Bartlett enjoying the ride with Sir Pinocchio

Jason Bartlett will look to continue a memorable season with Sir Pinocchio (Met’s Hall-Lady Cromwell) in Thursday’s (July 4) $300,000 Dr. Harry M. Zweig Memorial for 3-year-old harness racing trotters at Vernon Downs, less than a week after the two teamed up for Bartlett’s first-ever win in the MGM Yonkers Trot at Bartlett’s home track.

The fact that triumph came after Bartlett watched his oldest son, Kobe, receive his high school diploma made the day’s events even more special.

“It was a great day,” Bartlett said, adding with a laugh, “I’m getting old, I guess. With him graduating, it kind of puts things in perspective.”

Bartlett has been the leading driver at MGM Yonkers Raceway a dozen times in his career, and is atop the standings again this season, but until this past Friday never captured the track’s signature event. That changed with Sir Pinocchio, who won the Yonkers Trot — the first jewel in the Trotting Triple Crown — by a half-length over Situationship in 1:54.4.

“It’s eluded me for a long time,” Bartlett said. “It seems like I’ve been so close, had the right horses, done great in the eliminations, and then it just never worked out in the finals. So, halfway down the lane, when I knew I was winning it, I was like, thank God. It was good to finally get it done.”

Bartlett needed to hustle to Yonkers following his son’s graduation ceremony. The drive from the family’s hometown, Goshen, N.Y., is roughly an hour under optimum conditions.

“It was kind of stressful,” Bartlett said. “I was trying to enjoy the moment there, knowing I had to get to Yonkers. I watched him accept his diploma — one of our best friends gave it to him because he’s on the school board, so that part was good too — walk back to his seat, and I was literally sprinting to my car.

“I was just trying to embrace the moment and then switched over real quick to business. I made it in enough time, though. It definitely was all worth it.”

The Yonkers Trot victory was the second Grand Circuit score of the season for Bartlett and Sir Pinocchio, following their triumph in the Dexter Cup at Freehold Raceway in May. For the year, Sir Pinocchio has four wins and three seconds in seven starts, good for $293,426 in purses.

Sir Pinocchio’s earnings lead all trotters in North America. Bartlett, incidentally, tops all drivers in North America in the same category, with $5.39 million in purses.

A homebred owned by Carolyn Atherton, Sir Pinocchio went off stride in three of seven races last year, but also displayed talent, such as when he won the New York Sire Stakes Excelsior Series championship from post eight at Batavia Downs in 1:59. It was one of two wins last season for Sir Pinocchio, who is trained by Ed Hart.

“Last year, he was such a good colt, but you never got to see it because he had a few breaking problems; he would make breaks for no reason,” Bartlett said. “But me and Eddie knew that if he came back good, we could have a really, really good year with this horse. He’s showing everybody now kind of what we expected last year.”

Sir Pinocchio will head to the $300,000 Zweig Memorial Open at Vernon Downs as the 3-1 second choice on the morning line. Ron Burke-trained millionaire T C I, who has 13 wins and two seconds in 15 career races, is the 5-2 favorite.

T C I, unbeaten in three starts this season, will start from post four with regular driver David Miller. Sir Pinocchio will leave from post one.

“He’s got a great attitude,” Bartlett said about Sir Pinocchio. “He’s very handy, and he’s quick as a cat for a trotter. He can switch gears really fast. He can race from the front, the back, any size track. He’s just a good horse.

“Winning for Eddie Hart is always special,” Bartlett added. “He’s a great guy. Him and his wife, they do everything by themselves, and they work their tails off. For them to have success like this, it’s great.”

Sir Pinocchio is not staked to the remaining two legs of the Trotting Triple Crown, the Hambletonian on Aug. 3 at The Meadowlands and Kentucky Futurity on Oct. 6 at Lexington’s Red Mile.

Three of the Top 10 horses in the most recent Road to the Hambletonian rankings put out by Meadowlands announcer/analyst Ken Warkentin are in the Zweig Open: T C I, Security Protected, and Daiquiri Hanover. Four other horses in the nine-horse field are also eligible to the Hambletonian: Amazing Catch, Bargain, Dame Good Time, and Wild Ticket.

Vernon Downs also will host the $128,000 Zweig Memorial for 3-year-old female trotters. R Melina is the 3-1 morning-line favorite, leaving from post one with Tyler Buter driving for trainer John Butenschoen. The field also includes Warrawee Michelle, a Breeders Crown champion in 2023 who is making her seasonal debut for trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt.

All nine fillies in the race are eligible to the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks on Aug. 3 at The Meadowlands.

Racing begins at 6:05 p.m. Thursday at Vernon Downs.

For complete race entries, click here: US Trotting entries.

by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA