Two more added to $1m Yonkers International Trot

The $1 million MGM Yonkers International Trot 2023 is coming closer as Saturday, September 9th is only three weeks away. Nearly $3 million in harness racing purses will be on the line including the New York Sire Stakes Day of Champions.

So far, three Europe based horses GET A WISH (Denmark), ETONNANT (France) and VIVID WISE AS (Italy) have been invited.

In addition to these ALDEBARAN ZEUS (Australia) and JIGGY JOG S (Sweden) are slated to compete. Aldebaran Zeus has been in the US since July 31st, and Jiggy Jog S has spent her entire racing career in the States.

The US representative has yet to be named but the early favorite for that spot seems to be It’s Academic. That choice lies with race secretary Joe Frasure.

Currently the plan is to fly at least six European participants to New York. A couple of interesting candidates have fallen out due to injuries, and other reasons, but as of Saturday afternoon two new starters have been found.

HIERRO BOKO is the fastest trotter in Europe this season and the second fastest winner of all time. He will race for Finnish connections. Hierro Boko set his fabulous kilometer rate 1:08.3 in the Mikkili Race in Finland earlier this summer. After that he finished third in Hugo Åberg Memorial in Malmo, Sweden.

It has not yet been decided who will drive Hierro Boko, but it will be one of the Finnish top drivers who have sat behind him recently.

BENGURION JET is pure Italian, but he races for trainer Alessandro Gocciadoro’s 40-head stable in Stockholm Sweden.

Gocciadoro also trains Napoli-owned Vivid Wise As, which races from the trainers’ Italian barn. Vivid Wise As will be driven by Frenchman Mattieu Abrivard, Gocciadoro himself will drive Bengurion Jet, who has won this year’s Sweden Cup, over a mile distance and most recently finished second in the Aby Grand Prix over a distance of two miles distance.

The invites extended to Bengurion Jet and Hierro Boko leave one – maybe two – European candidates to be committed. The aircraft carrying all European horses will leave from Liege (Belgium) on September 3rd.

Save the date and make plans to be at Yonkers on September 9th at noon. You will see some great NY bred Champions plus some great international horses vying for the title World Champion.

by Joseph Faraldo, for the SOA of New York