Bios for the 2012 James J Patton Silver Cup which runs on Saturday evening September 1st at bestbet at the Orange Park Kennel Club in the 11th race on the card.
In conjunction with the stakes final, we will be running out $1 night promotion with the following specials, $1 clubhouse admission for two, $1 JGR program & tipsheet combo, $1 small popcorn, $1 soda, $1 hot dogs, $1.50 draft beers, and $1,50 margaritas.
Snj Black Porter was scratched from the finals and will be replaced by Gs Grace.
Gs Uncle Henry – (60 Points)
Career Totals (125/66-24-12-6)
BD – M September 2009 Kelsos Fusileer – Steffie’s Mandy
Owned By – Gary or Sharon Willis
Runs for the Willis Kennel
Trained by Brandy Willis
The 2011 All-American, and winner of this race last year, Gs Uncle Henry was not going to give away the title that easily. Finding his break and rush at the right time, Henry stepped up when he needed to and put up some commanding performances during the qualifying rounds. Winning three of his four starts, and finishing a second in the other, Henry looks to be back into the top form that saw him prove to be one of the best greyhounds in the country last year. The difference here has been his break. He has been coming out really quickly and has been outrushing everyone, and I mean, everyone to the first turn. Once on the lead has proved tough on top and has never been challenged really when he was coasting on the front end. Henry is the only greyhound from the Willis Kennel in this final round race, and this will be his third trip to the elite eight in his four stakes attempts. Currently Henry is sitting at 66 career wins and he still won’t turn three until the end of September. Everything is clicking for him right now, but if he wants to win this effort, he will have to hit the lid. Breaking on top and stealing a big early lead, could see him repeat as the champ of the James J Patton Silver Cup. As for posts for this final round race, you just need to mention one! The ONE box that is! Henry is a monster wearing red and has won 14 of 18 career starts from here, including this final round race last year. The table is set for him, let’s see if he has enough again to win the whole thing.
J’s Robin – (52 Points)
Career Totals (61/33-14-6-2)
BK – F February 2010 Lonesome Cry – Boy Trouble
Owned By – Jerry Simons
Runs for the DQ Williams Kennel
Trained by Louis Amaral
Track record holder and recent winner of the JGR Puppy Stakes, J’s Robin, might have started out a bit slow for her in the stakes, but back to back one boxes showed off her full potential in rounds three and four. In both she backed up her 2nd and 3rd place finishes with big time wins as she stopped the clock at the best times on the card in 30.30 and 30.22 seconds. What is even more impressive is in both of those efforts she came from off the pace to get the job done. Robin so far has competed in four stakes races and has made the finals of each for the DQ Williams Kennel. In fact she has never missed the trifecta in a stakes final as she finished 3rd in the 2012 Orange Park Derby and the 2012 Jacksonville Sprint Classic. Robin is as fast as she wants to be and her raw speed cannot be matched by anyone in this final round field. She is the best closer here and if she breaks close in this effort, it is going to be hard to keep her out of the winner’s circle. Post does matter for her too. She is almost unstoppable wearing the red dress. Just like Henry, she has great numbers with 9 starts, 7 wins and 2 second place efforts. If she decides to break, this race could be over early on.
Atascocita Rip – (52 Points)
Career Totals (56/14-9-12-7)
BD – M May 2010 Gable Sour Cream – Atascocita Star
Owned By – Atascocita Racing
Runs for the Lester Raines Kennel
Trained by Mike Gerard
Atascocita Rip is new to this whole stakes thing, but with the help of veteran trainer Mike Gerard, he looked like a seasoned veteran during the qualifying rounds. Rip really upped his game with a pair of wins and a second and third place effort on his way to his first every stakes final, in his first ever attempt. What has taken him to the next level as of late has been his break. He has been a lot more consistent coming out of the box and has been a terror to the fields once he has gotten his nose out in the clean air. Rip can be caught on occasion on the front end, but I would not say that he is short. It takes a strong closer to get to him before the wire and a special effort by the closer to get it done. His best effort came in the semi-finals where he took almost instant control of the race. From the get go, he outrushed everyone to the front end and coasted all the way around the racetrack to cross seven lengths better than the rest of the field in a speedy time of 30.51 seconds. Post could play a role for him in the final round race if he doesn’t decide to break. If he does come out running it really won’t matter much, but if he had his choice in the matter I think he would choose something on the edges. In his career the far inside and outside part of the racetrack has been very, very kind to him. Taking on the big boys and girls in this final, let’s see if the newcomer has what it takes to pull off the victory at the wire.
Lk’s Instigator – (44 Points)
Career Totals (36/8-4-7-8)
R – M September 2010 Daddy Warbarks – Clever She Is
Owned By – Jill Lashmet
Runs for the Lashmet Kennel
Trained by Tom Artzer
Lk’s Instigator is still a puppy who is trying to get it all figured out around the racetrack, but what he lacks in starts, he makes up for in pure skills. No greyhound was faster in the first round of qualifying as he rocketed from the starting box to post up an impressive seven length win on his way to a 30.50 second clocking. He backed that up with a pair of second place finishes and a fifth place effort to secure him a spot in this final round field. Instigator is no stranger to the stakes rounds though as he was a force in the 2012 edition of the JGR Puppy Stakes. Even though he missed making that final, he did win a round there too and posted up a strong second place effort in another trip. Instigator is a strong closer of the 550 yard course and can come on with the best on them late in any race. He breaks on occasion too, see round one of the Patton Silver Cup, and when he does he is a tough out at the finish line. Post position could aide him in this final round field. He really will be looking for something on the inside part of the racetrack. He loves it in there and the biggest races of his young career have come inside of the 4 box. If he could somehow get the red blanket, he would be a very happy boy tonight. As the youngest in the field, he still has a lot to learn, but if the chips fall right in this effort, he could be taking home the pot at the finish line.
