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Fonner Park kicked off the Nebraska racing circuit with an opening day nine-race card where it paid to be outside.
Only a few patrons of a crowd that this reporter estimated to be around 3,500 people ventured outside to watch the races, but the outside was the place to be to win races.
Just one winner on the day, Fang Child, a short-priced winner in the first race of the day, was able to win from inside the five hole on the entire card.
Taking advantage of the outside bias in the feature race of the day was jockey Mike Luark on board the winner, Pager, owned by Aaron Swan and trained by young Gilbert Ecoffey, Jr.
Ecoffey, Jr., at just 19 years old, is in his first full season of taking over for his father Gilbert Ecoffey, Sr.
"My father wanted to retire and stay home with my mom, so I'm training the horses this year," Ecoffey said.
The young trainer had some previous winners under his belt at Ohio's Beulah Park, but he mentioned that this win was special.
"I bought this horse from Maggi Moss (the winningest owner in thoroughbred racing in 2007) last year and he ran a great fourth for us at Ellis Park in the Claiming Crown Express, then we won with him at the Woodlands, now today." Ecoffey said.
"I knew that today's race (a four-furlong dash for $15,000 claimers) was right up his alley, I just didn't know if he could get up in just four furlongs." Ecoffey said.
Pager did just get up, as Luark gauged his move just right to nip a game Apache General ridden by Don Frazier by a head at the wire.
"I just had enough pony to win," Luark said.
"I like riding for Gilbert, we've been buddies since we were little kids, he really had this horse ready to run, he was the best today, that's for sure," Luark added.
Pager, the third choice in the race, returned $8.00 to win, $3.80 to place and $2.80 to show. The Pager-Apache General exacta paid a generous $110.60.
Eight different riders and eight different trainers found the winners circle, with jockey Terry Houghton winning two races in his Fonner Park debut and trainer Marvin Johnson leading over two winners on opening day.
Houghton and Johnson teamed up to win race seven with Metts Ready, who returned the biggest win payoff of the day with a healthy $27.40 to win.
Although racing for the first time in Grand Island, the outside paths were not lost on the veteran Houghton.
"I was lucky in the two races I won as both horses were coming out of the seven hole," Houghton said. "I was able to break well and just stay outside and sit and let my horses settle to make their run. This racetrack's turns are really banked here so it really sends horses to the inside coming off the turn, staying outside just seemed to give you an advantage."
Hoofprints
Grand Island was well represented in race three as G.I. native Don Frazier booted home Anejo for the owner, fellow Islander Ryan Snyder. Anejo trained by Robert Hoffman dominated a strong field of claimers with the best time of the day at 46.2 while paying a surprising $24.80 to win.
* Jackie Rezac, Fonner's Food and Beverage Director, was very happy with the crowd and their patronage of the concessions. "We didn't increase prices this year, and it really seemed to be successful, we wanted people to come out and have a good time, and it looks like they did," Rezac said.
* The first trifecta of the year in the second race served as a good reminder to fans not to be in a hurry to discard their tickets. No one had the 5-8-9 combination, so the winner was 5-8-any for a $271.40 payoff.
* Young Ecoffey is the nephew of Nebraska Hall-of-Fame jockey Fred Ecoffey.
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