DRF HARNESS HOME DIGITAL HARNESS EYE HARNESS PPS DRF BETS ENTRIES ARCHIVE THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2020 Meadowlands Pace Night Experiences NEW PLAYERS DOUBLE YOUR FIRST DEPOSIT UP TO $250 JOIN NOW DERICK GIWNER Back Of The Neck (6) rolled to the front in the stretch to win the Stanley Dancer. once inside the building it seemed like busi- Inside this issue ness as usual, other than that everyone had EDITOR’S EYE masks on their faces. The main simulcast- ing region was well-populated but not over- Captain Corey can bring Googoo Gaagaa By Derick Giwner crowded. Walking through the entire facility back into the spotlight, Page 4 @DRFHarness indoors and out, for the most part, people were respectful of the rules. I witnessed a gentle- Harris hoping for best against man at the second-floor lounge area being told Manchego/Atlanta in Sunday’s Spirit of It may not have been a return to complete he would have to put his mask on or leave and Massachusetts, Page 6 normalcy – masks were a required accoutre- also a loud round of applause came from some ment and security was more prominent – yet on the track apron midway through the night Taylor seeks ‘Groovy’ times in Adios it felt great to be back at The Big M for world- when a non-conforming female guest was eliminations, Page 6 class harness racing on Meadowlands Pace escorted from the premises by a pair of New night. Jersey state troopers. The amazing Southwind Amazon and Taking a positive from a terrible situation, Management did an excellent job of having other random musings, Page 7 COVID-19 has done wonders for the traffic (or ample security to make sure people were as lack of it) in the New York/New Jersey area. safe as possible. I did notice some social media On The Backstretch: Profile of trainer It was a pleasure to spend just over an hour complaints that a few people were caught on Tahnee Camilleri, Page 9 driving from Long Island to East Rutherford, the simulcast feed not wearing masks, but rest cutting a good 30 minutes off the usual clock- assured, they were the exception to a mostly Best bets and analysis, Page 11 ing. Upon arrival, everyone was asked to fill complying crowd. out a questionnaire confirming their health For the first few hours, with the sun beating Priceless looks to upend Reflect With and were given a thermal temperature check. down and the temperatures near 90 degrees, it Me in Nadia Lobell at Hoosier, Page 12 The process was seamless and really didn’t was borderline uncomfortable to continually Comments? Questions? take very long, as everything was well orga- wear a mask when outside, but that could take nized. Email the Editor [email protected] Entering through the simulcast area door, CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 Ohio Sires Stakes ~ this weekend at Scioto & Northfield! Friday Saturday July 24 July 25 2-year-Old 2-Year-Old Filly Pace Colt Pace Scioto Northfield Downs Park For information contact Kimberly Rinker at 614-779-0269 [email protected] For schedule & conditions go to www.racingohio.net © 2020 Daily Racing Form, LLC - 10 Grand Central, 3rd Floor, NY, NY 10017 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 nothing away from some spectacular on-track performances. Being on hand to watch Tall Dark Stranger and Papi Rob Hanover empty their tanks through an epic stretch battle made the trip to the track more than worthwhile. The additional benefit of watching nine other stakes winners, including spectacular performances by Manchego, Ramona Hill, Dancin Lou, Gimpanzee and Our Majordan A, was just icing on the cake. Part of being a writer, handicapper and fan is forming opinions as the races are unfolding and after the dust has cleared. While Back Of The Neck and Ready For Moni both looked good wining their Stan- ley Dancer divisions, I couldn’t help but come away feeling that the Hambletonian picture is no more clear than before I showed up at the track. Neither horse in my mind separated themselves greatly from the “field” which includes 79 trotting colts and geldings plus another small handful of fillies which could conceivably roll the dice versus the boys. After a quick review of the eligibles, it is plausible to see two full elimination fields or perhaps even three eliminations on August 1 at The Meadowlands. Three horses with Hambletonian eligibility that didn’t win caught my eye for the future. I was happy with the Dancer performance from the Per Engblom-trained and Jimmy Takter-driven Beads. After