Judge hits #62, Yonkers set to hit #63 Saturday

Things are humming in the New York sports world…and not just in baseball…as harness racing is in the limelight at Yonkers Raceway on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 15), as well.

Yes, baseball has its “Judge” with his 62 home runs, but the “jury” is still out on just which great equine athlete will win the $1,000,000 MGM Yonkers International Trot, as yet another stellar event is held in New York.

Ironically, it’s the 63rd anniversary of the 1959 inaugural event held at Roosevelt Raceway and this edition has lured the greatest trotters in the world, a pair homegrown here in the United States, one from north of our border from Canada and seven that have travelled across the air and seas from Europe.

Yes, besides our North American hopefuls, there are a pair of entrants from Denmark and Norway and single entrants from France, Sweden and Italy.

Racing Secretary Joe Frasure, Jr. says the field for this year’s MGM International event is about as competitive as possible saying, “First of all, it’s great to be able to present such a grand event again after a two-year hiatus because of the Covid virus.

“This is one of the most prestigious events in the United States, North America and the world, evidenced by the entries this year and their credentials. 

“This is a test of speed and endurance with any of the 10 entries capable of reaching the winner’s circle.”

Post positions have been drawn and the luck of that draw has Denmark’s Tycoon Conway Hall (Conway Hall) with the rail.

A winner of $722,659 plus another $1,906 racing under saddle, the 12-year-old has 36 wins in a relatively light racing career encompassing 93 starts.

While he owns a mark of 1:52.1 (mile rate time) in Sweden achieved this year, time seems to have little relevance as the test at Yonkers is 1 1/4 miles, something the European horses seem to relish.

Kasper Foget will be in the sulky for trainer Flemming Jensen and owner Morten Steal Jensen and is listed at 4 to 1 in the Yonkers Raceway morning line.

Leaving alongside in post two is Lovedbythemasses (Muscle Mass), representing Canada, with Aussie Todd McCarthy in the sulky for trainer Jeff Cullipher, who co-owns with Pollack Racing.

The five-year-old gelding has banked $612,999 throughout North America to go along with a mark of 1:50.2 at The Meadowlands last year.

Enjoying his most successful year in 2022, he has won $313,970 this season with a 10 to 1 morning line.

Post three belongs to Cokstile (Quite Easy), from Norway, and is listed at 5 to 1 as this nine-year-old comes to America with $1,504,432 in lifetime bounty.

He, too, has been raced lightly over his career spanning seven seasons with only 76 starts—27 of this resulting in wins. This semester, he has a 4-3-0 scorecard in 15 starts, good for $289,181.

Regular driver Vincenzo Dell’Annunziata has traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to drive for trainer, Matta Orlando and owner Scuderia Santese Sri.

Yet another Norwegian entry is in post four—Stoletheshow. This seven-year-old (Dream Vacation) is having the best season of his career as he approaches $1,000,000 in earnings—$508,314 of that in 2022 in just 13 starts with eight of those races in the win column.

Trainer Frode Hamre will be in the bike for the International—Frode having driven him to his last three wins—and is an 8 to 1 morning line. Global Glide Ab owns Stoletheshow.

Ecurie D DK (Infinitif), representing Denmark, is no stranger to the winner’s circle here in America. The six-year-old son has won over #1,000,000 accumulated on both sides of the Atlantic with his undeniable greatness solidified with a 1:49.1 mile at The Meadowlands in late May of this year.

With only 27 starts over his five-year career, he’s won $666,389 in just six starts here in the States and will have his trainer and co-owner, Ake Svanstedt, handling his lines for the Marko Kreivi Stables and Suleyman Yuksel.

With these strong credentials, Ecurie D is 3 to 1 in the morning line.

Post six belongs to Back Of The Neck (Ready Cash), a stablemate of Ecurie D. The five-year-old represents the U.S.A. this year and boasts a bankroll of $366,906, virtually all of it—$351,800—won in his last two starts, the Maple Leaf at Woodbine and the Dayton Derby.

Tim Tetrick was in the bike for those two wins and Ake has again hired Tim for the International. Back Of The Neck, owned by Howard and Judith Taylor along with Order By Stable Ab, is 7 to 2 on the morning line.

Entonnant (Timoko), representing France, is 5 to 2 in the morning line from post seven. This eight-year-old has banked $1,889,463 and another $541,683 racing under saddle for a total exceeding $2.4 million.

Owned and trained by Richard Westerink, Entonnant has made $1,190,253 in just 12 starts this year, including the victory in the prestigious $1,114,470 Elitlop.

Regular driver Anthony Barrier will have the assignment on Saturday.

It’s Academic (Uncle Peter), a very consistent horse owned by Brad Grant, is racing under the red, white and blue of the U.S.A. and has banked $1,061,187 with 20 career wins in 61 starts.

He’s shown his versatility over the years winning on half mile ovals as well as the larger one-mile tracks and sports a 1:51 mark over The Meadowlands oval last year.

Harness racing’s most successful trainer, Ron Burke, will send one of the most successful drivers in the sport, David Miller, to the gate, but the task will not be easy from post eight in a bulky field of 10. He’s listed at 12 to 1.

Kennedy (Joke Face), starting from the second tier nine post, is owned by Paramera Racing, Tappermoji and Egebro Racing and represents Sweden and comes to Yonkers Raceway with $367,911 in lifetime earnings with a smidgen of that showing versatility by racing under saddle.

Earlier in the year, this he put together a serious five race winning streak and hopes to regain that form for trainer Erik Bondo.

Yonkers regular Jason Bartlett will handle the lines and is listed at 8 to 1.

Zacon Gio (Ruty Grif) represents Italy in this International and will start from the second tier 10 post completing the stellar field.

The seven-year-old has 30 lifetime wins in 62 career starts but his most memorable win was here in the U.S.A. three years ago when he won the (MGM) Yonkers International as the favorite paying $4.30 to win.

Trainer Holger Ehlert had Roberto Vecchione in the bike back then and is hoping to repeat the riches here in 2022 for Franco Giuseppe. Zacon Gio is 9 to 2 in the morning line.

Frasure lauds this event with its rich history dating back to 1959 saying, “The first one was won by the artichoke eating Jamin with the distance a mile and a half.

“That rich tradition has been revived and has featured the best of the best!”

Indeed, it has.

To win this event takes the ultimate of skill displaying a perfect partnership between horse and driver.

To win it multiple times, as did Su Mac Lad (Stanley Dancer-USA-1961,1963), Roquepine (Henry Levesque, Jean-Rene Gougeon-France-1967,1968), Une De Mai (Jean-Rene Gougeon-France-1969,1971) and Delmonica Hanover (John Chapman-USA-1973,1974) and Lutin d’Isigny (Jean Paul Andre-France-1984,1985) is extraordinary.

Peter Haughton also won this event twice, in 1978 with Cold Comfort and 1979 with Doublemint.

And that brings us to the French bred Ideal du Gazeau, the only three-time winner in 1981, 1982 and 1983, driven by Eugene Lefevre.

Of cours Zacon Gio and driver Roberto Vecchione have a chance to join this prestigious list with a win on Saturday.

The MGM International cast of stars is supported by a pair of $250,000 events, as well, with the MGM Robert Miecuna Invitational Trot and the MGM Aria Invitational Pace.

$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

Post time for the stellar program is 12:30 p.m.

For a free race program for Saturday, click here.

For complete race entries, click here.

by John Berry, for Harnesslink