A look at the European horses in International Trot

It has been three long years since Zacon Gio (Ruty Grif) won ahead of Slide So Easy and Marion Marauder in the 2019 MGM Yonkers International Trot and it’s extremely satisfying to see such a quality harness racing field put together for

the 2022 edition. Sure, it’d be nice to have seen Atlanta and maybe a few other stars, but this year’s race, scheduled for Saturday (Oct. 15), is going to be a treat.

As many people from North America are unfamiliar with the European six-pack of horses hoping to take home the winner’s share of the $1,000,000 purse, we’ll cover each in detail below.

(1) Tycoon Conway Hall

Representing Denmark, Tycoon Conway Hall (Conway Hall) drew a perfect post position. The horse born on Feb 11, 2010, is surely the best 12-year-old trotter in the world this year, having won in 1:52.1 and 1:52.3f earlier this season. In his final start before Yonkers, he easily won in 1:56f in Norway. He will make his 94th start in the MGM Yonkers International Trot. He can leave fast and is a good front-runner yet is equally comfortable coming from behind. In fact, in both his 1:52.1 and two 1:52.3f wins this year, he’s enjoyed cover well into the fourth quarter before unleashing his speed at the end.

Tycoon Conway Hall tends to be a bit undervalued in bigger races. Make no mistake about it, this is a very good trotter. If driver Kasper Foget wants to, he should take the lead. Reports in Danish media and interviews with Kasper and groom Rie Raun all suggest the Danish-born trotter is aiming for the lead. The probability of his succeeding at that is very high. The question is what happens after a quarter or so.

(3) Cokstile

The Norwegian duo of Cokstile (Quite Easy) and Stoletheshow (Dream Vacation) find themselves in posts 3 and 4. Both have won European group 1 races in 2022 and cannot be underestimated. Cokstile was one of the best in the crop at 3, and the following year established himself as one of the best when he won the Norwegian Derby. He was also second in the Jarlsberg Grand Prix in 1.52.3f, one of the fastest times by a 4-year-old in Europe that year. He started in the 2018 Elitlopp, but the season was a setback as injuries limited the horse to only 6 starts.

He started 2022 by winning the Prix de Bourgogne, defeating horses such as Vivid Wise As, Don Fanucci Zet, Davidson du Pont and Zacon Gio. In May he won the Finlandia Ajo and in September the Campionato Europeo in Cesena, Italy. Three different races, in three different countries, on three different track sizes – and with three different drivers. Cokstile is extremely versatile.

In his youth in Norway, he was more of a front runner, but after being bought by his Italian owners was often given cover until unleashing his speed late. In the latter years he’s also added something else to his repertoire, namely the ability to win after going first-over. That’s how he won the Finlandia Ajo in 1:51.2f. It’s also how he won the second heat, as well as the race-off of the Campionato Europeo.

The 1:54.2h race-off win of the latter race was particularly impressive. Cokstile wasn’t merely parked outside. He was pressing incessantly until a completely worn-down stablemate Usain Toll hoisted the white flag and begged for mercy in the last turn. After such a performance the ambitions were high in the Lotteria, but he only finished fourth in his elimination and missed out on the final.

That performance is the question-mark: Is Cokstile’s current form good enough? Cokstile can challenge for the lead, although I don’t think he’s fast enough to get the lead before the first turn. Dell’Annunziata rarely bothers going all-out from the start, and I don’t see it happening here either. He might end up being parked outside, and if not, he may just get great cover. Either way it doesn’t matter too much, because a Cokstile in top form is good enough to win this race regardless of the trip.

(4) Stoletheshow

Stoletheshow won the Norwegian Criterium at 3, and although he was good, he couldn’t quite follow up at 4. The colt continued to do well at 5, finishing second in the group 1 race Jubileumspokalen and winning another race in 1:53.3f, but he was seemingly a tiny notch below the best. It didn’t go too much better in 2021 when he was winless come mid-September. That’s when owner Suleyman Yuksel decided to move the horse to a new trainer.

In the hands of Norwegian champion trainer Frode Hamre, the horse has blossomed into an absolute star. Hamre knew the horse had plenty of ability and instead set out on building him up mentally. In his first two starts, Stoletheshow twice lost to stablemate Ble du Gers. On both occasions Hamre surrendered the lead to Ble du Gers and seemingly didn’t challenge too intensely down the final stretch. Some bettors even complained that he wasn’t actively trying to win the races. However, the relatively soft-spoken and smart trainer had a plan for his new trotter, one that would soon catapult the now 7-year-old colt to stardom.

A few easy wins against easy opposition followed before Hamre reintroduced him against the Swedish elite in February. An encouraging second-place, where he also finished ahead of Ble du Gers, has been followed by a string of consistent top-rate performances. In total, the horse has started 17 times for Hamre, winning 8, finishing 15 in the top-3 and all of them inside the top-4. The highlights include winning the group 1-races Oslo Grand Prix and Ulf Thoresen Grand International.

Stoletheshow was relatively fortunate with his post in the International Trot and is the one horse in the field where the morning-line odds should be ignored. The horse can leave fast. He may just be fast enough to get past Tycoon Conway Hall, but even if he doesn’t get to the front before the first turn, I fully expect Hamre to keep pressing until he gets there. Well in front this can get very interesting, because Stoletheshow has great curve technique and is reportedly in absolute top form. If that is the case, and he doesn’t have to burn too much energy getting to the lead, it will take somebody quite special to defeat him.

