DRF HARNESS HOME DIGITAL HARNESS EYE HARNESS PPS DRF BETS ENTRIES ARCHIVE THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020 Ray of light finally shines on Ohio tracks are set to open next week and NEW PLAYERS more are on the horizon in the coming weeks

modified schedule in June. “We are just being conservative. I’d love to EDITOR’S EYE leave purses where they are, but I don’t think DOUBLE YOUR it would be fiscally responsible,” said Mancino. FIRST DEPOSIT By Derick Giwner “Depending on how things ramp up, we will probably raise the purses back up pretty @DRFHarness quickly, because we have a good cushion in the UP TO $250 purse account.” Finally, some light at the end of the tunnel. JOIN NOW Following a seven-week absence from the North American landscape due to COVID-19 shutdowns, the great sport of Harness Racing is expected to return to the track on May 22. If you had El Dorado Scioto Downs in your “which track will return first?” pool, you win! After receiving final approval from the Ohio State Racing Commission on May 14, both Scioto and Northfield Park were granted permission to return to spectator-less racing. Scioto management relayed that they will Inside this issue hold qualifiers on Saturday, May 16 with an eye on returning to live racing on May 22, Jay Bergman: Integrity requires people while Northfield Park is expecting to qualify to follow the rules, Page 4 on May 18 and commence pari-mutuel racing on or around Tuesday, May 26. to settle the score in According to Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Battle of the Decade, Page 6 Association Executive Director Renee OHHA Photo Mancino, both Northfield and Scioto are OHHA Executive Director Renee Mancino Bell ‘Betting’ on a fresh stallion with a expected to make logical schedule adjustments has been at the forefront of getting racing pair of rookie colts, Page 8 to find the sweet spots on the simulcast calen- back on track in Ohio. dar to take advantage of being the only harness Bob Marks: Random thoughts on tracks currently racing in North America. In addition, Mancino added that all Ohio Sire broodmare sires, Page 9 “We are moving some cards around to stay Stakes events scheduled for 2020 are expected off of signals like Gulfstream,” said Mancino to be completed in their entirety with no reduc- On The Backstretch: Profile of owner on scheduling. “We are all trying to maximize tion in purses. “Our intent is to get the entire Mark Weaver, Page 10 our time.” season in. We have until November to get all of Condition sheets at both Scioto and North- the O.S.S. races done, and if we have anything Comments? Questions? field are expected to offer about a 10-20% to say about it, and we do, there won’t be a purse Email the Editor [email protected] purse cut in most conditions, with the range reduction,” said Mancino, who added that they going from $4,000-to-$18,000 at Scioto as currently plan to race all 66 fairs in the state as opposed to $5,000-to-$22,000 previously. well. Follow The cuts, explained Mancino, are simply a Ohio is not the only region where racing is safeguard considering the unknown return on the immediate horizon. Woodbine CEO Jim of revenue from casino operations, which according to sources could resume with a CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

© 2020 Daily Racing Form, LLC - 10 Grand Central, 3rd Floor, NY, NY 10017 YEARLING PAYMENTS Due MAY 15* One list and one check keeps your yearlings eligible to these top events. *per USTA rule 12.02 all payments must be postmarked by midnight Monday, May 18 Don’t forget to stake your yearling!

Trotters Foals of 2019 Arden Downs Breeders Crown® Currier & Ives Dexter Cup Hambletonian Hoosier Stake No. 85 Horseman No. 113 Ralph Wilfong No. 84*** MGM Yonkers Trot *** no separate filly division

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Make checks payable and Be sure to check our website send all entries to: for complete conditions, The Hambletonian Society® race dates & payment forms! Cranbury Gates Office Park • 109 South Main Street, Suite 18 • Cranbury, NJ 08512-3174 Phone: 609-371-2211 • Fax: 609-371-8890 • Web: hambletonian.com Conrad Photo Scioto Downs is expected to be the first harness track in North America to hold a pari-mutuel race since Cal Expo on March 31.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 currently in a yellow zone. Lawson announced on May 12 that the current plan is for live racing to Back in New York, downstate tracks like Monticello, Saratoga and commence on June 5 at Woodbine Mohawk Park, with a back-up plan of Yonkers remain in areas which have yet to reach Phase I of the four- June 12 if everything doesn’t fall into place in time. As with all tracks phase plan for the state. While unnamed Saratoga and Yonkers sources right now, there would be no spectators allowed. have hinted that those tracks may return prior to the resumption of Mohawk’s return schedule includes training sessions on Wednes- casino operations if permitted by the state, information from Monti- days and Sundays starting May 27. Up to 50 horses will be permitted cello was unavailable. to attend by online appointment only. Qualifiers would be scheduled in Two more states on hold are Illinois and Massachusetts, which the days leading up to opening night. include Hawthorne and Plainridge, respectively. Hawthorne has No official information was provided on the rescheduling of the C$1 submitted plans to the government on COVID-19 protocols and are still million North America Cup, but indications were given that the event awaiting a decision. Plainridge was supposed to open on June 1, but the would be conducted at the end of August. Massachusetts Gaming Commission voted 5-0 to postpone the opening “We are working through the final details and that should be avail- until further notice. able in the next week or so,” said Lawson. Stay Tuned! Other good news in the industry came from Vernon and Tioga Downs. Owner Jeff Gural stated in a May 11 release that since his tracks are located in regions which the State of New York has approved to start “opening” beginning May 15, he would return to live racing at both facilities as soon as permitted. Whether that means as part of Phase I of the NY plan in late May or a later Phase in June is still up in the air. “They are giving me a hard time classifying it (racing) as agricultural, which is allowed,” said Gural on the current situation in New York. Gural added that the tracks plan to host multiple New York Sire Stakes legs, as well as limited overnight racing. “My guess is that we will race for horses stabled on the ground and Sire Stakes ship-ins,” said Gural. Another track with a more firm date is Hoosier Park in Indiana. The barn area at the track reopened on May 11, qualifiers should resume May 19 and according to a May 13 release, live racing is preliminarily set to start on June 16.

