On the Trot: Peter Vangundy Proves Brilliance Harmening Captures Driver Crown Weller Here with Red Dominion, Daily Racing Form, 1955-06-07

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- On the Trot Iā€” By MOBRIE KURLANSKY ā€” ā€”J Peter Vangundy Proves Brilliance Harmening Captures Driver Crown Weller Here With Red Dominion SPORTSMANS PARK, Cicero, 111., June 6. ā€” Lowering his record a full second to a brilliant 2:02%, P6ter Vangundy once more - proved proved that tnat it it takes taKes proved proved that tnat it it takes taKes the countrys very best pacers to subdue him. Taking the lead immediately after the start, the son of Howard Hanover, under Mel Harmenings stout hold, set a swift, but not too fast pace for the first two panels, reaching the half-mile mark in 1:02. Rounding ing the the clubhouse clubhouse turn, turn, ing the the clubhouse clubhouse turn, turn, Beissinger, in what turned out to be a feeble attempt, tried to bring Sammy Court into a challenging position, but Harmening let his mount go at full steam and the fractions for the last two quarters more than anything else tell the story. Brushing through the third quarter in 30% seconds, Peter Vangundy sprinted home in 30 seconds flat, for. a last half in 1:00%, which is just about as fast as any standardbred can travel over a half-mile track. Lacking any competition at all, Peter Vangundy gave a fine speed exhibition, his mile being the fourth fastest ever registered at a Chicago area track. Credited with six victories, Peter Vangundy already has earned close to ,000 in his nine starts this season. For Harmening-, this win was especially valuable, as it clinched the title of leading driver of the Fox Valley Trotting Club meeting for him. Prior to Peter Vangundys ~ smashing success, Harmening guided Court Deb to victory to make it a double for owner Martin C. Alwert, who earlier in the week bought full interest in the horses fomerly racing for the Altamont Racing Stable. Beissinger, last years leading driver at all four Chicagoland meets, also scored a double victory Friday in successive vraces. While his success with Everett Sherrys 13-year-old pacer, Red McKlyo, was anticipated by most of the public, who installed the veteran a 9 to 5 favorite, his brilliant score behind Earl Pogues filly, Minnie Jean, was quite a surprise. Given the old masterful Beissinger drive, Minnie Jean was nursed along the rail in a contending position and closed with a burst of speed the last 50 yards to down the fleet Newtown Girl, who had led all the way until overtaken in the last few strides. With co-owner Maurice Thompson in the sulky, Newtown Girl was credited with the following fractions : 30 seconds, 1 : 00% , 1 : 3 1 ys , while Minnie Jean, due to this terrific pace, was clocked in 2:03% for the mile, lowering her record by two seconds and a fifth. A winner of seven races last season, Minnie Jean finished second to Bonnie Pete in her seasonal debut four weeks ago and then won her next two races, crowning them with the outstanding effort Friday. Ray Gillilan was meted out a 20-day suspension for inconsistent driving with 1 his pacer, King Gaines, who won the ninth race Wednesday in 2:0o/5, after finishing eighth once and seventh twice in slower times in three previous starts this season. The fact that Gillilan supplied the stewards with incorrect information at the hearing had a bearing on the stiff sentence. . . . Bessinger also was grounded for three racing nights for crossing over in such a manner as to impede the progress of Dusty Star in the sixth race Friday, won by Beissinger with Red McKlyo. R. W. Shaffer of Vanlue, Ohio, lost his good campaigner, Trigg County, last week when the five-year-old Calumet Adam stallion had to be destroyed on account of a bone fracture sustained in a recent workout. Trigg County had been trained and driven by Roy Riegle, for whom he raced in 2:03% at Lexington and in 2:05% here while accumulating earnings of over 8,-000. . . . There is good news for Chicago fans: Jay Weller, well-known owner-trainer from Republic, Ohio, bedded down his stable here. Among his charges is the excellent Red Dominion, who two seasons ago in his initial campaign made a sweep of slow-class, early-closing events at this half-miler and since then has developed into one of the nations most formidable sidewheelers. His main goal here will be the 2,000 Governors Cup. I


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1950s/drf1955060701/drf1955060701_50_1
Local Identifier: drf1955060701_50_1
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800