT KID Maurice Grisaru, NY, Vonnie PTY Stb Ltd, AU
JERSEY BLIZZARD 4, G, LINDYS CROWN - DEFICIT - JERRY SHANON Paul Minore, NY & Gene R. Wright, NJ
FORTUNE MARK 7, G, AC'S APOLLO - FORTUNE TAMI - FLORIS Frank A. Lowe, NY
The ten-year-old trotting mare Scotch Notch A. came from behind to edge Jersey Blizzard in the $25,000 Legislator Trot at the Downs on Sunday, August 30, in the process shattering the track record by one full second with her 2:00.1 score
The evenly matched field (the favorite was 3-to-1) sported the top trotters from Saratoga, Freehold, the Downs, and Freestate, as well as several Open trotters from New York. The expected speed duel in the mile (four of the inside entries showed good front speed) never developed, as Gary Mosher and three-year-old I Envy Noah charged out to the early lead, bringing the field past the quarter in 28.2, the fastest initial quarter ever trotted at the Downs. Nemo Hanover came away in second, with the rest of the field slightly back, scattered by Donavan Hanover's break just before the quarter pole.
I Envy Noah got a slight rest in the second panel (31.1) and, from sixth place, Bruce Ranger decided that he had to pull Scotch Notch A. into  the outside flow before it was too late. The three -eights move flushed Jersey Blizzard off the rail from fourth, and the Blizzard and I Envy Noah were on even terms entering the clubhouse bend. Scotch Notch A. then received the perfect second-over trip, with Nomo Hanover struggling on the inside and long shot Fortune Mark coming from far back.
Jersey Blizzard and the tougher than expected I Envy Noah raced in tandem past three-quarters in 1:29.1, and it was not until the top of the stretch that the Jody Stafford-driven entry put I Envy Noah away. Ranger then gently eased Scotch Notch A three-wide and he casted past Jersey Blizzard in the final strides to a length-and-a-half victory, just missing the coveted sub-2:00 mile on the trot. Jersey Blizzard, who raced very impressively, held for second, while Fortune Mark claimed third from a tiring I Envy Noah. The remainder of the field included Shack, who could not recover from an early break, Nemo Hanover, Frankenshew, and Donavan Hanover. Scotch Notch A returned $8.20 to win, and easily bested Frankenshew's previous track record in what was unquestionably the finest trotting race ever seen at the Downs. The total handle was $296,245, fourth highest in Downs History
- by K.C. Johnson for Northeast Harness News