The great NORTHERN DANCER broke his maiden at Fort Erie racetrack and fittingly, on the great horse’s 64th birthday, May 27, the border oval opened for its 128th season.
On a sunny spring day, plenty of fans showed up to welcome back the Thoroughbreds to the southern Ontario track, which had eight races on the card that began at 4:30 p.m.
There were two ‘Cup’ races, the Summer Solstice and the Sprint Into Summer, both five furlong dashes for maidens racing for Fort Erie trainers and with at least one local workout.
The white-faced filly RUBY’S GHOST, who last raced with American trainer Dallas Stewart at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, won the Summer Solstice Cup for fillies and mares, edging away from longshot Leziate as the 3-to-4 favourite. Owned and bred by Charles Fipke, Ruby’s Ghost is a well-bred daughter of Ghostzapper who is trained by Michaela Neubauer. Melanie Pinto rode the three-year-old, who was making her fourth career start. The time on the very fast dirt surface was 57.79.
ICON Racing Stables’ recent claim PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE won the Sprint into Summer Cup for trainer Anthony Adamo. Ridden by Juan Crawford, People Are People stalked first-time starter Video Evidence and then took over into the stretch to win by 3 1/2 lengths in 57.61. Bred by Frank DiGuilio Jr, People Are People was winning for the first time in 11 races and was claimed from his latest at Woodbine for $15,000. The winner is a son of Souper Speedy.
People Are People and an earlier winner, Trevess, from the John Sims barn, both had large win bets made on them as they were loading into the gate. Both won at 1-to-5 odds.
It was a super opening day for jockey Jeffrey Alderson and his dad Anthony Alderson. Jeffrey rode three winners and two were for his family.
Perennial leading trainer JULIE MATHES won two races including the last with Back to Reality, an Uncaptured gelding who sped five furlongs in 56.94 under jockey Terry Husbands. Back to Reality was claimed for $4,750 by Joe Humber.
Wagering on the opening day card was $1.6 million, down from $1.9 million bet on opening day a year ago.
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