displaying speed from his post-one starting spot, the son of Archan- gel and his driver found themselves searching for racing room in the DERICK GIWNER stretch. When the seam appeared nearing the wire, some will say he Panem was playful in the post parade but all business in the Del was a bit flat or just even, but I view this horse as one whose best attri- Miller Memorial. bute is carrying his speed a long way, regardless of trip, so the lack of a last-second sprint is not overly concerning. What is encouraging bit of time to realize her potential and every week we are seeing more is that since his trainer added a hood to his normal equipment, the dimensions from her. In her second start she went wire-to-wire in 1:53 Renee Spahr-owned colt is very manageable and showing no signs of 4/5. On July 11, she was a solid first-over second timed in 1:51 during his previous behavioral issues. Sorella’s monster 1:50 2/5 win. In the July 18 Del Miller we saw even more as she left strong to make the front, settled down nice in the three- hole and had plenty left in the stretch when driver Dexter Dunn got her straightened out (she appeared to be running in a touch). Her final time was 1:50 4/5 and I came away thinking that the Diamond Creek racing- owned and Nancy Takter-trained daughter of Father Patrick has more gas in the tank for the Hambletonian Oaks. The one winner I’d like to shine the spotlight on is Gimpanzee. The composure of this 4-year-old is just so remarkable. Starting from the second tier didn’t faze him one bit. Getting parked every step of the 1 1/8 distance was no issue. Driver Brian Sears placed the son of Chapter Seven in a reasonable spot behind Forbidden Trade, pulled the plugs in the stretch, and Gimpanzee took off like a rocket, leaving his compe- tition more than three lengths behind at the wire. In the short term, trainer Marcus Melander will skip the $250,000 Spirit Of Massachu- setts on Sunday (July 26) at Plainridge Park and aim for the $300,000 (estimated) John Cashman Memorial on August 8 at The Meadowlands for his first try against older horses. As a horse that has the looks of a potential star for years to come, we tried to pin down Anders Strom (Courant Inc.), who shares ownership with SRF Stable, on what the more distant future holds for Gimpan- zee. Could we see the horse on the track in 2021 and beyond? Would a campaign in Europe be in the cards? Is the breeding shed in his future for 2021? “Nothing is set in stone,” said Strom. “The horse will decide his own future and I doubt we (Courant and SRF) will start to think about next year until later this season. The situation with COVID-19 makes racing internationally, like in Europe, difficult. Even racing in Canada is challenging at the moment.” One piece of good news for Gimpanzee, and perhaps why he is DERICK GIWNER Maesteraemon was a deceptively sharp fifth in his Stanley aiming for the Cashman instead of the stakes race on Sunday, is that Dancer division on Saturday at The Meadowlands. Manchego is not eligible to the former. The biggest aged players in the Cashman are Atlanta and Guardian Angel As. It is certainly easier to beat two stars than three. The second notable horse is Maesteraemon, who finished fifth behind Getting back to Meadowlands Pace night, from top to bottom, the Back of The Neck in the other Dancer split. Sitting ninth throughout the team - from security to on-air talent to management - at the track did mile, few people were paying attention to the son of Andover Hall during a great job of putting on the show. The bettors did their part by send- the race. What those with eyes on the leaders missed was a 27 2/5 final ing over $5 million into the pools. It was a wonderful experience, and quarter (fastest of the race) where the colt gained more than five lengths, despite making some wagering mistakes that lingered with me on the an amount that would have been greater if not for running into late ride home, I walked away with more in my pocket than when I arrived. stretch congestion. The Marcus Melander trainee is worth watching. Of course, I hit traffic on the George Washington Bridge at midnight Last up on the 3-year-old trotting front is the filly Panem. She finished on the way home because someone decided that closing two lanes was second behind an impressive two-move win by Ramona Hill. Watching a great idea. Some things, even in the pandemic environment, never Panem’s first start of the year she seemed like a filly that would take a change.