Harrington and Yonkers Both Offer Solid Monday Cards
One week after hosting the $150,000 Bobby Quillen Memorial for the top older horses and witnessing hometown hero Wiggle It Jiggleit cruise to a three-length score in 1:50 over the sloppy surface, Harrington Raceway will focus on the younger pacers on Monday while Yonkers will offer a competitive card that gets better toward the end.
Monday's opening race at Harrington in the first division of the second elimination of the Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund for two-year-old filly pacers. Westwind Roddylee (Tony Morgan) will look to make amends for a third-place finish as the 2-5 favorite in the opening round last Monday over a sloppy track for trainer Jason Skinner and owner-breeders Joel & Diane Halpern, while railbound Heart Crusher (Bart Dalious) again draws favorably after a third-place effort behind I Won Them Both last week.
Then one race later in the second DSBF split, Logan's Girl (Victor Kirby) will seek her second straight elim score for owner-trainer Joann Looney-King, although she will have to overcome post seven to prevail in this spot. I'm Scootin For Joy (Montrell Teague) was a distant second to the favorite in their previous encounter, but draws well inside of her for 'Team Teague' and will look to work out a favorable trip and secure her berth in the $100,000 DSBF final here on October 5.
Right at the midway point of the card the best older pacers on the grounds will clash in the $19,200 Open Handicap where Arque Hanover (Jonathan Roberts) will look to overcome his assigned outside slot to maintain his dominance over this group for trainee Dylan Davis. He finished third and then sixth in two outings at Yonkers Raceway earlier this month, but returns home to the oval where he posted consecutive Open Hcp scores in 1:52.1 and 1:52.4, respectively.
Looking to spoil the homecoming party for Arque Hanover are Little Ben (Kirby) who was second in each of his last two starts this this level for King, Dancin Yankee (Russell Foster) a former Quillen participant who boasts 52 wins in 156 career starts and lifetime earnings of nearly $1.5 million for trainer Josh Green and Remember Me VK (Teague) who has won three straight against conditioned foes here but scratched out of the Open two weeks ago won by Mel Mara.
Then one race later in the third division of the second DSBF split for freshman filly pacers, Lillisbagsrpacked (Kirby) and Spinpressive (Ross Wolfenden) will both look for their first tallies in this event after each finished second last week. Lillisbagrpacked finished second behind I Won Them Both after racing first over and drifting out badly in the lane, while Spinpressive finished a solid second to Spanish Dream for owner-breeder-trainer and petite blacksmith Leigh Louthan.
Then two races later in the fourth division of the the second DSBF elim, opening round winners I Won Them Both (Teague) and Spanish Dream (Kirby) will start from posts five and six, respectively, against talented newcomer Cashmere's Delight (Jim Morand) who drew post four. Three other overmatched rivals drew into this event along the inside. Spanish Dream won last Monday in 1:57, while I Won The Both scored in 1:58 in the slop. Cashmere's Delight prevailed last out over a fast track in 1:56.2 for trainer Les Givens.
Monday's opening race at Harrington in the first division of the second elimination of the Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund for two-year-old filly pacers. Westwind Roddylee (Tony Morgan) will look to make amends for a third-place finish as the 2-5 favorite in the opening round last Monday over a sloppy track for trainer Jason Skinner and owner-breeders Joel & Diane Halpern, while railbound Heart Crusher (Bart Dalious) again draws favorably after a third-place effort behind I Won Them Both last week.
Then one race later in the second DSBF split, Logan's Girl (Victor Kirby) will seek her second straight elim score for owner-trainer Joann Looney-King, although she will have to overcome post seven to prevail in this spot. I'm Scootin For Joy (Montrell Teague) was a distant second to the favorite in their previous encounter, but draws well inside of her for 'Team Teague' and will look to work out a favorable trip and secure her berth in the $100,000 DSBF final here on October 5.
Right at the midway point of the card the best older pacers on the grounds will clash in the $19,200 Open Handicap where Arque Hanover (Jonathan Roberts) will look to overcome his assigned outside slot to maintain his dominance over this group for trainee Dylan Davis. He finished third and then sixth in two outings at Yonkers Raceway earlier this month, but returns home to the oval where he posted consecutive Open Hcp scores in 1:52.1 and 1:52.4, respectively.