Air filled with uncertainty While some regions and tracks have set dates or seem to have a path to live racing, others are in limbo waiting for more news from the Governors or Racing Commissions in their respective states. New Jersey horsemen and The Meadowlands continue to work with government officials to get racing back in action in the state. Unnamed sources seem to point to early June as the most optimistic starting date, but the situation is changing daily. When reached Thursday morning (May 14), Meadowlands operator Jeff Gural was hopeful to hear more on the situation in the next few days. The worst news has been from the state of Pennsylvania, where Pocono, Philadelphia and The Meadows are all on the sidelines. Governor Tom Wolf came out with a statement on May 12 that placed racetracks in the last stage (green) of state openings. No clear outline was given on how long it would take areas to move from red-to- yellow to green. The Meadows appears to be in the best shape as it is

DRF Harness Weekend | 3 | May 14, 2020 Visit us online at drf.com/harness Idea of integrity requires all people to follow the rules

My friends saw a business opportunity and we all purchased two sets of tickets to each of the Knicks-Lakers championship series jaywalking home games with the idea that we would sell (scalp) one set of tick- ets and keep the others for ourselves. By Jay Bergman BergmanJay For the first three home games everything went well. I was too young and too law-abiding to participate in any part of this because I knew it was illegal. Two of my friends did the dirty work selling their extra set and mine in the process. Integrity is not our problem. It is our excuse. When it came to the final game of the series, the prices and inter- The world has become filled with finger-pointers and Harness est had gone way up. My guess is so did law enforcement, as one of Racing has its share, you can be certain. As we slowly go through my friends was caught selling his tickets to an undercover cop. He the worst pandemic of our lives, hardly a day passes that we do not received a citation and had his pair of tickets taken from him. see rules applied and being broken at the same time. Sometimes At the moment I was convinced I had taken the right path and even by the same people. stayed away from involving myself in something I knew was To say the least, rules do not get broken without individuals find- against the law. Yet later that night, I found out something that ing justification for their actions. Whether a mask makes one look would forever change my perception of integrity. While we went funny or not, or whether admitting one is wrong makes one weak, into the Garden to take our seats, we all expected that the two- is a matter for discussion. Yet in times like these, when life and seat tickets that were confiscated by the undercover officers would death may hang in the balance, there is a higher level of expecta- spend the night vacant since they were taken out of circulation. tion for near uniform adherence to the law. When we saw two people sitting in those seats, it became rather We have seen time and time again that those expectations are apparent that those police officers were not just doing their jobs but rarely met with 100 percent uniformity. The rule I see being broken moonlighting themselves. every day is speeding on our nation’s highways. There are posted We could have spent the night angry that there was no justice in signs everywhere, yet even when the Interstate posts 65 MPH as a the world, but we didn’t, as Willis Reed and Walt Frazier wouldn’t limit, police rarely stop anyone not going 15 MPH faster for cita- let that happen. tion. From that point forward, I understood what human nature was What it says about integrity is that there are many who will about. Rules will be made for many to follow and most people will. follow the law willingly, not just their safety but for others as well. To suggest that the only way to fix a problem is to get everyone to Then there are those who will routinely look to go faster than the follow the rules 100 percent of the time is a road to nowhere. limit with little concern for the potential harm they may cause Integrity can only be about a percentage of the people following others in the form of an accident. The justification is always easy, the rules. as the speeder believes that not getting caught is all that matters. In society and our sport, most often do. Integrity is not the problem we face in Harness Racing and it never has been. It is an excuse so we can look away from our own failures as a gambling sport to compete. Pointing the finger in one direction is something we witness every day, whether it is blaming a country, a state or an individual. It has an incredible impact, as people tend to follow what they are being told in mass quantity and act out accordingly. Yet when we talk about integrity in this sport, it is more of an internal conversation with the misguided implication that those outside the sport should repair the damage we blame on those who share the stage with us. What appears to be lost on us as a collection of people is that the behavior of some and not others in our closed society is fairly normal, even if troublesome to a share of our population. I too believed in rule of law and right and wrong from an early age, but some 50 years ago, I found out in a very strange way that the world doesn’t work like that all the time and rules are not always rules for everyone. It was this time of year and the New York Knicks had made the NBA Finals. As a rabid Knicks fan who was lucky enough to walk to the window with no line and get playoff tickets when the team faced the Baltimore Bullets in the opening round, I had to be at the finals. In order to get tickets that were in much higher demand, a then 14-year-old with three friends, oldest 16, slept overnight in an orderly line that circled the Madison Square Garden arena. That experience in itself was exhilarating, being in the company of so many different yet like-minded people, a large majority older than our group. Things were orderly for most of the night, then with about two hours before the ticket booths would open, one of my friends decided to start moving through the line to get a closer position near the front. I was asked to follow along but it didn’t seem right. Others like myself had waited and I had a valid place on line that would surely get me the tickets I came to purchase. My friend did continue to sneak ahead of others and inevitably made his purchase about 30 minutes ahead of me. No one was caught and no fights broke out during that time, but there was certainly potential for that.