(7) Etonnant

In a field full of special horses, nobody is more special than the aptly named Etonnant (Timoko), French for amazing or astonishing. On raw ability alone, Etonnant would win. Forget 1:49 on a fast Pocono or Meadowlands – or anything else for that matter. Etonnant’s 1:51.3f in the Elitlopp final is much more impressive than it sounds. From post 7, with a break on the back stretch, Etonnant put in a massive effort.

He never saw the rail, being three-wide in the second turn and four-wide in the final turn. Informal calculations, correcting for the much longer trip, have found that the horse in reality was close to a 1:49 clocking (had he stayed trotting and ran along the pylons the whole race).

It takes something special to win the International Trot and Etonnant surely has it. Unfortunately, he’s special in other ways, too. His gait isn’t always the smoothest and Etonnant’s curve technique leaves a lot to be desired. It’s never a problem on the bigger French racetracks, but it was evident at Solvalla. On the even smaller Yonkers track, it’s surely the question of the day on race-day. If Etonnant gets around the curves without too much trouble, he’s the obvious candidate for the win. How realistic is that, though?

(9) Kennedy

Kennedy (Joke Face) had the eyes of Swedish trotting all over him for quite a while. The blue-blooded colt is the second foal from Lou Guida’s stellar Italian-born mare Lisa America, a multiple group 1-winner in Europe. For a long while, however, Kennedy was decent but nothing more. After 6 wins in 52 starts and earnings surely below his yearling price tag, the Swedish-born horse was sold to a group of Danish owners. They sent him to Erik Bondo, a Dane based in Italy who has enjoyed massive success on the continent for many years. Bondo has only started Kennedy in France, where 12 starts have yielded 7 wins and 2 second places.

The 7-year-old has put in some very good performances in France and posted 5 wins in a row from March to June. He finished eighth in the Aby Stora Pris in August and was “only” fifth in his last start at Vincennes in late September. As a result, there are some question marks over his form. The obvious objection to Kennedy, however, is that he’s completely unproven at this level.

Kennedy usually doesn’t leave too fast but is often used in the middle section. I am far from confident he can stay on Tycoon Conway Hall’s back in the early stages, and he might end up too far back to have a good shot at a top-3 finish. However, he’s not a bad horse. It’s hard to see how he can win this, but from post 9 it wouldn’t be a surprise if he picked up a check.

(10) Zacon Gio

He went from a very good 4-year-old in Italy to an overnight international star when he won the MGM Yonkers International Trot in 2019. After his big Yonkers win, he has tried his luck in France several times. The paternal grandson of Varenne isn’t, however, suited to the longer distances or the unique racetrack at Vincennes, something a single third place in seven starts indicate. However, he’s really at home at a half-mile track like Yonkers.

Fortunately, the form seems really good. Fourth and second-place finishes in the two heats of the Campionato Europeo was followed by an elimination win in the Lotteria. In the final he finished a very credible third and underscored his great form.

Post 10 was probably the worst he could draw. With this starting position, he’s completely at the mercy of his opponents. He’s very likely to sit far back at the quarter pole. Zacon Gio is a great front-runner but also possesses a lethal finish, something he demonstrated in the 2019 edition. However, he’s not a horse to sit parked outside or going three-wide for a very long distance.

Predictions:

Needless to say, my top-4 prediction is based on Etonnant not feeling at home on a half-mile track.

(4) Stoletheshow – Unless he gets too much pressure in the middle section, he’s a potential winner.

(6) Back of the Neck – He seems to be in great shape and impressed at Dayton.

(5) Ecurie D – He has question marks all over him, but he has a decent post position and Ake will surely have him sharp for this race.

(1) Tycoon Conway Hall – Seems bound for a top-4 finish but I don’t see him as a winner.

The International Trot (race seven) is scheduled for 3 p.m. It will be the first leg of a $20,000 guaranteed Late Pick-4 in conjunction with the USTA’s Strategic Wagering Program.

A lunch buffet dining option is available on the second floor of the Empire Terrace at a cost of $80 per person on MGM Yonkers International Trot Day. Tickets will be sold at the door, but advance reservations can be made by calling 609.317.7295.

There will be a Yonkers International Trot hat or T-shirt giveaway to the first 500 fans on the track apron.

$1 million Yonkers International Trot

To be raced at 1-1/4 miles
1. Tycoon Conway Hall (Conway Hall), Kasper Foget, Steen Juul, 4-1
2. Lovedbythemasses (Muscle Mass), Todd McCarthy, Jeff Cullipher, 10-1
3. Cokstile (Quite Easy), Vincenzo Dell’Annunziata, Mattia Orlando, 5-1
4. Stoletheshow (Dream Vacation), Frode Hamre, Frode Hamre, 8-1
5. Ecurie D (Infinitif), Ake Svanstedt, Ake Svanstedt, 3-1
6. Back Of The Neck (Ready Cash), Tim Tetrick, Ake Svanstedt, 7-2
7. Etonnant (Timoko), Anthony Barrier, Richard Westerink, 5-2
8. It’s Academic (Uncle Peter), David Miller, Ron Burke, 12-1
9. Kennedy (Joke Face), Jason Bartlett, Erik Bondo, 8-1
10. Zacon Gio (Ruty Grif), Roberto Vecchione, Holger Ehlert, 9-2

For a free Saturday race program, click here.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Lisa Harken, for Yonkers Raceway