Up Your Deo surges late to take $300,000 Yonkers Trot

With an emphatic victory in opening leg of the trotting Triple Crown, the $300,000 Yonkers Trot at MGM Yonkers Raceway Friday (June 30) night, Up Your Deo (Walner, Ake Svandstedt)solidified his status as one of the leading contenders for harness racing’s biggest event, The Hambletonian on the first Saturday in August.

One week after producing a track record performance after overcoming an early break in his elimination, the Svandstedt trained, driven and part owned sophomore colt powered past a game but overmatched Chapercraz (Yannick Gingras) to win by a measured three quarters of a length in 1:53.3.

The victorious driver indicated that Up Your Deo’s win was about as easy as it looked. “I had to ask him a little. He answered immediately, then it was an easy win,” remarked Svanstedt. “I don’t know the schedule right now, but I hope he’s a Hambletonian horse. We’re going for that.”

It was obvious from the outset that Gingras was determined to use rail control and take no prisoners with Chapercraz, who also led for most of the elimination last week before getting nailed on the wire by Up Your Deo. On Friday night. he led through comfortable fractions of 28.0 and 57.2 with no movement.

The first to pull was the winner’s stablemate, Kierkegaard K (Mark Macdonald) from fifth but he broke stride just as he flushed out Up Your Deo. As Chapercruz passed the three-quarter mark in 1:25.3 with Up Your Deo methodically chipping away at his lead, Devilish Hill (Andy McCarthy) was second-over, keeping pocket-sitter Ari Ferrari J (Dexter Dunn) hemmed in racing fourth.

Up Your Deo’s powerful late surge – similar to last week’s display – was too much and he got up a few strides before the wire, eventually winning by three quarters of a length. Chapercruz held second over Ari Ferrari J, who had trot in the lane but got free too late. Devilish Hill stayed for fourth.

UP YOUR DEO REPLAY

Bred by co-owner Deo Volente Farms, the victorious colt is also co-owned by Svanstedt, Suleyman Yuksel Stables Inc. and Van Camp Trotting Corp. Up Your Deo now has three wins, three seconds and two thirds from 12 efforts, has earned $281,487 and returned $3.40 to win as the 3-5 favorite.

“The horse has come along really extremely well. He had bad luck as a 2-year-old,” said Mike Gulotta of Deo Volente Farms. “We were very lucky to own a piece of this horse. I actually went to congratulate Sarah Svanstedt for buying the horse. He was a $100,000 Walner, and she said ‘well, I have 20 percent left, do you want it?’ and I said ‘absolutely.”

“Mike Gulotta is like my brother. I invested in Deo Volente Farms and when I started watching the horse, I said this horse has talent,” remarked Tom Pontone, another partner in Deo Volente. “The best part about it is we still own the mare, and we still have a foal on the ground. She’s pregnant now, so we hope for great things to come in years to come.”

Captain Batboy (Captainreacherous, Jordan Stratton) made a decisive move to the front passing the quarter in a terrific winning effort to capture the $250,000 MGM Grand Messenger Stakes, the first jewel of Pacing’s Triple Crown.

With 10 horses lined up, the Messenger was turned into a 1 1/16th mile race with eight noses on the gate and two trailers.  There was plenty of early action with the longer run into the first turn as Strengthfromabove (Yannick Gingras) motored to the front followed by American Fling (Jason Bartlett).  American Fling had the lead early, but Captain Batboy and Stratton had no interest in taking back and they cleared passing the opening fraction in a wicked 26 seconds.

Favored Seven Colors (Tim Tetrick) pulled early on the second turn looking for cover. Annapolis Hanover (Hunter Myers) pulled late on the second turn to challenge for the front. With all the jostling for position behind him, Stratton was able to stall the second quarter to get to the half in just 54.3, and that was too slow for some, including Strengthfromabove and Gingras, who was parallel to the ground while trying to keep his horse safely in the three-hole. Tyler Buter had even more trouble following fourth along the pylons with Thunder Hunter Joe and briefly veered off following the half but did not interfere with It’s A Me Mario, with Brian Sears steering around the potential incident and losing no ground.

