Palm Beach Weekly Wrap Up 1-1-2017

Happy New Year from all of us at BetAmerica!  2016 may have been known as a dumpster fire around the country for multiple reasons, but the greyhound industry has much to be thankful for.  Record handles at most tracks, renewed interest in the sport, a National Championship we can be proud of and superb action abound especially at The Palm Beach Kennel Club. 2017 is set for a big year.

Here's the top stories we saw from the past week at "The Beach."

AllAboutTheFame Wins The 20K Futurity

As we've been covering on our social media feeds all week long, AllAboutTheFame from the Janie Carroll Kennel took home the 19th running of the $20,000 Dick Andrews Futurity last Monday afternoon. Fame bolted from the 8 box in the Final and cruised to the second fastest Futurity split of all time in a sensational 29.46 secs.

Congratulations one more time to AllAboutTheFame and all her connections on the victory.  Here is the follow up article after her win I posted on Tuesday, with quotes from Fame's team:

https://extra.betamerica.com/allaboutthefame-dominates-palm-beach-futurity-final/

Ethel Is Here Sold

After winning the 20K Futurity with AllAboutTheFame, owner Monte Jacobs agreed to come on The Backstretch Show (95.9 FM The Palm) with South Florida's radio royalty and I to discuss the victory.  We got that and a whole lot more in our interview.

Jacobs announced to the world that he had purchased record breaker Ethel is Here from previous owner Jerry Simons for an undisclosed amount in the past week.  Jacobs told us that this was primarily for breeding purposes, but with the 50K Derby just a mere 5 weeks away, Jacobs has now set himself up for more glory.  He already owns season wins leader Fraulein Morgan who has been a monster on the "Rhonda" Course with 19 victories and now has Ethel as well.

To say Monte has a good chance of taking home more silverware this season would be a severe understatement.  I called him the new King of South Florida on Facebook after this purchase, which I think is a very accurate statement. Wow. Steal of the century in my opinion.

Here's a link to the interview that shocked the greyhound racing world:

https://soundcloud.com/user-960374662/backstretch-show-12-30-2016

We've Hit The Halfway Point Of The Season

When the clock struck midnight to bring in 2017, Palm Beach hit the halfway point of the current racing season.  There have been many memorable moments so far that we've seen.  Here's my favorite moments that have happened from a very competitive campaign this season:

Fraulein Morgan

We call her fabulous and for good reason.  19 wins on the season, 28/28 in the money and a 67% winning percentage.  She has just been dominant all year and is absolutely running away with the track championship at this point.  If she stays healthy and runs as consistently as she has been, "The Bachelorette" is in for one spectacular season for the ages.

Atascocita Lloyd's LongShot 20K Labor Day Victory

Atascocita Lloyd from Suncoast Racing pulled the shocker of the decade in the Labor Day Puppy Stakes Final last September, winning the 20K top prize at 23-1 odds.  The totally unknown coming into the tourney stunned the fans that were expecting Big Red Dog, Whirlin Toodlelu, or Barts Magic Mike to take home the top prize. This just proved yet again that anything can happen in greyhound racing when only one race decides everything.

Here's the replay of the Final:

http://www.trackinfo.com/video-box.jsp?raceid=gPB%2420160905A12

The Knockout King Has Been Sensational

Superior Tyson from B & B Racing has come off of his 50K St Pats victory from last season and rolled into this season like he wants more cheddar.  Even with a beach vacation to start off the year, Tyson has steamrolled to 13 victories and the top winning percentage of any sprinter here (59%)  He will be your He's My Man favorite coming up this month without question.

Daytona 550 Shakeup

We found out this week that the Final 8 for our Daytona 550 National Championship is going to look different than what we originally thought.

Both Mac's Harewood and Varoom Esme teams told United Greyhound Racing that they were not going to participate in the NC as initially expected.  This has to be a disappointment for the West Virginia racing scene that saw a record three Finalists for this year now down to one with Kinda Cruel Red from Wheeling being the lone participant.

With the two scratches, it was also announced that Kentucky Kat from Derby Lane and JD Accomplice from Hollywood Greyhound Park would round up the field for the Final on January 21st at the Daytona Beach Kennel Club.

I'll be joining the world famous host of the BARN Show Jason Beem this Tuesday to discuss this new Daytona 550 field and also catch up on Palm Beach news. I may also ask if I was in the running for a Beemie Award that I missed out on this year. Looking forward to it!

$50K He's My Man On The Horizon

With the new year comes the anticipation of one of the most prestigious tourneys in the country....the $50,000 He's My Man Tournament. Regardless of age, experience, or allegiance, every sprinter in South FLA has a chance to bring home the grand daddy of them all here at The Palm Beach Kennel Club. Next Sunday, the field will be officially revealed and race fans will know who is in it to win it for this tournament.  The first round gets rolling on Wednesday, January 11th.

Who will be the next champion to join last years winner Xtenshun from the North Shore Kennel in the circle of all time fame? Our preview comes out next week, with picks from myself and our greyhound racing gurus around the country giving you the inside scoop on what to expect in this tournament.

That's all we have for this week.  See you next time for the Wrap Up!