DRF Harness Weekend | 4 | May 14, 2020 Visit us online at drf.com/harness SUSTAINING PAYMENTS DUE MAY 15 Previous payments must have been made to be eligible

Two-Year-Olds LIBERTY BELL 2020 Early Closing Events For Pennsylvania-Sired 2-Year-Olds BREEDERS CROWN No. 34 -$75,000 Est. in 2020- $600,000 in 2020 -$400- To race Friday, October 30, at Harrah’s Hoosier Park, Anderson, Indiana Colt & Gelding Trot/Pace to be raced Friday, Elimination heats, if necessary, will be raced Saturday, October 23 October 9 at Harrah’s Philadelphia -$600- Filly Pace/Trot to be raced Wednesday, Entrance Fee: $5,000 September 23 at Harrah’s Philadelphia Entrance Fee: $400

THE ELEVATION MATRON SERIES 2020 (for 2-year-olds) -$125,000 Est. in 2020- $692,200 total in 2019 -$500- -$500- Open. To be raced Friday, September 25 at Harrah’s Hoosier Park To be raced Thursday, November 5 at Dover Downs Entrance Fee: $750 Top 8 format. Entrance Fee: $1,000 FOX STAKE No. 94 $55,150 in 2019 RALPH WILFONG No. 83 -$450- $33,383 in 2019 Open. To be raced Wednesday, August 12 at the Indiana State Fair, Indianapolis. One -$400- heat only. Open. To be raced Wednesday, August 12 at the Indiana State Fair, Indianapolis. Entrance Fee: $1,200 One heat only. Entrance Fee: $600 HOOSIER STAKE No. 84 $91,400 total in 2019 W.N. REYNOLDS MEMORIAL EARLY CLOSER -$100- $246,100 total in 2019 To be raced Wednesday, August 12 at the Indiana State Fair, Indianapolis -$300- Entrance Fee: $200 All divisions to be raced Friday, August 28 at The Meadowlands Entrance Fee: $500 KENTUCKIANA STALLION MANAGEMENT PACE/TROT 2020 JOHN SIMPSON MEMORIAL EARLY CLOSER -$200,000 Est. in 2020- $442,400 total in 2019 To race Friday, September 25 at Harrah’s Hoosier Park -$400- -$1,000- Colt & Gelding Trot/Pace to be raced Friday, October 23 at Harrah’s Philadelphia Entrance Fee: $1,500 Filly Trot/Pace to be raced Friday, October 16 at Harrah’s Philadelphia Entrance Fee: $400

KEYSTONE CLASSICS 2020 TOMPKINS-GEERS EARLY CLOSER Early Closing Events For Pennsylvania-Sired 2-Year-Olds $260,700 total in 2019 $339,600 total in 2019 -$300- -$400- All divisions to be raced Friday, July 3 at The Meadowlands Colt & Gelding Pace/Trot to be raced Monday, September 14 at The Meadows Entrance Fee: $500 Filly Pace/Trot to be raced Tuesday, September 15 at The Meadows Entrance Fee: $400 Three-Year-Olds LANDMARK STAKE EARLY CLOSER SUPPLEMENTS (Early Closers) -$42,500 Est. total in 2020- -Colts & Geldings: $250- THE COURAGEOUS LADY FILLY PACE -Fillies: $125- -$125,000 Est. in 2020- To be raced Friday, July 3 at Goshen Historic Track -Supplemental Nomination: May 15 - $3,500- -Colts & Geldings Entrance Fee: $300- To race Saturday, October 17 at Northfield Park -Fillies Entrance Fee: $150- Entrance Fee: $1,500

Make checks payable and send all entries to: THE HAMBLETONIAN SOCIETY Cranbury Gates Office Park, 109 South Main St., Suite 18, Cranbury, NJ 08512-3174 Breeders Crown to settle the socre in Battle of the Decade

