Summer Series Finals at MGM Northfield Park

Northfield, OH- The $20,000 Summer Series finals for the harness racing trotters and pacers light up the track Monday (August 7) evening at MGM Northfield.

Trotting fillies and mares kick off the grand slam of finals in race ten. Southwind Mai Tai (Chapter Seven) and driver Ed Greeno Jr., last week’s elimination winner, will lead the field of nine. The 3-year-old filly was purchased for $45,000 at the Lexington Selected Sale in October. She was unraced at two but won at first, asking in her elimination and draws post five in the final.

Filly and mare pacers will follow the trotters in race 11. No Fear Intended (Hunter Myers) and Limestone Gem (Aaron Merriman) are set to throw down in a newly discovered rivalry as they draw posts one and two for the final. No Fear Intended for trainer Kelly O’Donnell narrowly held off the Brewer Adams-trained Limestone Gem in the elimination.

After the girl’s duke out their divisions, male trotters will take center stage in race 12. Chaos ensued in one of the eliminations last week with multiple breakers as the Christopher Beaver-trained Sunrise Hill (Aaron Merriman) was the beneficiary. He was able to get to the front and never looked back, having built up a 12-length lead with a quarter of a mile left to go.

Meanwhile, some 13 lengths behind him Ignatius Hanover (Billy Davis Jr.) was tipping three-wide just trying to hit the board to make the final. He did himself no favors after he left from the far outside before making a break as he secured the pocket just past the eighth pole and had to take back to last. With an almost impossible deficit to overcome, Ignatius Hanover came home in :27.4 to miss by a half a length in the end for Francisco Del Cid, giving him a lot of hope for his young trotter from post-three in the final, as Sunrise Hill will be sent from post two.

Hesa Bully enters the last $20,000 final for male pacers in race 13 for trainer Christ Hershberger. The morning-line favorite has won three of his previous four starts. He scored a decisive elimination victory in 1:52:3, three seconds faster than the first split won by Oakie L(Hank Le Van) earlier on the program.

Live racing on Monday begins at 6:00 p.m. MGM Northfield Park currently races on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday. For more information on live racing and promotions, visit here.

by Kenny Livengood, for MGM Northfield Park