Preview for Miami Fair mini-meet finale

The third and final day of harness racing at the Miami Fair is on Saturday (July 29). The race secretary put together a ten-race card that should be full of excitement and will have the crowd roaring. It’s also fan appreciation day, so admission and programs are FREE! Here are some things you need to know before jumping in the car and rushing out to the fair track on Saturday.

Drivers to watch

The current leading driver is Blake Piwniuk, and he has had a fantastic start to the season. He has already won nine times, and it took him only thirteen starts to accomplish that. Piwniuk has a UDRS of 0.743 and has already earned over $18,000 in the bike. Although he has been having his way and won half of the eighteen races at Miami Fair this year, some other drivers could quickly change that.

Michel Rey is tied for second in wins this year as he stands at three. He has also finished in the top three ten times in just fourteen starts. Rey has a UDRS of 0.444 and has earned over $11,500 as a driver in 2023. One of his biggest wins this year came last weekend with Tito Santanna (Blue Chip Santanna). The former Miami Fair track record holder snuck up late to win and paced the mile in 2:00.1. The weekend, Tito Santanna enters the race as a 6-5 morning line favourite but will have to come from post position six.

The complete driver standings are found at the bottom.

Trainers to watch 

In last week’s preview, I mentioned watching out for the Rey-Williams rivalry, which continues to be the case. Trevor Williams leads in training wins with nine and earnings at $20,712. Richard Rey is second in wins at three and $9,411. The head-to-head matchup between the two has also been intriguing to witness. Williams has five wins in races that both trainers have an entry in, while Rey has two. One race will be considered a draw since neither trainer won. They will face each other four more times on Saturday.

Mathew Howlett has a pair of wins in five starts at Miami Fair. He was training in southern Ontario earlier this year before returning to Manitoba. After two days of racing, the young Howlett is sitting third in training wins and fourth in training earnings.

The complete driver standings are found at the bottom.

Horses to Watch

Keystone Tenacious (So Surreal) draws in this week and will be looking to demolish the track record. The best mile time at Miami Fair is 1:56.1, which Woodmere Alvin accomplished. Keystone Tenacious paced his first mile at Miami Fair in 1:57.1. The track looked even faster last week when he was resting, so it wouldn’t be hard to imagine he could knock a full second off his time. He does come from the outside post, but the field is full of top pacers that can put up monster fractions.

Trey’s Picks

Race 1: 5-4-3-2

Race 2: 2-1-3-4

Race 3: 5-3-4-1

Race 4: 5-4-3-1

Race 5: 1-5-3-4

Race 6: 6-1-3-4

Race 7: 1-2-4-3

Race 8: 5-3-1-2

Race 9: 1-2-4-3

Race 10: 5-1-3-2

$1.00 Daily Double (Races 1-2): 45/12

$1.00 Pick 3 (Races 3-5): 5/345/1

$1.00 Pick 4 (Races 5-8): 1/16/1/35

$1.00 Pick 3 (Races 7-9):1/35/1

$1.00 Daily Double (Races 9-10): 1/5

Driver Standings (Wins)

1. Blake Piwniuk – 9
2. Michel Rey – 3
3. Dean Rey – 3
4. Richard Remillard – 1
5. Marc Fillion – 1
6. Kevin Hildebrandt -1

Driver Standings (Earnings)

1. Blake Piwniuk – $18,970
2. Michel Rey – $11, 641
3. Dean Rey – $7,078
4. Kevin Hildebrandt – $6,030
5. Richard Remillard $5,852
6. Marc Fillion – $5,375
7. Clayton Braybrook – $4,984
8. Tyler Grundy – $2,498
9. Cory Manning – $2,431
10. Darryl Mason – $2,254
11. Paula Mason -$612

Trainer Standings (Wins)

1. Trevor Williams – 9
2. Richard Rey – 3
3. Mathew Howlett – 2
4. Aidan Taggart – 1
5. Kevin Hildebrandt – 1
6. Dennis Chappellaz – 1
7. Arthur Rey – 1

Trainer Standings (Earnings) 

1. Trevor Williams – $20,712
2. Richard Rey – $9,411
3. Kevin Hildebrandt – $6,414
4. Mathew Howlett – $5,227
5. Clayton Braybrook – $ 4,984
6. Jacqueline Gruny – $4,448
7. Aidan Taggart – $2,578
8. Arthur Rey – $2,550
9. Cory Manning – $2,431
10. Dennis Chappellaz – $2,418
11. Sherri Mason – $1,942
12. Marc Fillion $1,467
13. Melanie Rey-Clark – $1,155
14. Tara Isman – $1,065
15. Paula Mason – $612
16. Aaron Mason – $312

For complete Saturday race entries, click here.

by Trey Colbeck, for Harnesslink