Emoticon Hanover scored a comfortable 1:54 victory in Monday evening’s $52,800 opening leg of the Miss Versatility Series for trotting mares at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

The two-time Breeders Crown champion and driver Daniel Dube got away second in a compact field of five and made a second-quarter circle to the lead from the two-hole. The Luc Blais trainee proceeded to post a :28.4 third-quarter followed by a :27.4 final-quarter to secure a 2 ¼ lengths victory over early-leader The Erm. 

Emoticon Hanover’s stablemate Dream Together finished third. Pat Matters and Sorceress Seelster rounded out the field, with both making breaks early in the mile.

A daughter of Kadabra, Emoticon Hanov... more...

Air Force Hanover, who won the faster of last weekend’s two elimination races, finds himself stuck behind the eight-ball for Yonkers Raceway’s 29th Art Rooney Pace.

The $300,000 event, for 3-year-old colts and geldings, goes as Saturday night’s (May 25) 10th race, with the dozen-race card offering its usual first post of 6:50 p.m.

Air Force Hanover, despite going the distance this past Saturday in 1:52.4, did not overly impress his trainer.

“He wasn’t as good as I wanted him to be,” Brian Brown said. “He did the same thing (2017 Rooney and Messenger winner) Downbytheseaside did when he was here.

“He’d open up a lead and start waiting for someone, and (Air Forc... more...

Tony Hall collected six wins on the 13-race card while Party At The Banks captured the $20,000 Open Handicap Trot against the boys in Monday’s (May 20) action at The Meadows.

Hall’s victories came for six different trainers: Randy Bendis, William Daugherty Jr., Rich Gillock, Cory Kreiser, Marcus Marashian and Dirk Simpson.

Party At The Banks endured a rough start, as she was parked the opening three-eighths before reaching the point. But the 5-year-old daughter of Break The Bank K and Beach Party As made it look easy from there, downing the pocket-sitting Classic Banker by 2-1/2 lengths in 1:54 for Dave Palone. Final Breath finished third.

Party At The Banks, who lifted her career bankroll to $180,423, for Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. It was her second straight win and fifth in the last seven starts. (Meadows Standardbred Owners Association... more...

George Leager's Slick Tony ($6.80, Russell Foster) was a repeat winner Monday in the featured $16,000 Open at Harrington Raceway in 1:51.4.

The win looked like an instant replay from his win on May 13 as he once again battled first-over against leader Blazing Bobby Sox and used a steady and sustained charge to clear the lead and draw away from his rivals late for owner/trainer Leager.

Q's Cruise closed well late to be second, while Blazing Bobby Sox was third.

It was the 24th career win for Slick Tony, a 4-year-old No Spin Zone stallion, who has banked more than $80,000 this year and nearly $500,000 in his career. (Harrington... more...

Elimination winner Done Well topped his performance a week ago with a 1:50.2 gate-to-wire score in the $188,500 41st edition of the Confederation Cup on Sunday at Flamboro Downs.

A four-horse charge led the field into the first turn, with Dorsoduro Hanover yielding position from post one to Jimmy Freight while Done Well hustled towards the lead and Rockin Speed took back for a pocket. Jimmy Freight strung out Done Well to a :26.2 opening quarter before letting the Well Said gelding clear command moving to the second turn. 

Dorsoduro Hanover tipped first over marching towards a :54.3 half and made steady gains on his stablemate as the speed continued into a 1:22.2 third quarter. Jimmy Freigh... more...

Captain Crunch, last year’s 2-year-old champion, had people asking “What’s he going to do when he gets tighter?” after taking his 2019 debut by an effortless 1¾ lengths in a division of the second preliminary of the Pennsylvania Sires Stakes for 3-year-old pacing colts Sunday at Mohegan Sun Pocono, negotiating a sloppy track in an amazing 1:49.1, last quarter :26.

The 2018 Pennsylvania Sires Stakes champion Proof left hard from an outer post to clear to the lead just after the :27 quarter, with Scott Zeron already having given the word to Captain Crunch and the Captaintreacherous colt powering right to the lead before reaching the half in :55.2. Southwind Ozzi, a first-round PaSS winner... more...

The field is set for Sweden's famed Elitlopp, set for Sunday, May 26, at the Solvalla racetrack in Stockholm. There are 16 trotters from six different countries drawn into two eliminations; the first four finishers will advance to the final. The distance for the race is one mile, and the winner of final heat is the Elitlopp champion. Last year's Elitlopp champion, the Jerry Riordan-trained Ringostarr Treb, is not in the field.

While no US horse traveled to Sweden for the race, three trotters bred in the US are in the field: Double Exposure and Propulsion--both trained by Daniel Redén, and Milligan’s School, trained by Stefan Melander, who has won the race with Iceland and Nucio.... more...