By Derick Giwner Finally, in the Ewart Memorial over the five-eighths surface at Scioto Downs, Foiled Again won the narrowest of battles versus We can only dream about what may have occurred if some of the by a 132-to-130 margin. Sweet Lou, who had 92 wins, great of all-time met on the track. Certainly compar- was the fastest horse in the event with a 1:50 final time. Rodrigo Rios ing horses of different generations is an impossible task. But what led all driver with 28 wins. about the best of the previous decade? That is the basis for the Battle of the Decade Challenge that concludes on Friday, May 15 at the virtual Horse Wins Win % Avg. Post Hoosier Park on the Catch Driver racing app. A total of 19 of the best male pacers from 2010-19 were chosen to Foiled Again 132 17.98% 4.899 compete in five preliminary legs at various racetracks, including Always B Miki 130 17.71% 5.107 half-mile, five-eighths, seven-eighths and mile tracks. The top nine winners throughout the series return on Friday to settle the score on 105 14.31% 5.001 who is the best of the best. McWicked 96 13.08% 5.021 Through 3,489 races, the real-life all-time leader in earnings, Foiled Again, has set the pace by accumulating 511 wins along with a 23% Sweet Lou 92 12.53% 5.032 success rate. While he sits atop the hill, Always B Miki is a close second just 44 wins behind and sporting a solid 22% winning percent- Lather Up 87 11.85% 5.020 age. Also hot on the heels of the top pair are Wiggle It Jiggleit and Captaintreacherous 54 7.36% 4.861 Sweet Lou at 19%. Rounding out the all-star field slated for the 10 AM E.D.T. start time for the 48-hour Catch Driver showdown are Lather Rock N Roll Heaven 36 4.90% 4.982 Up and Won The West (16%), McWicked (15%), Captaintreacherous Downbytheseaside 2 0.27% 5.073 (13%) and Bit Of A Legend N (10%). The road to the Breeders Crown final between the decade’s best For the series in total, below are the complete records of all horses: went through Saratoga, Mohawk and Scioto last weekend. The Horse Franklin McKee Gerrity CPD Ewart Total Wins Gerrity Memorial led off the action with Foiled Again just edging out Foiled Again 193 - 186 - 132 511 Wiggle It Jiggleit in wins 186-to-175. That pair also tied for the fastest Always B Miki 157 - - 180 130 467 final time at 1:50 1/5, with Foiled Again doing it three times to once Wiggle It Jiggleit 135 - 175 - 105 415 for Wiggle It Jiggleit. Clifton Bell led all drivers with 33 wins from Sweet Lou - 174 - 130 92 396 149 starts. McWicked 106 - - 122 96 324 Lather Up - 144 - 91 87 322 Horse Wins Win % Avg. Post Captaintreacherous - 133 - 73 54 260 Foiled Again 186 26.80% 4.520 Won The West - 128 91 - - 219 Bit Of A Legend N 64 - 90 - - 154 Wiggle It Jiggleit 175 25.22% 4.387 Rock N Roll Heaven 57 - - 40 36 133 Won The West 91 13.11% 4.569 Pet Rock 52 - 75 - - 127 All Bets Off - 13 32 - - 45 Bit Of A Legend N 90 12.97% 4.569 Dorsoduro Hanover 4 - 31 - - 35 Pet Rock 75 10.81% 4.464 Betting Line - 21 - 3 - 24 Bettors Wish - 17 - 3 - 20 All Bets Off 32 4.61% 4.479 Jimmy Freight 4 - 14 - - 18 Dorsoduro Hanover 31 4.47% 4.513 Courtly Choice - 11 - 3 - 14 Downbytheseaside - 2 - - 2 4 Jimmy Freight 14 2.02% 4.497 Freakly Feet Pete - 1 - 0 - 1 Total Races 772 644 694 645 734 3489 With the switch to the bigger track at Mohawk for the Canadian Pacing Derby, Always B Miki flexed his muscles by winning 28% of Who will win the Battle of the Decade? Will Foiled Again prove best his races, well ahead of Sweet Lou in second at 20%. Playing true-to- again or will Always B Miki rise to the occasion? Check out the field life, Always B Miki was the fastest winner in the event with a 1:47 1/5 below and visit the Catch Driver app this weekend to drive a cham- winning mark. There was a tie at the top of the driver standings with pion. Winners of every race get a set of in-game bike wheels and the Clifton Bell and Manine Doro picking up 19 wins each. top players overall will vie for an enhanced prize fund.

Horse Wins Win % Avg. Post HORSE CAREER RECORD / EARNINGS Always B Miki 180 27.91% 5.486 Foiled Again 331-109-70-46 / $7,635,588 Sweet Lou 130 20.16% 5.324 Always B Miki 53-30-13-3 / $2,715,368 McWicked 122 18.91% 5.555 Wiggle It Jiggleit 64-39-12-5 / $3,944,519 Lather Up 91 14.11% 5.734 Captaintreacherous 73 11.32% 5.414 Sweet Lou 74-33-11-10 / $3,478,894 Rock N Roll Heaven 40 6.20% 5.423 Won The West 109-36-24-15 / $3,939,836

Betting Line 3 0.47% 5.508 Lather Up 37-23-3-4 / $1,735,623 Bettors Wish 3 0.47% 5.451 Bit Of A Legend N 162-53-35-12 / $2,569,621 Courtly Choice 3 0.47% 5.451 McWicked 110-40-26-16 / $4,930,967 Freaky Feet Pete 0 0.00% 5.651 Captaintreacherous 33-23-5-2 / $3,148,657

DRF Harness Weekend | 6 | May 14, 2020 Visit us online at drf.com/harness IMPORTANT NOTICE TO BREEDERS The Breeders Crown No. 35 Yearling Payment of $150.00 For foals of 2019 is due on May 15, 2020. This payment makes yearlings by the following stallions eligible to race in the Breeders Crown as 2-year-olds in 2021 and 3-year-olds in 2022, subject to the conditions and payments in those years. Stallion Nominations for Breeders Crown No. 35 A Rocknroll Dance Credit Winner Luck Be Withyou So Surreal Always A Virgin Dejarmbro Maharajah Always B Miki Devious Man Manningly Southwind Frank American Ideal Deweycheatumnhowe McArdle Sportswriter Andover Hall Donato Hanover Mister Big State Treasurer Andoversure Domethatagain Mr Web Page Straight Shooting Angus Hall Dover Dan Mr Wiggles Sunshine Beach Aracache Hanover Downbytheseaside Muscle Hill Swan For All Archangel Dude's The Man Muscle Mass Sweet Lou Art Official E L Rocket Muscle Massive Tellitlikeitis Artiscape E L Titan Muscles Yankee Text Me Artspeak Encore Encore My MVP Thinking Out Loud Bar Hopping Explosive Matter Nuncio Third Straight Betterthancheddar Father Patrick Odds On Equuleus Triumphant Caviar Betting Line Fear the Dragon Panther Hanover Trixton Bettor's Delight Fred And Ginger Pet Rock Uncle Peter Big Jim Glidemaster Ponder Up The Credit Bolt The Duer Guccio Possess The Will Villiam Break The Bank K He's Watching Prestidigitator Walner Bring On The Beach Heston Blue Chip Racing Hill We Will See Cantab Hall Holiday Road Real Desire Well Said Captaintreacherous Huntsville Resolve Western Ideal Cash Hall JK Endofanera Rock N Roll Heaven Western Vintage Chapter Seven Justice Hall Rockin Amadeus What The Hill Class Included Kadabra Rockin Image Whataworkout Classic Card Shark Lionhunter Roll With Joe Wheeling N Dealin Control The Moment Lis Mara Royal Mattjesty Winning Mister Conway Hall Long Tom Royalty For Life Wishing Stone Crazed Lost for Words Sebastian K Yankee Cruiser Creatine Love You Shadow Play Yankee Glide

The above list is subject to omissions and corrections Foals of 2019 by the above stallions will be eligible to the open division (for 3-year-olds and older) of the Breeders Crown in 2022 and to the Breeders Crown open division in subsequent years upon payment of the advertised fees for the specific year’s open event. Owners of eligible 3-year-olds will have the option of entering either or both the 3-year-old and the open event by making the 3-year-old payment due February 15, 2022. Conditions for Breeders Crown No. 35 are available from The Hambletonian Society website: www.hambletonian.com or in the 2020 U.S.T.A. Stakes/Futurities Nomination Booklet.

