Trending
Owner Norm Rader expected Escrow Officer to be a "usable" greyhound when he shipped her from Palm Beach, Fla., to Wheeling in September 2007.
What Rader never expected was for Escrow Officer to win five straight Grade AA sprint races.
"I thought she'd be a money-maker at Wheeling, a good usable dog," Rader, who operates the top kennel at Palm Beach, said. "I'm not surprised she's been able to compete at Wheeling, but I never thought she'd go up there and win five Grade AA starts in a row."
A January 2005 greyhound out of Aimin By Design-Y Knot Saturn, Escrow Officer came to Wheeling on a nice roll. She had 2 wins, 3 seconds and 2 third in her last eight starts at Palm Beach.
"She hurt an ankle in April 2007 and we sent her to the farm. When she came back in July, she struggled for awhile," Rader noted. "In September when she left for Wheeling, she was back in the groove."
Success did not come quickly for the Palm Beach invader, who is racing out of the Mike Fynmore Kennel at Wheeling and trained by James Stewart.
Following a second and a seventh in two schooling races, Escrow Officer had a fourth, fifth and sixth in three Grade A trips.
"There was an adjustment period," Rader said. "It could have been a lot of different factors -- the ride from Florida, the drive from the kennel compound down to the track or the racing surface itself."
After Fynmore took Escrow Officer off for two weeks in mid-November, she came back a different dog. First she went box-to-wire in a 3 1/2-length schooling victory from her favorite eight hole.
Drawing outside posts in her next two official starts, Escrow Officer won Grade B by 5 lengths and Grade A by a half length. In each race, she rushed to the top by the first turn.
"She has a decent break but she's more of a rusher to the turn," Rader said. "She also prefers to race midtrack."
Escrow Officer had a second and a third in her first two Grade AA trips before ripping off the five top grade victories in a row.
"I can't say enough about the job Mike (Fynmore) and his staff have done with Escrow Officer and my other dogs in the kennel," Rader said. "She's running better than she ever has."
In each of Escrow Officer's five Grade AA victories, she opened up 2 or 3-length margins heading down the backside before winning by 4 1/2 lengths, 4 lengths, 2 lengths, a length and a neck.
"She's snapping the box better than she did at Palm Beach. She wants to get out and go," Rader said. "She needs to get a few lengths early, but it'll still take a pretty strong dog to catch her."
Rader is ecstatic with Escrow Officer's success at Wheeling.
"I am absolutely thrilled. To win five in a row is quite an accomplishment … it was beautiful," Rader said. "She's really taken to the track and it suits her racing style."
Escrow Officer's winning streak was snapped with a fourth place finish. She was spiked coming off the far turn and had to be scratched in her next start.
The speed merchant is getting the front a significantly higher number of times at Wheeling than at Palm Beach, Rader said.
"She rarely got the lead at Palm Beach because of the ton of cheap early speed dogs. When she did bust out on top, it was over," Rader said. "There's a lot of fast dogs at Wheeling, but not the cheap speed. I also think the longer straightaway at Wheeling helps her."
Rader expects at least six more months of competitive racing from Escrow Officer.
"She's in her prime right now," Rader said.
In 13 Wheeling starts, Escrow Officer has 7 wins, 1 second, 1 third and 2 fourths. At Palm Beach, she had 17 wins, 7 seconds, 4 thirds and 2 fourths in 51 races.
Escrow Officer launcher her career at Palm Beach in September 2006, breaking her Maiden with a 4-length victory in her second start and then winning Grade J by 6 1/2-lengths in her next outing. It took her five Grade D starts before she tasted victory again.
"Grade D was a learning experience for her, a lot of growing pains. She made a lot of puppy mistakes," Rader said. "Then all of a sudden it all clicked in her head."
After winning Grade D by 8 lengths, Escrow Officer captured her next three starts in a row -- Grade C by 5 lengths, Grade B by 2 lengths and Grade A by 2 lengths.
In early 2007, Escrow Officer competed in the He's My Man Classic (5/16) and the James W. Paul Derby (3/8).
"She just missed a spot in the final of the Derby although she's not a true 3/8 dog," Rader said.
