The $100,000 Battle of Lake Erie Saturday, June 27, 2009
$100,000 Battle of Lake Erie to Foiled Again in 1:50.4
Favored Foiled Again ($3.20) won the $100,000 Battle of Lake Erie at Northfield Park Saturday, going gate-to-wire in 1:50.4, defeating Jeremy’s Successor by a head in the 24th annual edition of the race. Blueridge Western was third. Matt Kakaley drove the winner for Burke Racing, Weaver Bruscemi LLC and JJK Stable. Ron Burke trains Foiled Again, a five-year-old son of 2000 Battle champ Dragon Again. He becomes the first son of a Battle winner to win the Battle of Lake Erie. The win was his 8th in 11 seasonal races and pushed his career earnings $778,023. For the twenty-one-year old Matt Kakaley, it was career win 998, leaving him just two wins from becoming the youngest driver ever to win 1,000 races. Foiled Again Favored in Northfeld’s $100,000 Battle of Lake Erie
Foiled Again, a winner of seven of his last ten starts and $331,344 in purses in 2009, has been installed as the 2-1 morning line favorite in the 24th Annual $100,000 Battle of Lake Erie at Northfield Park Saturday night, June 27. Owned by the Pennsylvania partnership of Weaver Bruscemi Llc, Burke Racing and Jjk Stables, Foiled Again drew the rail in the powerful field of eight veteran pacers. The five-year-old gelding has earned over $728,000 in his career and is trained by Ron Burke. Matt Kakaley, 21, will drive. Kakaley is attempting to become the youngest driver ever to reach 1,000 wins and currently stands just ten tallies short of that milestone.
Jeremy’s Successor is the second choice at 7-2 after drawing post two for owner Andrea Ann Hill of California and trainer Dean Eckley. They will call on Tyler Buter to drive. Jeremy’s Successor defeated Foiled Again two weeks ago in a Preferred Pace at The Meadowlands in New Jersey. Third choice Blueridge Western, who won an $88,760 division of the Cleveland Classic at Northfield last year, will try to become just the fourth horse to win the Classic and the Battle. Posted at 4-1, he is owned by Francis Azur of Pennsylvania, trained by Kevin McDermott and driven by Tony Hall.
The $100,000 Battle of Lake Erie is scheduled as the 12th race on the 15-race card at Northfield, which is located on Ohio Route 8, midway between Akron and Cleveland. First race post time is 7 PM Eastern, with the Battle scheduled for 10:50 PM. The Battle of Lake Erie undercard features Ohio Sires Stakes for three-year-old colts and geldings, both trotters and pacers. Total purses for the evening are nearly $250,000.
24th Battle of Lake Erie Purse-$100,000 Post time 10:50 PM Eastern
Post
Horse
Driver
Trainer
Owner
1
Foiled Again
Matt Kakaley
Ron Burke
Weaver Bruscemi Llc, Burke Racing, Jjk Stables
2-1
2
Jeremy’s Successor
Tyler Buter
Dean Eckley
Andrea Hill
7-2
3
Blueridge Western
Mike Wilder
K. McDermott
Francis Azur
4-1
4
Oliver Cleo
Dan Charlino
Peter Kleinhans
8-1
5
Dragon Island
Tony Hall
Joseph Davino & Patrick O’Brien
6-1
6
Roxies Big Guy
Dan Noble
Mark Deaton
Ohio Minerals
15-1
7
Royalton Star
Andy Shetler
Max Shaw
12-1
8
Biletnikoff
Aaron Merriman
Paul Kennedy
Markus Ernst
10-1
A look at stats for this year's Battle of Lake Erie field, with statistical info courtesy of USTA:
Replacing Just Plug It In is
ROXIES BIG GUY (6C2026,G)
[
2005
, P
, 3
, 1:52.1H
$109,635]
TOWNER'S BIG GUY - RAPID ROXIE - LOOK SHARP
Year
Gait
Purse Races
Money Won
Record Time
Track
Record Date
Starts
1st
2nd
3rd
2009
Pace
11
$ 28,220
4, 1:54.1S
HoP
04/14/2009
2008
21
13
$ 53,886
3, 1:52.1H
Dela