For more information contact for more information contact:

BREEDERS CROWN at (609) 371-2211

Checks payable to and mail to: Owned & Serviced by THE HAMBLETONIAN SOCIETY, INC ® THE H AMBLETONIAN S OCIETY, INC. Owned and serviced by 109 South Main St., Suite 18 Supporting and encouraging the breeding of Standardbred THE HAMBLETONIAN SOCIETY, INC. Cranbury, New Jersey 08512-3174 horses for more than 95 years www.hambletonian.com Bell ‘Betting’ on a fresh stallion with a pair of rookie colts

By Jay Bergman

Harness Racing is a business that requires an edge to succeed. Whether you are training horses, betting on horses, or breeding horses, knowing something others don’t is an advantage. For Myron Bell, who started his career in this business on the Grandstand side, to be where he is today is extremely unlikely. Bell watched and wagered on the races first, but it is that part of his résumé that likely sets him apart from many of his contemporaries in the breeding business. “I think a lot of breeders just know the statistics and aren’t aware of what kind of horses are in maternal families,” Bell said from his Flor- ida residence. “I can remember watching some of these horses that go back five and six generations. You don’t just know their records, you know what type of racehorses they were.” Indeed, that special ability to recall specific horses from genera- tions has given Bell a different kind of edge when it comes to tracking families and then digging for quality purchases at the yearling sales each year. The soon-to-be 80-year-old Bell is in his words “living the life”, in that following the success of Captaintreacherous on the track and now as a stallion, he’s been able to breed a select few each year and enjoy the best of all worlds. “There’s a lot of luck in coming up with a great horse,” said Bell. But Derick Giwner at the same time in order to get lucky you have to have the knowledge Myron Bell has spent the last five decades plucking winners in necessary to make wise investments. the racing industry. In Captaintreacherous, Bell found a horse from his favorite mater- nal family that dated back to the great Romeo Hanover, a champion during Bell’s youth. To select Captaintreacherous as a yearling and Dalrae and he was one of the best horses of his time.” enjoy the ride to racehorse champion and now standout stallion, one Delinquent Account would become a foundation mare and produce would think Bell has nothing to prove, but with each year and each Artiscape and a host of mares that have produced countless cham- yearling sale, he is constantly looking for the next horse with a new pions, including millionaire brothers Western Terror and If I Can pedigree and a chance at greatness. Dream. More recently, Bell has enjoyed tremendous success with Tall With that in mind, Bell spoke briefly about a pair of colts he Drink Hanover, a now 4-year-old mare by Captaintreacherous from purchased last fall by first-crop sire Betting Line. While many focused this family, who is ready for racing action for trainer Tony Alagna. their attention on the fastest horse of all time Always B Miki’s first The $120,000 Betting Line colt, by the name of Catalyst Hanover, sold crop, Bell saw an opportunity to focus in on the offspring of Betting at Harrisburg to Bell and his associates, and has trained down well as Line, arguably his sire Bettor’s Delight’s best colt. well. “He had a brother (Keystone Concrete) that was a top 2-year-old in “I really didn’t follow the Bettor’s Delights that much and most of Ontario and beat Bettor’s Wish in the Gold Final,” said Bell. his top horses turned out to be geldings,” said Bell. Yet in Betting While that may have impressed others, Bell went deep to track Line, Bell found a pair that may have slipped under the radar to some down the pedigree here that may have been foreign to others but was but had pedigree and conformation that stood out, at least to someone right on point for him. “This family goes back to Its Fritz, who was as of Bell’s background. fast as a horse could be,” said Bell. “There was also Mr Sandman, who The colt Winner Is Coming (yet another Game of Thrones refer- was a top horse in New York for many years.” What Bell loved about ences) was one horse that Bell thought came reasonably priced at a the maternal side of his family is how well the mares have done when $60,000 tag. “He was at Kentuckiana Farms and I think a lot of people mated with less than spectacular sires. who look at yearlings there focus on trotters, so maybe he was a bit While Alagna put both Betting Line colts in his Top 10 list heading overlooked,” said Bell. Winner Is Coming is the third foal from Inje- north, Bell, while staking both extensively, will reserve judgment for anous Style, a daughter of Western Ideal from the rich maternal line a time. “They’ve both been in 2:02,” Bell said. “We’ll see how they do of Delinquent Account. “I remember when I was trying to convince after their second baby race.” George Segal (Brittany Farms) to buy Delinquent Account,” said Bell. It is Bell’s belief that then and only then can you really tell the cali- “He wasn’t that interested but she was from the same family as Sir ber of a young horse.