In March, Rader took Escrow Officer to Hollywood for the 2007 World Classic but she was back at Palm Beach after two subpar pre-stake races.
"She didn't lift a muscle at Hollywood," Rader recalled. "I'm not sure why but I saw enough after the two starts."
Four other greyhounds in the Fynmore Kennel -- I Get Around, Nicotine Fit, Kebo Klondike and Elizabeths Ezra -- also have enjoyed success at Wheeling after shipping in from Florida tracks.
I Get Around, a December 2005 greyhound out of Rooftop Ozzie-Get Around Sue, was primarily a Grade D-C dog at Palm Beach but "had a lot of upside," Rader said. "I knew she had turned the corner."
At Wheeling, I Get Around climbed the ladder to Grade AA with 4 wins, 5 seconds, 7 thirds and 2 fourths in 23 starts. She has a top grade win on her resume.
I Get Around's mother, Get Around Sue, is a sister of Nimby TP Jan, a retired Wheeling 3/8 star who won All-America honors and the Flashy Sir Award.
Nicotine Fit, a September 2005 greyhound out of Flying Penske-Power Shot, opened her career at Derby Lane before coming to Wheeling. She also has reached Grade AA with 6 wins, 3 seconds, 2 thirds and 2 fourths in 23 races.
In one stretch in December, Nicotine Fit won three out of four races -- Grades B, A and AA.
Both I Get Around and Nicotine Fit are owned by Rader and Robert Litke.
Kebo Klondike, a June 2005 greyhound out of JB Junior B-Kebo Kutle and owned by Litke, is currently racing in Grade AA. He has 8 wins, 4 seconds, 3 thirds and 3 fourths in 25 Wheeling starts.
Another Rader-owned racer, Elizabeths Ezra, a November 2005 greyhound out of Fortified Power-M's Elizabeth, also has climbed the ladder to Grade AA. The 3/8 runner has 5 wins, 3 seconds, 4 thirds and 2 fourths in 24 Wheeling trips.
IN THE HOMESTRETCH:
HOT DOGS: Ryan Farms Kennel's Witch Hazel has won seven out of her last eight Grade AA distance races for trainer Terry Green. Kennel-mates Maximo has two wins and two seconds in his last four starts while Spanish Gold has two wins and a second in his last three 3/8 trips.
A Ray Kennel's AMF Far Far Away has won four straight races (C, B, A, AA) for trainer Joe Palmer. Kennel-mates Diligent (A, AA) and KB's Pullover (B, A 3/8) have back-to-back wins.
Gable Kennel's Cry Audrey has three victories and a third in her last four Grade AA outings for trainer Wayne Piquette. Kennel-mates Gable Demetrius (B, A 3/8) and Gable Cinemax (C, B) have back-to-back wins.
Thorne-Abrahamson Kennel's Fed Factor has won three out of his last four 3/8 races (A, AA) for trainer Tom Engle. Kennel-mate MO's Hammer Down has back-to-back wins (C, B).
C And C Kennel's TA's Comanche has won three out of his last four starts (C, B, A) for trainer Patrick Bever.
Arivada-Plum Creek Kennel's Guess has back-to-back victories (A, AA) for trainer Donna Bumbaugh.
Douglas Kennel's PTL Ole has two wins and a second in her last three 3/8 races for trainer Jim Roche.
Charter Kennel's Silver Faith (B, A) and U Too Donna Too (C, B) have back-to-back victories for trainer Rodney Cooley.
Mike Fynmore Kennel's Cmon Try Me has two wins and a second in his last three starts for trainer James Stewart.
Darren Henry Kennel's BD's Dutchess has back-to-back victories (C, B) for trainer Donna Wilcox.
TWIN TRIFECTA: The track has instituted a new "mandatory payout" procedure for the late twin trifecta.
According to track officials, this carryover pool will be capped at $10,000. Once the cap is reached, this pool will be frozen and a specific date and performance within 10 days will be selected for the payment.
A separate and new carryover pool will begin on the following performance once the cap is reached. The new carryover pool will not be offered on the performance of the mandatory payout.