Jacksonville, Florida: Top Grade Greyhound Chalks Have Tough Time at Orange Park

Two of the best greyhounds currently competing at Orange Park in Jacksonville, Florida were defeated last week, while the best router on the grounds just keeps winning. It was actually a tough week for many of the top sprinters at Orange Park, as more than a few fell victim to either bad racing luck or other dogs simply being better on that particular day. But Santa's Playgirl has virtually turned Orange Park into Santa's playground, as she continues to dominate the other distance dogs on the Jacksonville circuit.

Santa's Playgirl went to post twice in a three day span during the week of July 23rd through the 29th, winning both times over 660 yards in handy fashion. In her first race on the 25th, Playgirl, coming off an impressive showing as she just won the James Patton Marathon title at 7/16ths of a mile a couple weeks back, caught a tough customer in Doright Sugar, scoring a two length triumph in 37.54 seconds. Three days later she annihilated USS Double Dare, cruising to a nine length decision in 37.73 as an overwhelming favorite. The pair of victories gave the brindle bitch twenty wins for 2007 and thirty-two for the current Orange Park meet, as she is far and away the best over the 1,980 foot long course, and not too shabby over the longer marathons either.

The grade A sprint upsets began on Monday the 23rd when TMC's Dogbone ran sixth at 1-1 odds in a heat that was won by Mr. Desirable at 18-1. Dogbone cleared the turn second but faded late as Desirable got it in gear and swooped everyone down the stretch to win by a nose over Sarava. Later on in the same performance, Stake Your Claim got his from Bow Pork Chop among others. Claim was sent away at 7-5, but could only manage a fourth as the triple came back at close to eight hundred dollars with Pork Chop on top.

The Wednesday matinee two days later saw Pat C Red Note, who has been coming up short in the stretch as of late, spit the bit as they headed for the wire. Red Note went from first to fourth, while Pete's Pearl won by a head in 30.79. In the nightcap of the Wednesday twinbill it was Mohican Donna's turn to disappoint those who supported her with their hard-earned cash in the seventh, as the recent winner of five in a row failed to fire, while Deco Deron Heart romped away with his first grade A win. Later on, Penrose Brianna made everyone forget what Donna had just done when she ran a slug of a race, finishing seventh as the nine dimes to the dollar chalk. Brianna had also had a streak snapped a race ago, as she had taken seven consecutive top grade Orange Park tilts, but on this evening she was not up to the task in an event won by Kiowa Pawnee by a length over Sol Hampshire.

Those hoping that Thursday night's card would yield better results for the top level favorites were in for more of the same, although the patrons' picks did run better. In the seventh, Kiowa Wild Boy could not catch Gil's Navasota, as he was forced to come from sixth and fell two lengths short. In the eleventh, it was co-favs Afleet Alex and Kiowa Wish Frank chasing early speedster TZ Paper Lace over the line, as both were unable to cut into the lead that the fawn female forged in the race's early stages and then clung to late. Maybe Friday things would finally look up for those dogs that were going off at low odds in the As, but lo and behold, Craigie Matrix ran dead last at 2-1 in the seventh, as RV Apple Jack overtook Bow Pork Chop, bidding for his second in a row, in the stretch. At last, in the eleventh, Starz Margie won as the crowd got one right. Margie took her third in her last four Orange Park outings, but the relief was short-lived as To Tell With It couldn't deliver in the very next heat, running a dismal fifth to Kay Star Sample as the toteboard showed the veteran runner was 1-1.

Rooftop Nick was a slight favorite on Saturday afternoon, and true to recent form he absorbed a bump and ran last in a grade A won by Greys Big Chance. At night, in the second half of the Orange Park doubleheader, TMC's Dogbone and Stake Your Claim both made encores, flopping once more in their races as the fans scratched their heads. When Im's The Show won from the eight hole on Sunday, it was just the second time that a chalk had won an A for the week, but then Deco Deron Heart turned the trick again, beating Afleet Alex, who ran into first turn troubles and finished off the board, which was about par for the course for the best sprinters at Orange Park lately, who must be looking at the daily paper to see if their horoscopes foretell a change for the better anytime soon.