Top Older Trotters and Pacers Highlight Yonkers Afternoon Card
Saturday afternoon's card at Yonkers Raceway offered harness racing fans a chance to see the best older trotters and pacers compete in a trio of lucrative events that invariably proved somewhat chalky.
Midway through the card, Resolve (Ake Svandstedt) lived up to his role as the even-money favorite in the $1 million Yonkers International Trot at a mile and a quarter. Away well from post two, Resolve left well to secure good early position, brushed past Oasis Bi (Erik Adielsson) to gain command and maintained honest fractions throughout en route to a two-length score in 2:23.4.
A five-year-old Muscle Hill stallion trained and driven by Svandstedt, Resolve posted his third straight win and now owns a 5-3-1 slate and $1.2 million bankroll from 11 starts this year. In addition to setting a world record for the distance on a half-mile oval, Resolve owns multiple lucrative stakes scores and a runner-up effort in the Elitlopp, Europe's most coveted event for trotters.
Heading into next week's Breeders Crown, Resolve has already secured divisional honors among aged trotters and in virtually any other year he would be in line for trotter of the year. But Resolve will likely yield that honor to Marion Marauder, who completed a sweep of the trotting Triple Crown by winning the Kentucky Futurity last Sunday at Lexington.
One race later, Bee A Magician (Brian Sears) lived up to her billing as the 3-5 favorite in the $250,000 Yonkers Invitational Trot when she brushed to command before the half, got a breather through the next half-mile and held safe Melady's Monet (Jason Bartlett) to score by a length in 2:25.1 for the one-mile and a quarter affair.
Idle for nearly five months, Bee A Magician prepped for this event by winning a pair of qualifiers in sharp fashion then on Saturday she prevailed like a fresh, fit horse. A six-year-old Kadabra mare trained by Nifty Norman, Bee A Magician has won all four of her starts and banked $230,000 this year and and boasts 45 wins and earnings of nearly $4 million from 69 lifetime outings.
Midway through the card, Resolve (Ake Svandstedt) lived up to his role as the even-money favorite in the $1 million Yonkers International Trot at a mile and a quarter. Away well from post two, Resolve left well to secure good early position, brushed past Oasis Bi (Erik Adielsson) to gain command and maintained honest fractions throughout en route to a two-length score in 2:23.4.
A five-year-old Muscle Hill stallion trained and driven by Svandstedt, Resolve posted his third straight win and now owns a 5-3-1 slate and $1.2 million bankroll from 11 starts this year. In addition to setting a world record for the distance on a half-mile oval, Resolve owns multiple lucrative stakes scores and a runner-up effort in the Elitlopp, Europe's most coveted event for trotters.
Heading into next week's Breeders Crown, Resolve has already secured divisional honors among aged trotters and in virtually any other year he would be in line for trotter of the year. But Resolve will likely yield that honor to Marion Marauder, who completed a sweep of the trotting Triple Crown by winning the Kentucky Futurity last Sunday at Lexington.
One race later, Bee A Magician (Brian Sears) lived up to her billing as the 3-5 favorite in the $250,000 Yonkers Invitational Trot when she brushed to command before the half, got a breather through the next half-mile and held safe Melady's Monet (Jason Bartlett) to score by a length in 2:25.1 for the one-mile and a quarter affair.
Idle for nearly five months, Bee A Magician prepped for this event by winning a pair of qualifiers in sharp fashion then on Saturday she prevailed like a fresh, fit horse. A six-year-old Kadabra mare trained by Nifty Norman, Bee A Magician has won all four of her starts and banked $230,000 this year and and boasts 45 wins and earnings of nearly $4 million from 69 lifetime outings.
Melady's Monet delivered the best effort of his career in defeat, grinding first over from the second tier to finish second behind one of the best trotting mares of this century. A seven-year-old Revenue S gelding trained by Kevin McDermott, Melady's Monet sports a 6-7-3 slate and $270,000 bankroll from 21 starts this year and he now owns a 40-27-21 slate and $1 million bankroll from 134 career outings.
Three races later on the card, Wiggle It Jiggleit (Montrell Teague) easily lived up to his billing as the 2-5 favorite in the $250,000 Yonkers Invitational Pace when he overcame post seven and led throughout to score by two lengths over Bit Of A Legend N (Jordan Stratton) in 1:50.2.
A four-year-old Mr Wiggles gelding owned and trained by George Teague, Jr., Wiggle It Jiggleit now owns 15 wins and $1.62 million banked from 23 starts this season and now boasts 38 wins and $3.8 million earned from 50 lifetime tries.
Wiggle It Jiggleit won 22 of 26 starts and banked over $2.1 million last season at age three en route to being horse of the year. He arrived Saturday as the top ranked horse of either gait and any age in the land and his handy score in the Yonkers Invitational Pace certainly did little to diminish his ranking or reputation.
Wiggle It Jiggleit is not eligible to the Breeders Crown Aged Pace at the Meadowlands, but he could be supplemented into that event at a cost of $50,000. After the race, Teague remained noncommittal about that decision but noted the reigning horse of the year is definite for the TVG final at the Big M on Nov. 12 and he could make one more start later that month.
Then one race later in the $35,000 Winners Over, The Real One (Pat Lachance) benefited from an inside draw and pocket trip to score as the 4-5 favorite in 1:52. A six-year-old Mach Three gelding trained and driven by Lachance, The Real One has now own two straight and owns a 7-4-4 slate and $173,000 bankroll from 25 starts this year.
Then one race later in the $45,000 Open Handicap for trotters, Bourbon Bay (Svandstedt) gained command soon after the start and led throughout to score in 1:54. A Maryland-bred son of Sand Vic, Bourbon Bay has won two straight events and now owns a 4-2-1 slate $66,000 bankroll from 15 starts this year for his trainer-driver.
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