Miss Kate – (40 Points)
Career Totals (214/39-40-36-26)
BK – F May 2008 Fuzzys Cannon – Miss Kissable
Owned By – Sharon L. Williams
Runs for the DQ Williams Kennel
Trained by Louis Amaral
From the youngest, to the oldest, Miss Kate just keeps getting better with age. Miss Kate got into all kinds of trouble in the semis, but put in enough work in the first three rounds to overcome her fifth place effort. Winning in round three, and missing by a head in round two, she parlayed that with a third in the first round to find a spot in her second straight stakes event. Like most DQ greyhounds, Miss Kate fits the mold that has been the key to their success on the circuit. She is a double threat every time she steps on to the racetrack as she can beat the box and dominate on the front end, or close from just off the pace and take the leaders down before the finish line. Miss Kate also has something else that adds to her success and that is HEART! Every time she straps on a muzzle and blanket and heads out onto the racetrack, she gives it everything she has. She might not win all the time, but she almost always finds a way to get into the money. Just look at her last fifteen races, she has finished in the superfecta thirteen times. No fooling about it, we all know what she needs to do in this effort if she wants a chance to win, she must BREAK! Without the lead she will still give a solid chase, but winning against this talented field will be a big hill to climb. Post position could help her if she can draw something on the edges. With her vast experience, this old gal might just have a new trick to teach the pups tonight.
Locall Cortina – (38 Points)
Career Totals (120/22-24-19-9)
BK – F April 2009 Fuzzys Cannon – Fast Date
Owned By – Terry Williams or Shawn Pfannenstiel
Runs for the PTL Kennel
Trained by Jim Rae
Although she might not have won any of the rounds of the stakes, Locall Cortina did what she does best, finish in the money, in each and every start in qualifying. Her pair of second place efforts, along with her third and fourth place finish were enough for her to tie for the final spot in the James J Patton Silver Cup. The stand out for her as of late has been her break. She has been coming out of the box extremely well, and even though she has been getting caught at some point during the race, she has factored all the way to the finish line in each and every effort. Cortina is competing in just her second stakes event, the first being the 2011 JGR Puppy Stakes, and this time around she made it all the way to the finals. Cortina is a solid grade A competitor that gets overlooked at times and is frankly better than most people think she is. Against this talented final round field, I’m sure she will get the snub again, but if she wants to break and run, she could easily find a spot amongst the top competitors at the finish line. Post position could help her out in her quest if she draws the right one, but breaking is the real key to her having a good trip in this effort. If she sits at the break, he hope for a spot in the money would be in jeopardy. The opportunity to shine is right in front of her, let’s see if she grabs the spotlight and her 15 minutes of fame tonight.
Secret Papers – (38 Points)
Career Totals (51/14-10-9-8)
DK BD – F April 2010 Fuzzys Cannon – Sammy Sleek
Owned By – Lester Raines
Runs for the Lester Raines Kennel
Trained by Mike Gerard
There is no way to keep this Secret anymore. Secret Papers has let the cat out of the bag with her efforts over the last month or so. Heading into the stakes she was one of the hottest greyhounds going on the circuit as she has won four races in a row, but it looked like she might have peaked just a bit too soon. In the rounds she still put up some impressive efforts, but failed to finish on top in any of her qualifying trips. She did manage a pair places, a third and a fourth place effort and that was good enough for her to tie for the final spot in this final round race. The difference for her has been the break. In the rounds she was breaking well, but not as sharply as she was when she posted up four wins in a row. Although she has not had all the many starts, she is not new to the top level competition. She is running in her third stakes event and this will be her second final round race. A rail post in this final round field would do wonders for her moral and it might even help her find her break again against this tremendous field of greyhounds. Coming out fast is her only shot at taking home the goods here. Which breaker shows up tonight will decide how she finishes at the wire.
Gs Grace – (37 Points)
Career Totals (146/40-14-14-14)
BD – F May 2009 Oya Tome Terrific – Gs Flame
Owned By – Gary or Sharon Willis
Runs for the Willis Kennel
Trained by Brandy Willis
Gs Grace showed up when she needed to and posted up the most impressive win in the semi-finals to squeak her way into this final round field. Along with that 10 length victory, Grace posted up a hard closing second and third place effort to go along with her 7th race finish in the 1st round. This is her second attempt at stakes competition and this time around, she made it all the way to the finals. Grace always runs hot and cold, but when she wants to break, she is as fast as anyone at the racetrack. She is a monster on the front end and is very hard to even stay around when she gets her nose out in front early on. Without being close early she can take some plays off, but currently the facet is full open and she has been running really, really, hot. No doubt the post will play a role for her against this talented field of greyhounds. She loves the rail and would be ecstatic if she drew something on the rail or inside part of the racetrack. For her the break will also play a key role into how she finishes in this final. If she is out close early, like she has been in the past 3 trips, expect her to be in the mix at the finish line. Tonight she gets her chance to shine, let’s see if the spotlight lands on her at the finish line.