Bonita Springs, Florida: JC's Wild Ewe Ends Senator Geller's Naples Greyhound Park Streak at 13

The thirteen race winning streak of Naples-Ft Myers Greyhound Park's Senator Geller is now over, but he made sure he went down swinging. The veteran racer finally got beat, but only because he ran into a very talented greyhound in the end. However, the story here is not that Senator Geller saw his skein snapped, but who the greyhound was that as able to pull this off. It would be none other than JC's Wild Ewe, a hard trying male who has been running at Naples-Ft Myers for over eighteen months without a signature moment, until now.

Wild Ewe has been a solid Grade A sprinter at the Bonita Springs, Florida facility almost since his Naples debut back in December of 2005. The day after Christmas that year he broke his Maiden, and within seven starts had recorded his first A victory. JC's Wild Ewe rapidly established himself as one of the best greyhounds at the track, and was even tried at the longer 3/8ths of a mile distance, but it was obvious that he was better suited for the 1,650 foot sprints and was quickly returned to them. Although Wild Ewe has never won a stakes event at Naples, Ft. Myers, the red male out of JC's High Kicker has never gone more than a handful of races without a triumph, and he came into the July 21st matinee showdown with the red-hot Senator with a standard of almost seventy quiniela finishes in his one hundred Naples outings, with forty-five of those being wins.

Meanwhile, Senator Geller had taken full advantage of some of the better Naples sprinters having departed for the summer meet at Dubuque Greyhound Park in Iowa. With such standouts as Pazzo Hawkeye and Pat C Alee running in Dubuque, Senator Geller had no one that could stand up to his fierce stretch rush, and one by one he began to rack up the wins, all of them come-from-behind efforts. Indeed, the four-year-old brindle male had not been beaten to the finish since April 24th, despite the fact that he often spotted the leader double-digit lengths to the first turn. In this particular heat, Geller had the two box, with Wild Ewe wearing the candy-striper seven blanket. Wily old-timer Desire To Fly, who is not in front at the first call about as often as a nine year old boy willingly brushes his teeth, was in the one. Pat C Hillside and FB Rose Bud, a pair of big late speed threats, were in this field, and as if that were not enough, Coconut King Stakes winner Blazing Logan was in the six. Logan was showing four wins in his five starts this meet, which commenced on July 1st, and is always capable of winning any contest he is entered in. Geller would have his paws full, but for the better part of the last three months he had been able to emerge unscathed.

Sparky the mechanical hare came by the starting box and the box-boy pulled the lever, turning the field loose. To no one's surprise it was Desire To Fly with the advantage in the early stages of the race, with Wild Ewe moving up smartly from the seven to settle into second place at the turn. Blazing Logan was in traffic and went a bit wide, allowing Senator Geller room to squeeze by and mount his patented charge down the backside. He made the first call in fourth, and was in third by the time Sparky was making his way past the Naples-Ft Myers toteboard. Desire To Fly was still in front, but Wild Ewe was threatening to take the lead, with Geller right there, looking for all the world as if he were going to blow by them both and chalk up win number fourteen in a row.

On January 25th of this year, Wild Ewe had found himself in a very similar spot, chasing the leader with the same Senator Geller breathing down his neck. He had been able to pass the tiring frontrunner on that occasion and hold off the Senator's flash finish. History would repeat itself on this July Naples afternoon, as Wild Ewe went by Desire To Fly and found an extra gear, grabbing the rail and accelerating towards the wire. Geller could not put a dent into the margin that he trailed going into the stretch, and lost by three lengths despite running a 30.39 second race. Wild Ewe stopped the Naples timer at 30.19 and the streak as well. Going off at 3-1 odds, he returned $8.80 to his supporters and combined with Geller to form an $11.00 quiniela. Geller now will try to start a new run, all the while marching towards one hundred career wins, a number that he still stands seventeen races short of, thanks to the gutty efforts of JC's Wild Ewe.