Driver Yannick Gingras set up shop in the winner’s circle to launch the Breeders Crown elimination weekend festivities on Friday evening at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

A pair of eliminations for the 2-Year-Old Filly Trot and a single elimination for the 2-Year-Old Colt Trot were contested. 

Gingras drove Synergy (Father Patrick-Southwind Sauna) to a 1:55 win in the $32,500 Breeders Crown Two-Year-Old Colt Trot elimination. 

The field left evenly except for Chestnut Hill (David Miller), who galloped off the gate while mid-pack Beads (Paul MacDonell) went to the front as the rest of the field found early spots. Back Of The Neck (Brian Sears) sat behind the leader into a :27.2 first quart... more...

Favorite—and lone leaver—Tequila Monday (Eric Goodell, $3.90) finished it off Friday night, winning Yonkers Raceway’s $42,000 Filly and Mare Open Pace.

From post position No. 6, Tequila Monday worked around pole-sitting Robyn Camden (Jim Marohn Jr.) before a 27-second opening quarter-mile. From there, the Raceway’s fastest-ever femme (a 1:50 flat effort in late June) was sufficiently swift through intervals of :56.1, 1:24.3 and 1:52.2.

Tequila Monday held off a second-over I’mprincessgemma A (Joe Bongiorno) by a half-length, with Robyn Camden third. The small envelopes went to a first-up Write Me a Song (George Brennan) and Glenferrie  Blade A (Jordan Stratton). 

For Tequila Monday, a 5-year-old statebred daughter of American Ideal co-owned by Northfork Racing & Chuck Pompey and trained by Chris Oakes, it was her 10th win in 13 seasonal starts  (career 27-for-57). (Yonkers... more...

It doesn’t matter what track he races at, Madhatter Bluechip just continues to win. On Friday his multi-state roadshow continued as he ventured into Massachusetts to visit Plainridge Park and came away with his fifth straight victory after winning the $16,000 Open trotting feature.

Madhatter Bluechip (Kevin Switzer Jr.) left and took a quick lead before the heavily favored Nows The Moment (Mike Stevenson), who was on a three-race winning streak himself coming into the race, shot by him to take the lead in a serious first quarter of :26.4. The race continued past the half and to the five-eighths where Quicksilver Kemp (Shawn Gray) pulled first over to join the fray.

Unaffected by the challen... more...

After stringing three straight wins at the Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono prior to finishing sixth chasing a 1:52.3 mile last week, Joey Pro ventured north to Batavia Downs and ran away with the $12,500 Open I Handicap trot on Friday night.

BZ Glide (Mike Caprio) rushed off the gate for the lead and looked like he would go unchallenged for a while. But Joey Pro (John Cummings Jr.) who was now third, was quickly pulled and brushed to the front in a :28 first quarter and then opened up a gapped 2 1/2-length lead rounding the second bend. The chasing field stayed in single file trying to keep up with Joey Pro who went to the half in :56.3 and three-quarters in 1:25.3.

Joey Pro was 3 1/2 lengths on... more...

Spoiler Alert (Leon Bailey) took the $7,000 featured trot at Vernon Downs on Friday.

Only Passing Thru (Jimmy Whittemore) took early control hitting the quarter in :27.4.  He would use a :29.1 second quarter to hit the half in :57. Majestic Fire (Dan Daley) went first-over just before Only Passing threw hit three-quarters in 1:25.2.

Spoiler Alert ($8.50), who is owned by Jeff Hayes and trained by Misty Carey, followed in third as they made the turn for home.  He came flying in the stretch to win in 1:54.4.  Majestic Fire finished second.  Only Passing Thru had to settle for third money.

Spoiler Alert is a 6-year-old gelding by Chapter Seven.  It was his seventh win this season... more...

It is costing Custom Cantab’s connections $31,250 to supplement her to the Breeders Crown Mare Trot at Woodbine Mohawk Park. But the way trainer and part-owner Chris Beaver looks at things, it’s almost like spending found money.

“She was a $6,000 yearling, so with (paying) the supplement we’re still way ahead,” Beaver said with a laugh.

They sure are.

The 4-year-old mare has won 18 of 44 career starts with 11 seconds and 10 thirds, good for $1 million in earnings. She has won three of 15 races and $266,647 this year while making the jump from racing primarily on the Indiana Sire Stakes circuit to the Grand Circuit. She has shown enough to give her owners confidence, winning t... more...

Going into the final of the New Jersey Sire Stakes- Standardbred Development Fund (NJSS-SDF) for 3-year-old filly trotters, French Cafe and Sexy Wow traded wins in the first two legs of the New Jersey Sire Stakes- Standardbred Development Fund for 3-year-old filly trotters. French Cafe was the 1/2 choice to win the final on Friday afternoon at Freehold Raceway and lived up to the hype, winning by 3 1/2 lengths.

Driver Andy Miller put his filly right on the lead early, letting her cruise through a half-mile in a meandering 1:00. George Brennan made a menacing first-over move with Sexy Wow nearing the three-quarter point, but French Cafe brushed her off and drew off to victory. Marveloustrix got up... more...