NY quartet in Hambletonian

Four of the 13 horses entered in the Hambletonian eliminations on Saturday, July 29, at the Meadowlands were bred in New York, making it the largest entry of New York-breds since 2000. Three of the four entrants are by Credit Winner, who stands at Blue Chip Farms in Wallkill, N.Y.: Here Comes Herbie, RC Royalty and Chocolatier. The fourth entry, Algiers Hall, is by Conway Hall, who stands at Morrisville College Equine Institute.

RC Royalty is based at Vernon Downs in trainer Dan Daley's stable. Raymond "Chip" Campbell Jr. owned and bred the colt. The winner of $536,000 is by far his best competitor ever.

"He'll have light jogging going into the race," the trainer said of his colt's program for the rest of the week. "Monday was his training mile, even though it wasn't a very good one." Friday afternoon we'll head down to the Meadowlands."

On Monday, RC Royalty competed in a New York Sire Stakes event and made an uncharacteristic break. "He seemed bright the next day and jogged well, so we entered him (in the elim)," explained Daley.

The trainer and driver also started Master Lavec in 2000 and both CJ's Secret and Diamond Goal in 2001 in the Hambo eliminations, but did not advance. Daley is in a field of seven on Saturday and five will advance to the $1.5 million Hambletonian final on Saturday, Aug. 5.

Algiers Hall is owned with father and son E. Carlyle and David Smith and Saratoga Commissioner of Public Works Tom McTygue.

He won his last Sire Stakes leg on July 12 at his home track and was fifth in an overnight at the Meadowlands last week, which prompted trainer John Stark Jr. to change the colt's shoeing before heading into the eliminations.

"He had flip-flops on last week. It had just rained before the race and the track was a little sticky. It just didn't feel like he was gripping the track very well so I changed him to half rounds in the front," explained the trainer.

Algiers Hall did not train this week ("He's so hard on himself training") and his lungs and blood work all looked good in advance of the race, according to Stark.

"He's been good all week; he's doing fine," said Stark, who will be starting a horse for the first time in the Hambletonian eliminations. "Everything looks good now and we'll be taking him down to the Meadowlands Friday afternoon." (From NYSS)

« Back