Con Game hustles to Fox victory

Con Game won the $47,685 Fox Stakes for 2-year-old colt pacers Friday afternoon at the Indianapolis, Ind. fairgrounds, crossing the wire in 1:54.2 for driver Todd Warren and trainer Perry Smith. Four Starzzz Z, driven by Travis Seekman and trained by his father, Joe Seekman, finished second, 1 1/4 lengths behind the winner who led gate to wire.

First raced in 1927, the Fox Stakes highlighted the closing day program of the Grand Circuit meet at the fairgrounds. Just five horses lined up behind the gate for the Fox, including a trio of Smith-trained entries. In addition to Con Game, Smith also sent out Best Man Hanover and Bursting Blaze, who finished third and fourth, respectively.

The win was the second of the year in four starts for Con Man, and was a career best. His prior victory was a 1:56.3 effort July 7 in a conditioned event at Balmoral Park over a “sloppy” racetrack, which was followed up by a second-place finish in a $25,800 Hanover division July 17, also at Balmoral. Since that time Con Game had two winning qualifying efforts at Balmoral on Aug. 4 and Aug. 11.

A son of Cam’s Card Shark, Con Man is out of the Walton Hanover mare Lady Leslie, she a Maryland Standardbed Race Fund winner in 1998 as well as Maryland Sire Stakes final runner-up.

A $25,000 yearling purchase by Jim and Joyce Jesk’s Sawgrass Farms from breeder Winbak Farm, Con Man is a full brother to I’m All In p, 1:52.3f ($380,343) and a half brother to Timeless Artist p, 1:52.1 ($164,838).

Also on the Fox Day card, Allthatgltrsisgold won the $34,919 Horseman for 3-year-old colt and gelding pacers for driver Dave Magee in 1:52, defeating runner-up Perrito Caliente and driver Peter Wrenn by 1 1/2 lengths.

Magee was fourth at the opening quarter with Allthatgltrsisgold but moved the son of Cam’s Card Shark to the lead before the half. Never relinquishing control, Allthatgltrsisgold closed out the mile with a final quarter of :27.3 to win for the fifth time this year in 13 starts.

On June 26, Allthatgltrsisgold won the $97,000 North America Cup consolation at Mohawk in a career-best 1:49, which was preceded earlier that month with a third-place finish in the $500,000 New Jersey Classic at the Meadowlands. On May 29, Allthatgltrsisgold took home a check of $125,000 via a second-place finish in the $500,000 Hoosier Cup at Hoosier Park.

Also contested on the Friday card were: 

Race    Winner Driver/Trainer   Time

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