DRF Harness Weekend | 8 | May 14, 2020 Visit us online at drf.com/harness Random thoughts about broodmare sires throughout history

on the mark By Bob Marks @BobMarks3

There has been some talk on social media about broodmare sires, so I started thinking. The only horse I personally ever thought of as a truly great brood- mare sire was Tar Heel. Invariably, every stallion with access to a Tar Heel mare back then, sooner or later, had his best performer from one of them. I always paid attention to “nicks”, ala -, No Nukes-Albatross, Abercrombie-Albatross, although the latter was short-lived after and Life Sign. Of course, in these cases, Bret Hanover and Albatross had access to the best broodmares in captivity, thus the “nick” was also the combination of the sire and the maternal family. In the case of Abercrombie, it was noticeable that he perked up once supplied with the line mares, Albatross in particu- lar. I never really thought Meadow Skipper was a “great” broodmare sire, as probably the two best from his mares were Call For Rain and Matt’s Scooter. Both were the best of their respective sires, Storm Damage and Direct Scooter. There were others like Seahawk Hanover, Eastern Skipper and Mr Sandman, though neither of them was nearly the best by their partic- ular sires, Bret Hanover, Bye Bye Byrd and Overcall, respectively. For that matter, it’s hard to think of a truly great horse from a Most Lisa Photo Happy Fella mare unless one wants to consider his all-time fastest, Muscle Hill has produced many top sons, but it will be the likely juiced-up Primetime Bobcat, who took his record at age 9, interesting to see how his daughters continue to produce in the as “great”. breeding shed. For that matter, No Nukes was nowhere near the broodmare sire that he was a sire, and on his list, I see a few from my old Perretti Bonjour Hanover, Baron Hanover and Gee Lee Hanover, respectively. Mares, Lady Hathaway and Silky Satin. Of late there’s Caviart Ally, Generally speaking, a major turning point of any stallion’s career from his daughter All American Cool, though Ally’s sire Bettor’s is when his daughters come of age to cross with the new breed of Delight may have something to do with her success. In my mind, the up-and-coming stallions. Again, that is usually because those leading reason for this has to do with the reduction of percentage contribution stallions will attract far more quality broodmares than the marginal from the sire’s side to the broodmare sire’s side. stallions. The sire is theoretically 50% of the equation, though in the case of a Thus, it will be interesting to see how this affects Muscle Hill, as his truly dominant sire it could be more. daughters are coming of age and are eligible to cross with young stal- As a broodmare sire, his contribution is reduced to 25%. Propor- lion warriors like Father Patrick, Walner, Chapter Seven, and Green- tionately his effectiveness reduces as well, assuming how much we shoe. Of those, Father Patrick has made a noticeable debut, as has credit the actual broodmare sire in terms of the dam’s maternal Chapter Seven, though neither has seen enough Muscle Hill mares in family input. order to formulate a conclusion. Therefore, Rocknroll Hanover, like the above named, is probably As it is, Muscle Hill has several sons in stud, including Trixton, Bar not as effective as strictly a broodmare sire, as he was a sire for those Hopping, What The Hill and Tactical Landing, but thus far Trixton reasons expressed above. However, I’m noticing a far greater percent- has yet to eclipse him. As for the others, that remains to be seen. Still age of quality performers out of Rocknroll Hanover mares as his his daughters will have increasing probabilities as more come of age. better-bred daughters come of age. There too, I would expect that those from superior maternal families It will be interesting to see just where Papi Rob Hanover, who will outshine those from lesser families, as Muscle Hill’s 25% contri- according to Brett Pelling is very reminiscent of his grandsire Rock- bution as the broodmare sire will likely be less effective than his 50% nroll Hanover, ultimately winds up on his sire Somebeachsome- (or more) contribution as the sire. where’s all-time best list. It should be noted that Super Bowl perked up upon attaining access Still, I personally would place far more emphasis on the maternal to Speedy Crown mares, as did other stallions. But then again, by that family of any of ‘Rock’s’ fillies or mares than I would specifically him. time, Speedy Crown was servicing the cream of the existing brood- Getting back to Tar Heel, the following names come to mind: Buck- mare crop. eye Bill (Buckeyes Champ); Miller’s Scout (Tarport Effrat); In The Conversely, two of Castleton’s “better” mares, Reflection, dam of Pocket (Direct Scooter); Anxious Robby (Happy Motoring); Le Baron Striking Image and Mirror Image, and Seascape, dam of Shadow Star Rouge (Columbia George); Silent Majority (Henry T Adios); Boyden and Real Hilarious, were by a marginal Tar Heel son named Painter Hanover (Best Of All); Forrest Skipper (Scarlet Skipper); Truluck that no one ever accused of as being a top broodmare sire. However, Vicar Hanover (Torpid); (Bye Bye Byrd); Peter Lobell both were daughters of the great Way Wave, she a well-bred daughter (Adios Vic); Momentum (Fulla Napoleon); Armbro Omaha (Airliner). of Fullsway and half-sister to one of Bret Hanover’s early stars Hilari- In addition, there are the obvious ones in Bret Hanover (Adios) and ous Way, and therein comes that maternal family. Romeo Hanover (Dancer Hanover). What did they have in common? Reflection became the dam of Mirror Image (True Duane) and Each was either the first- or second-best horse by their respective Striking Image (Strike Out), while Seascape produced Shadow Star sire, and from a Tar Heel Mare. and Real Hilarious. The latter’s daughter, Makin Smiles, is the dam Adios only got to see Tar Heel mares at the end of his career, but of Die Laughing, amongst others. what occurred was instantaneously legendary, with Bret Hanover, Stay tuned!

DRF Harness Weekend | 9 | May 14, 2020 Visit us online at drf.com/harness Did you ever want to know more about the people involved in the harness industry? Editor Derick Giwner combs the harness landscape each week to profile a new personality from the sport.