Looking to spoil the homecoming party for Arque Hanover are Little Ben (Kirby) who was second in each of his last two starts this this level for King, Dancin Yankee (Russell Foster) a former Quillen participant who boasts 52 wins in 156 career starts and lifetime earnings of nearly $1.5 million for trainer Josh Green and Remember Me VK (Teague) who has won three straight against conditioned foes here but scratched out of the Open two weeks ago won by Mel Mara.
Then one race later in the third division of the second DSBF split for freshman filly pacers, Lillisbagsrpacked (Kirby) and Spinpressive (Ross Wolfenden) will both look for their first tallies in this event after each finished second last week. Lillisbagrpacked finished second behind I Won Them Both after racing first over and drifting out badly in the lane, while Spinpressive finished a solid second to Spanish Dream for owner-breeder-trainer and petite blacksmith Leigh Louthan.
Then two races later in the fourth division of the the second DSBF elim, opening round winners I Won Them Both (Teague) and Spanish Dream (Kirby) will start from posts five and six, respectively, against talented newcomer Cashmere's Delight (Jim Morand) who drew post four. Three other overmatched rivals drew into this event along the inside. Spanish Dream won last Monday in 1:57, while I Won The Both scored in 1:58 in the slop. Cashmere's Delight prevailed last out over a fast track in 1:56.2 for trainer Les Givens.
While the stakes races take center stage at Harrington on Monday, the overnight races toward the latter half of the card deserve close watching at Yonkers Raceway.
In the eighth, a non-winners of $20,000 last five starts conditioned event for older pacers, Saturday night regulars Royal Heart (Mark Macdonald), Somewhere Fancy (George Brennan), Validus Deo (Jason Bartlett), Bettor Rock On N (Daniel Dube), Rock On Moe (Dan Daley), Texican N (Jordan Stratton) and Mcerlean (Tyler Buter) will all clash in a very competitive affair.
Three races later on the card, Boston Red Rocks (Tim Tetrick) will look to regain his winning ways when he headlines a non-winners of eight races or $80,000 lifetime condition. Last year's champion two-year-old colt pacer, Boston Red Rocks has won only twice in 12 starts and banked $270,000 this year for trainer Steve Elliott, but looms a prohibitive favorite in this spot since he will not have to contend with Grade I winners Betting Line, Racing Hill or Control The Moment in this event.
Then one race later in the Monday finale at Yonkers, a tough non-winners of $25,000 last five starts class that also includes a bevy of Saturday night regulars, Shades Of Bay (Dube), Duel In The Sun (Buter), Sapphire City (Macdonald), Fool Me Once (Stratton) and Fashion Delight (Bartlett) will vie for favoritism and the lion's share of this spot and then all of them will likely return for the Saturday night card this weekend. A tall task selecting the winner of the late daily double on Monday.
Delaware-bred pacers will be on display on Monday, but Maryland-bred trotters and pacers garnered their share of the soptlight last weekend at several ovals in lucrative stakes.
Lady Shadow, a fixture in the weekly Hambletonian Society Top 10 poll, secured her status as the best aged pacing mare in the land when she brushed to command before the half and edged clear late to capture the $311,000 Milton Stakes final at Mohawk Raceway on Saturday night. Lady Shadow is a cinch to take home the Dan Patch Award as division champion and she looms the odds-on choice to garner Maryland-bred horse of the year honors.
Two other Winbak Farm products prevailed in their respective $225,000 New York Sire Stakes finals at Yonkers Raceway on Saturday night. Tequila Monday overcame post eight and excess cover to rally to finish second in her event and was eventually placed first through the disqualification of Roaring To Go, who committed a hairline infraction on the far turn. Tequila Monday has won four of five starts for trainer Chris Oakes.
Then several races later on the card, Devious Man (Andy Miller) brushed to command before the half and then held sway through the lane to capture his NYSS final for two-year-old trotting colts. Another Winbak Farm product trained by Julie Miller, Devious Man could still make his presence known in open stakes later this fall and he may be one of the talented trainees Miller points for the Hambletonian next summer at the Meadowlands.
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