Parimutuels

LaRosa gets chance for bookend wins at Tampa Inaugural tonight

By DON JENSEN
Published June 11, 2005

TAMPA - LaRosa Enterprises Kennel and trainer Kim McAuliffe can end their week the way it started.

With a stakes victory.

Up To Speed can deliver on that opportunity tonight when he takes on seven rivals in the Tampa Inaugural at Tampa Greyhound Track. The 550-yard event will be Race 9 on the 14-race card with post time about 9:30 p.m.

A 2-year-old black male by Flying Penske and Jd Tripod, Up To Speed will be trying to duplicate the success of kennelmate Kaias Comet, who won the Future Champions Preview on Monday night. Both greyhounds are owned by George Adler.

Like Kaias Comet, who paid $21.40 for a $2 win ticket, Up To Speed may not be the favorite. Tampa racing secretary Theresa Hughes has assembled a competitive field that includes Derby Lane stakes winners Magnificent Mike (Gold Trophy Juvenile), Jr's Flashy (T.L. Weaver Memorial) and Whistler's Sea (Night of Stars XV), who drew the No. 1 post. Uss Raceway, second-leading winner at Derby Lane, also is entered with Fuzzys Wisconsin, Quibbler and Wc's Badger.

Up To Speed, who won 12 of 53 races at Derby Lane, is in fine form. He has finished first in his past three starts, the last one by a head over Whistler's Sea Wednesday at 6-1 odds. His 550-yard time was 30.95 seconds. Up To Speed will start from the No. 6 box.

McAuliffe is looking forward to a successful Tampa meet. She said LaRosa has some quality dogs, about 30 percent of them sired by Ben Awhile, a three-time stakes winner and Tampa's top greyhound in 2002 with 27 victories.

"(The season) looks good for us because all those Ben Awhile puppies are good," McAuliffe said. "We're very excited about this meet."

Kaias Comet is one of those Ben Awhile pups. The brindle female, who turns 2 in August, started her career in the same manner as Ben Awhile, winning two of three schooling races before taking the Future Champions Preview. She raced along the rail and defeated Flying Fine One by a half-length in a 550-yard time of 31.13 seconds. Kaias Comet's dam, Flying Anne, also competed on the Tampa-Derby Lane circuit.

LaRosa has never won a kennel championship at Tampa, McAuliffe said. Last year, LaRosa finished sixth in the standings with 99 victories in 766 starts, 19 wins behind Campbell Greyhound Racing. Entering Friday night's performance, LaRosa was one of six kennels with five victories, one behind leader Brumage/Filipelli Kennel.

TAMPA SCHEDULE: The Nebraska Avenue facility has nine 14-race performances weekly (Monday through Saturday nightly, and matinees on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday).

The remainder of Tampa stakes schedule is the Tampa Speed Classic on July 9, the Tampa Juvenile Stakes on Aug. 13 and the Tampa Derby and Consolation Derby on Sept. 10.

DERBY LANE LEADERS: Bahama Mama Greyhounds led several categories in Derby Lane's 2004-05 meet that ended Sunday. Bahama Mama won its third consecutive kennel championship with a record 288 victories in 1,527 starts (beating Capabal Kennel by 29), captured a meet-high three stakes and had the top greyhound in Non Stop Fun, who won 24 of 43 races. Another one of its dogs, Festive Event, tied Alderson Kennel's Denby for the best 550-yard time at 30.22 seconds. J's Habanero of Brumage/Filipelli posted the best 660-yard time of 37.09 seconds.

[Last modified June 11, 2005, 00:26:12]