USTA Photo owner mark weaver Mark Weaver has co-owned thousands of horses since start- What kind of car do you drive? ing out in 2003. Lincoln Navigator. How did you get started in the sport? Favorite dinner meal? Snack? I grew up in Southern California near Los Alamitos racetrack. They raced half the year Harness and half the year Quarter The Macaroni & Cheese with Tuna Fish my wife makes; pret- Horses. I started going there when I was 17. I was never a big zels. drinker or partier. That was what I did and it all grew from there. My family wasn’t involved. It is rare to have someone What is your favorite track to visit? involved in the business when their parents or grandparents weren’t. My brother works for TVG, but we may be the only Los Alamitos. Growing up there, I had a lot of fun memories. generation of Weavers who work in . What is your favorite event in racing? How did you get into owning? The Little Brown Jug. They just do things right. Locally the I moved back to the Pittsburgh area in the late 1990s. I was still Adios is good, too, but at the Jug, you race for a few days, they a big fan or racing. When I got wind that the slot machines were have a nice hospitality tent and good horses. The whole event is coming and that a big percentage of the revenue would go to the what I like. horses, I figured now is the time to get involved. I bought my first horse in 2003 and it has grown from there. Now I believe How often is racing on your mind? I’ve owned about 2,000 different horses and a little over 300 cur- rently. It’s been a fun ride. As often as I breathe. It’s all I do. What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten about harness What is your favorite thing to do outside of racing? racing? Spend time with my family and my dog; just unwind. I ask a lot of questions, and getting started, I assumed certain Is owning horses your full-time occupation? people that I had a lot of respect for had all of the answers. At times, I would be disappointed that I wouldn’t get an answer I Yes. I still have other investments, but it is what I do full- was looking for. So there really wasn’t advice available, maybe time. It’s probably been 15 years since I did something else because at the time the purses weren’t as high and there was no regularly. blueprint for me to follow to get where we are now. We were the first to kind of go at it strictly from the business standpoint at What is your favorite sport to watch? Team? such a large scale. The game has changed so much in the last 10 years to the point where you can make money in it as a business. Basketball – Los Angeles Lakers. It used to be where people did it more as a hobby without expec- tations of being profitable. I love the sport but my whole goal is What is one thing about you most fans/bettors don’t to make money. Otherwise, I wouldn’t survive. know? You race exclusively with Ron Burke as your trainer and Even though I’ve had a lot of success owning horses, at heart, have owned thousands of horses with him. What’s the I still feel more comfortable around the average “Joe” in the grandstand, not in the clubhouse or the dining room, but on the worst argument you’ve ever had with him? track apron with the guy slapping his program on his knee root- We’ve had quite a few. We are good for a blowout every year or ing his horse home. I consider myself a fan of horse racing and two. Ronnie has them daily with people, so I don’t think it gets not Mark Weaver of Weaver Bruscemi LLC. to him. I’m an easy-going guy, maybe because of my California What is one word that describes harness racing for you? upbringing. Maybe we’ve had five or six. I don’t remember what Life. CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

DRF Harness Weekend | 10 | May 14, 2020 Visit us online at drf.com/harness Nikki Sherman Mark Weaver (left) and Yannick Gingras go for the fist-bump after Warrawee Ubeaut won the 2018 Breeders Crown 2YO Filly Pace.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 couldn’t develop a young horse, to see him win the Breeders Crown by six lengths at age 2 by toying with his competition and setting a they were over, but I think there is a mutual respect there and we world record that stood for 10 years, that was special. So it would be appreciate the passion we both have. It has never been something we Lou or Foiled. couldn’t overcome. Anyone who has been in business together for 15 years is going to have a few. You are obviously involved in the breeding game now. How has that experience treated you? He often credits you with finding new stock. Are you the brains of the operation? It’s been a godsend, especially right now with no money coming in from racing. Sweet Lou has been huge. His daughter Warrawee Well, I’m certainly the looks. I don’t know if I can be the brains Ubeaut has been one of the best 2- or 3-year-old fillies ever. Since his as well. It all started with Mickey (Burke) and Ronnie has kind of first crop there have been four Breeders Crowns and his offspring taken things to the next level. I do feel I have an important role, but has won three of the four. We couldn’t ask for anything more from so many people in the organization do as well. Ronnie’s mother, him. The crop that is foaling now in 2020, I think it is arguably the Sylvia, she does the bookkeeping for over 300 horses, 50 owners and best group of mares ever assembled. So I just hope we are back in full hundreds of combinations of owners. She does that herself. You can swing by 2022 when these things are ready to race because I think have half-a-dozen people in an office and still not get it done. There he is poised for a huge year. What he has been able to do thus far are long-time employees like Ronnie’s sister, Michelle, and Shannon with marginal mares is really remarkable. On the trotting side, we Murphy in New Jersey. There are close to 100 people that are part have Southwind Frank. His oldest are 2 and from what I hear they of the team. We all have a role and that is something that makes the have been training down great, so I’m really excited to see them. We operation successful. We all focus on what we do best. For me that is have All Bets Off standing a second year. He bred 150 mares his first buying, or recently selling horses, because I have time to do it and year in Canada. And Dancin Yankee, just last week, his book was I don’t mind dealing with people. To say I’m the brains, maybe only announced full and closed. So we stood four horses ourselves and jokingly, because there are a lot of different pieces that make it work. everyone has been well received. It’s a different part of the game. It can be frustrating at times, but it can also be rewarding as well when What was your favorite moment in harness racing? their offspring win races. Winning the Adios with Dorsoduro Hanover. It is a local race. I grew You are also an avid handicapper. How often do you play? up visiting Pittsburgh every summer and most years it was around the Adios and my grandfather would take me. Just to have been to an Quite a bit. As often as I can, but I’ve really over the years, the last event 25 times and to have a horse in it and finally win after about 10 two months being an exception, I get so much action from watching tries, it was special. my horses race that I’ve been much more selective and only play in situations where I feel I have an advantage, like a carryover or a Which is your favorite horse you’ve ever owned? mandatory payout. There are some tracks I’ll bet, like I’ll play the whole card at Northfield if I’m bored. I still like to bet Los Alamitos. I would probably be an idiot if I didn’t say Foiled Again. I love Sweet But I just pick my spots. It is such a tough grind. I just don’t have the Lou, just from the standpoint that at that time Ronnie really hadn’t time and patience to watch replays because I’m already doing that developed top young horses and (Dave) Palone hadn’t had as many for my job, and I hate losing, so I tend to be more selective now. opportunities on the Grand Circuit as some of the other big-name drivers. So it was extra sweet to see a horse that was selected by our core group of owners, trained by Ronnie, who again at that point was CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 thought of a guy who made an aged horse better but someone who

