31-start losing streak broken

After more than a year of the horse losing, it took harness racing horsepeople Bruce Aldrich and Laura Perino two starts to get Aberdeen Seelster back on track.

The prominent Monticello pair purchased the five-year-old Mach Three mare after her 30th straight defeat and guided her to victory in her second attempt with the barn on Tuesday at Monticello Raceway.

Aldrich looked to put her on the front from post six and did so after a :29.1 first quarter mile spent two-wide. The reinsman backed the tempo down to a :59.2 half and loosened the reins in a faster third panel that was completed in 1:28.4. Skyway Ballet (Jim Taggart Jr.) moved out of the pocket on the final turn, but Aberdeen Seelster quickly eliminated the challenger’s hope as she kicked away to a two-and-a-half-length score in 1:58.1.

Aberdeen Seelster’s last win was a dominant victory over Saratoga Raceway conditioned foes on Jul. 15, 2020. It was her third straight, but the mare had to wait more than a year and try 32 more times to visit the winner’s circle again. Co-owners Perino – who trains – and Aldrich acquired her after she qualified twice at Saratoga in July, and the mare made a break in her first start for them on Aug. 17 to extend her losing streak to 31. She was a 3/5 winner in her Tuesday triumph.

ABERDEEN SEELSTER REPLAY

The mare is now 11-for-68 in her career and has earned $76,817.

Also on the card, David Yarock and Sammy B Happy won their third straight GSY Series amateur driving race. Yarock pointed the gelding to the front and led at every call, an identical strategy to his past two scores. They stopped the clock in 1:57.3. Yarock owns and bred the seven-year-old son of American Ideal and has assigned Dawn Devaux to his training duties. Yarock, one of the founders of the GSY Series, is 71-for-694 in his driving career.

DAVID YAROCK/SAMMY B HAPPY REPLAY

Monticello Raceway features an Open Trot on its next card, scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 25. First post will be at 12:10 p.m. EDT.

For full race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink