With 3-2 favourite Carbine a victim of interference on the first turn, No Lou Zing found himself an unabated leader for much of his 11-1 upset in Sunday's (July 9) $35,000 Jerry Bradley Memorial Open Pace at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel.
Kevin Wallis gunned No Lou Zing forward amid a four-horse stampede for early control that also involved Ideal Feeling, Goldies Legacy and Carbine. Ideal Feeling closed the pocket behind No Lou Zing, who was briefly headed by Goldies Legacy upon entering the first turn. But Goldies Legacy broke stride shortly thereafter, hooked wheels with the three-wide Carbine and dragged him to the back of the pack as No Lou Zing carved out a :25.4 first quarter. The six-year-old Sweet Lou gelding maintained control of the terms through a :54 half before evading mild first-over pressure from Rock N Republic (Terry Skinner) up the backstretch.
No Lou Zing maintained a 1-1/2-length advantage over Rock N Republic at three-quarters in 1:21.4, shook free from that pursuer off the turn for home and widened his advantage under moderate encouragement. He finished his 1:50.3 victory 2-1/2 lengths clear of Heavy Pressure (Jamaal Denson), who lifted mildly off cover to beat Rock N Republic for second. Carbine (Peter Wrenn) made late headway to save fourth.
Wayne Oke trains No Lou Zing, who paid $24.58 to win, for A Piece Of The Action LLC. A four-time winner in 11 starts this season, No Lou Zing has won 20 of 74 career races and has banked $798,982.
No Lou Zing was half of a double for the partnership of Oke and Wallis, who also captured the $22,500 sub-feature with PD The Big Easy ($10.12, 1:52.2). Trainer Erv Miller and driver Atlee Bender likewise teamed up for a pair of winners on the nine-race card: Higher Waves ($5, 1:54.1) and Frankie Frankie ($3.26, 1:52.2).
The 2023 Oak Grove meeting concludes Monday, July 10 with a 10-race card, headlined by a $30,000 Fillies and Mares Open Pace, carded as the sixth event. Horse-by-horse trip notes and race-by-race commentary from analyst Ray Cotolo are available on the Oak Grove website. First post is at 3 p.m. CDT.
(Oak Grove Racing)