DRF Harness Weekend | 11 | May 14, 2020 Visit us online at drf.com/harness CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 gressive. You’ve changed your whole style and you are playing a lot more. I think you are fair out there. I look at you as neutral or maybe Would you be involved in Harness Racing as a business if as one of my friends out there. you didn’t like it? If you could have a mulligan from your time in the sport, I guess, if it was the only way to make a living. I could go do some- what would it be? thing else and not like it. I hope I never have to make a decision like Maybe from a business perspective I would’ve invested in other that, because I do love it. aspects of the game 10 years ago. Which horse or horses How has COVID-19 affected you personally? are you most looking forward to seeing from Personally I’ve enjoyed it. I’m a homebody. Obviously, my wife, son and daughter are home from school. I have my dog. It has been your stable in 2020? very enjoyable. I do miss the action from racing and sports, but other than being a little bored, it hasn’t been the worst time in my I hear we have some life. pretty nice 2-year-olds. It would be hard for me to single out any from Best-case scenario, when do you think the first U.S. harness the group as a whole, but track will open? I know Ronnie has been pretty high on them this I keep hoping we are 10 days or two weeks away, but as things year. I’m interested to see keep getting pushed back, I don’t know. I’d say maybe the end of how Warrawee Ubeaut May. The opportunity is there. Look at Fonner Park. It is handling does against the aged 10 times what it usually does. Here at The Meadows, on Monday- mares. At this point, I’m to-Wednesday at 1PM, we usually handle about $600,000-$700,000. Derick Giwner Photos ready to watch a $10,000 If we could slide into that slot, we could maybe handle $1.5 or $2 Foiled Again (above) and Sweet Lou million and get a lot of eyes on us. We have a great product, full claimer. We also have (below) were named by Mark Weaver fields, and a great driving colony. It would be awesome to show- This Is The Plan and Fili- as his favorite horses. buster Hanover. We just case that. bought Covered Bridge and there is Dorsoduro If you had the power to change one thing in the sport, what Hanover. would it be? You are a regular on I’m not smart enough to come up with ideas like that. My mind doesn’t work creatively like that. You can say takeout is too high. I the Catch Driver racing do recognize that the game needs to be improved and I hope someone app. What draws you that understands the sport and the gambling part of it, can come to the game? in and improve the experience. I don’t know who that person is or group of people are, but we desperately need them. I love it, just like Har- ness Racing. Every How do you view the future of harness racing? race is a puzzle. It is competitive. I’ve never I’m optimistic. I consider us fortunate in that we race in every juris- sat behind a horse in my diction where you can be profitable, so we are somewhat protected life. I’m kind of afraid that if something bad happened in one state we could just shift of the animal itself and elsewhere. I’m optimistic, but then you get what our Governor tried allergic to them, so it is a to do in Pennsylvania. The State has the best breeding, Hanover chance for me to use the strategy of driving without the risk of get- Shoe Farms, the best stallions, but the Governor threatened to pull ting kicked or having an accident. I’ll take on anyone in the game. the rug out from all of us by taking money that was written into the I’ve taken on Yannick (Gingras) a couple of times and made him law for horseracing. That’s dangerous. It makes it hard for people to look like a “P” driver. It’s fun and competitive. Being that many of want to invest. I’m just a horse gambler, owner and fan. I just hope the drivers probably know me from owning horses, I think there there are smarter people out there that are doing whatever can be are a lot of times when I don’t get favors on the track, and I kind of done to preserve our sport. enjoy that. In my mind I’m playing the bad guy and sometimes I try to use that to my advantage. Time for the stretch drive. On a scale of 1-to-10, how good of a Catch Driver player are Best Horse Ever: Foiled Again. you? Best Driver Ever: To make sure I don’t insult any of my cur- rent friends and drivers, I’ll go with Bob Sleeth, who I think has 11. passed away. He was at Los Alamitos when I grew up in the 1980s. He was one of the orginal catch-drivers. I don’t think he had his In the Discord chat room, you’ve been accused of working own barn. First-time Sleeth, you could just go to the windows. with Mario Barone during some of the races. Any truth to That’s when I learned about driver changes. He was like a poor that? man’s Ron Pierce. Lasix – Yes or No?: Yes. He’s a good friend. Basically anyone that gives me a hole, I’ll recip- rocate, and anyone who runs me for no reason, you can expect that Best race you ever saw?: Somebeachsomewhere getting beat by to come back to. It is kind of like real life. If you are fair to me, I’ll be Art Official in the . fair to you. If you screw me, I’m going to look to screw you. Trotters or Pacers?: Pacers. Tell me the truth, you love pressing the pace when I’m on the Favorite TV Show?: Animal Kingdom. lead, right? No. With you, this year you are on a mission and driving more ag-

DRF Harness Weekend | 12 | May 14, 2020 Visit us online at drf.com/harness