The outer flow stalled as Stratton kept the motor running on Captain Batboy as he passed three-quarters in 1:22.4 and fought off pressure from Annapolis Hanover. Seven Colors came wide, as did Bamboozler (Dexter Dunn), but neither was able to fire, leaving the top three along the pylons with room to pace as hard as necessary. Strengthfromabove moved to the outside late on the final turn to issue a challenge to the leader, but after pacing the mile in 1:50.4, Captain Batboy dug in, pacing a final sixteenth in seven seconds to seal the head victory. Strengthfromabove was a clear second, with Thunder Hunter Joe (Tyler Buter) closing for third, beaten two and a quarter lengths. American Fling (Jason Bartlett), the early leader, faded to fourth.

CAPTAIN BATBOY REPLAY

Captain Batboy, a winner of just $94,468 entering the race, more than doubled his earnings for owner Joseph Smith and trainer Tom Fanning, while winning in a 1:57.4 clocking, which is stellar for the mile and one-sixteenth distance over the half-mile oval.

The winning driver explained his take no prisoners strategy. “He races best on the front-end,” said Stratton following the victory. “He was really sharp qualifying last week at the Meadowlands and was as good tonight.” Captain Batboy paid $6 to win.

Hall of Fame driver Brian Sears orchestrated an upset with Secret Volo (Walner) in the $100,000 New York New York final for three-year-old trotting fillies. The contest was raced at 1 1/16th miles with eight fillies on the gate and one trailer. That surely fed into Sears’ strategy as the longer run to the first turn facilitated a blast to the front leaving the gate.

That lead would be short-lived, however, as second choice Walner Payton (Dexter Dunn) was sent right after the leader. That filly’s time spent carving out the fractions would also be brief, though, as favorite Sadie Hanover was moved to the front from third by teamster Scott Zeron as the field passed the opening quarter in a quick :27.1.

There was no movement as Sadie Hanover led the field through a :56.1 half. As they approached the three-quarter pole, Sears sent Secret Volo on a first-over mission, and she gained quickly on the leader as they passed that station in 1:25.1. Turning for home, it was clear that Secret Volo had the most trot and she quickly put Sadie Hanover in her rear view mirror. Secret Volo pulled away with every stride as she passed the mile marker in 1:53.3. Walner Payton re-rallied past a tiring Sadie Hanover into second as Secret Volo hit the wire two-and-half lengths in front in 2:00.4. Sadie Hanover stayed for third, a neck in front of Warrawee Yes, who rallied for fourth.

SECRET VOLO REPLAY

Secret Volo, owned by Kenneth Kjellgren of Sweden, Heights Stable and Rick T Wahlstedt of New York, was winning for the second time in four starts this year and the $50,000 share of the purse boosted her lifetime earnings past the $300,000 mark. She paid $19.70.

In the Park MGM Filly pace for sophomores, favored Earthwindfire (American Ideal) led from the outset and found the wire in time to outlast a surging Ucandoit Blue Chip.

Sent immediately to the front by Tim Tetrick, Earthwindfire was unstressed and unchallenged through a quarter in :27.3 and a half in :56.1. The first challenge came at the three-eighths pole when Lisa Lane took a shot first up from fourth. As the leader passed the three quarters in 1:24.2, it was apparent that the last challenge would come from pocket sitting Ucandoit Blue Chip. That rival squeezed out in mid stretch and surged as the two elimination winners sprinted for the wire. Ucandoit Blue Chip fell a nose short in 1:53.0

Earthwindfire was winning for the fourth time in as many starts in 2023 and it was also her ninth win in 15 lifetime starts. She has now earned just over $436,000 for owners Melvin Segal of North Carolina and Kentuckiana Racing Stable and Tulip Racing of Kentucky. Finishing third, beaten 1 1/2 lengths was Turn On The Charm and Treacherous Penny was fourth.

EARTHWINDFIRE REPLAY

For complete race results, click here.

by Garnet Barnsdale, for Harnesslink