Surprises in Goodtimes

After an event-packed final quarter, long shot Kelso was declared the winner in the first of two $30,000 eliminations of The Goodtimes at Woodbine while Chocolatier, last year’s class champion, went off stride with the lead at the half and failed to qualify for next week’s final with a distanced ninth-place finish. In the second elimination Algiers Hall romped to a 1:56.1 victory.

Kelso, a gelded son of Angus Hall, got away first but gave up the lead early on to Having Said That. Mark MacDonald had the trotter in the pocket through fractions of :28.2, :58.4 and 1:27.2 and the duo was in the right place at the right time when both Having Said That and late-charger Majestic Son made breaks in the early and late stretch, respectively. Kelso finished second and was placed first in a time of 1:56.4, with Mr Lemon finishing third, placed second and Majestic Hall placed third. The last two qualifiers for next week’s final were Yorktown Gunner and Campbell Hall.

At odds of 60-1, Kelso paid $126.00 to win.

A homebred who is trained by co-owner Les Fuller, Kelso now has two wins in eight starts this year for Les and David Fuller of Sunderland and Mike Rightmyer of Whitevale, Ont.

Algiers Hall and trainer-driver John Stark Jr. pulled away from the field for an easy victory in tonight's second $30,000 Goodtimes elimination.

Stark had the sophomore son of Conway Hall in fourth through opening quarters of :28.1 and :58.2 before making a brush to the lead in front of Trotting Matrix and Celebrity Surfer. The duo hit the three-quarter mark in 1:27 and never looked back, taking a wide open win in 1:56.1. Glidemaster got up for second, and Celebrity Surfer was third.

"At two he was quick, but he wouldn't back down to relax," Stark said following the race. "Towards the end of his rookie season and to start this season, he's been good. The track was a little loose tonight, but he can get over any kind of surface. I quit with him after Lexington last year and he's come back strong this year.
"I'll take him home to get him ready for next week."

Tonight's was the third win in four starts this year for Algiers Hall, who is trained by John Stark Jr., who owns the colt in partnership with Edmund Smith, David Smith and Thomas McTyge of New York.

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