Matinee at Woodbine

By the calendar he turned one year older today, but even so, the classy veteran Admirals Express was his usual relentless self at Woodbine on New Year's Day as he won in 1:55.3.



The "Grey Gladiator," as he's fondly referred to by track announcer Frank Salive, celebrated his ninth birthday with a well deserved victory in race five, a $35,000 conditioned event. Driven as usual by Paul MacDonell, the Admirals Galley gelding overcame both the outside post position 10 and a scare in the stretch to score in familiar front end fashion. At the top of the stretch, Admirals Express was headed on the outside by Synide and looked to be backing away, but as has happened so often over his glorious career, he battled back and eventually prevailed by half-a-length over a closing Lifes A Beach. Synide was third.



"He's a joy to drive," said MacDonell of the Mike Hales trainee, who notched career win number 52. "He finds a way. Today, he got some class relief and that helped. He'll bounce around (this year) and you'll be surprised how much he'll have earned by the end of the year."



Speaking of which, the charismatic pacer is coming off the best season of his sensational career. In 41 starts, Admirals Express posted a10-9-3 slate for earnings of $397,480 for Michigan owners Gary and Laurel Gust and Cheryl and Ed Sayfie.



Another classy veteran competitor, Rair Earth front-stepped his way to a neck victory in 1:53.4 over odds-on choice Escape The Wind in the $50,000 Open Pace. Although he'd won two of his previous three outings, the 8-year-old Keystone Raider gelding was somehow allowed to get away at odds of 8-1 and thus paid $19.10 for his 40th lifetime tally. Aubrey Friedman and Brian Nixon share ownership on the winner of more than $1.2 million, who is conditioned by Mark Harder.--Woodbine publicity release

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