Friday, In Today’s Edition July 8, 2011 Running Aces Running Out Of Time?....p 2 For more information on Harness Racing Pastor Stephen Heads Big M Open...p3 Update, call (732) 530-6678 [email protected] Jim Simpson Optimistic About Industry...p4 www.harnessracingupdate.com Remembering Su Mac Lad...p4 Leader Of The Gang Heads Yonkers Trot Bourbon Slush’s First Entrant Breaks, Sixth at By Mike Farrell Yonkers YONKERS, N.Y.--Leader Of The Gang (Muscles Yan- By Lucas Marquardt kee), a top colt from last year still seeking his best stride Lil Miss Bourbon this season, is the 9-5 favorite in the $445,474 Yonkers (American Ideal), the Trot on Saturday night, the kickoff of the Trotting Triple first starter from the Crown. Bourbon Slush Stable, With only seven in the entry box last week, there was no the partnership group elimination needed as everyone advanced to the final. put together by Frank Leader Of The Gang landed post No. 2 with David Miller M. Antonacci to gener- set to drive for trainer Jimmy Takter. The son of the 1998 ate increased interest in Yonkers Trot winner is still looking for his first win this harness racing, had a season. rough go of it last night After two disappointing starts at the Meadowlands, at Yonkers, finishing Lil Miss Bourbon, Lizzi photo Takter added trotting hobbles for the Earl Beal Memorial sixth in a division of a elimination at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. Leader Of New York Sire Stakes Race at Yonkers. Sent off the 6-5 The Gang raced much better, getting third to qualify for the favorite, she broke just after the start and broke again in $500,000 final where he finished fifth. the stretch. In between breaks, she raced evenly, never In 2010, Leader Of The Gang earned $356,772 in a advancing past fifth. season that included a win in the New Jersey Sires Stakes Cat Manzi drove. final and a fourth in the Breeders Crown. The stable will try again tonight with Bettorwithbourbon Del Cielo (Broadway Hall) is the 3-1 second choice from (Bettor’s Delight), who makes his debut in a sires stakes the rail. Like Leader Of The Gang he is winless in four tries event at Yonkers. this year while picking up a second and a third in a pair of Pennsylvania Sires Stakes. Evil Urges (Cash Hall) could be a major player as the 4-1 third choice from post No. 5. The gelding, co-owned and trained by Homer Hochstetler, is nim- ble on a half-mile track, having already won New York Sires Stakes this year Evil Urges could be a major at Monticello and Buffalo player in Yonkers Trot Raceways. "He goes fine around the turns," Hochstetler said. "He took that turn at Buffalo and they should have a caution light there. He trots clean, so the turns don't really bother him." Hochstetler, a longtime mainstay in Illinois, bought Evil Urges for $27,000 at Harrisburg in 2009 with longtime partner Robert Buddig, a Midwestern producer of lunch meats. Hochstetler came east in May, settling in at Vernon Downs with six horses including his two Hambletonian prospects, Evil Urges and Whit (Classic Photo). "This horse (Evil Urges) is a little better," Hochstetler said. "He's got a little more step." The companion event, the $237,714 Hudson Filly Trot, also drew seven with the remarkably consistent Jezzy (Credit Winner) the one of beat. She is 16 for 17, including a perfect 6 for 6 this year for the ownership group of trainer Ray Schnittker, Jerry Silva, Jeff Gural and Ted Gewertz. HarnessRacingUpdate.com • 7/8/11 • PAGE 2 of 15 Fate of Running Aces Rests With Minnesota down should have no bearing on racing. The tracks' re- Judge quests to be allowed to re-open has already been turned By Bill Finley down by the same judge, Kathleen Gearin, but officials With four cards having already been canceled due to a hope their new argument, which they say has been pre- budget impasse in the state of Minnesota between the sented in a more convincing manner, will cause Gearin to Governor and the Legislature, Running Aces Harness change her mind. Park has reached out to a state judge in hopes that she Running Aces has drawn a card for Saturday, but will be will allow the track to re-open. forced to call it off if not winning their case before Gearin. Both Running She is required to rule today. Aces and thor- But Running Aces Racing Director Gregg Keidel said oughbred track that if Gearin turns down the request to re-open and if the Canterbury impasse continues track officials may soon have to pull the Park have not plug on the 2011 season. been able to "It looks like the Governor and the Legislature are only race during the getting further and further apart," he said. "This is a serious government situation. Running Acres is losing $100,000 a day in reve- shut down be- nues and it costs us $30,000 a day to operate even when cause judges we don't race. We can't be expected to continue that way." are state em- Keidel said that even if the impasse is settled some time ployees. But the down the road there might not be enough horses left to two tracks have hold a meet. argued that since they pay the judge's salaries the shut (Continued, page 3) HarnessRacingUpdate.com • 7/8/11 • PAGE 3 of 15 "Our horsemen have been unbelievable," he said. "They Wishing Stone second in Sweden’s have become a band of brothers and are willing to wait Hambletonian this out at least one more week. But after that, we are going to have a problem. They need to race and are going By Karsten Bonsdorf to head out of town. Once they're gone, we'll never get Wishing Stone (Conway Hall) with Swedish top driver, them back." Ake Svanstedt, went to post as the even money favorite in Running Acres is required to race 50 cards a year in the final of Swedish stake race, Sprintermästaren, but had order to operate a poker room. Kiedel said that if racing to settle for second place. ends for 2011 management will ask for a waiver so that Wishing Stone had to trot outside the early leader the poker room can continue to operate. It is also currently Amaru Boko driven by Jorma Kontio and couldn’t find an closed. extra gear as Orrichetti, driven by Ôrjan Kihlström,came "If we don't get a favorable ruling from the judge, there's from behind down the stretch. going to have to be some signs of significant progress Orrichetti won by 2 lengths in 1.53.4f, followed by Wish- soon on the budget," Kiedel said. "If not, I'd say by this ing Stone, who just got his nose in front of Amaru Boko. time next week we'd have to decide to call the meet off." The purse for the winner was $185,000. Running Aces has over 600 employees on layoff while Orrichetti is sired by From Above and is bred by Canterbury has over 1,000. Hambletonian-director Margareta Wallenius-Kleberg. Wishing Stone won his elimination very easy in 1.54.1. Hambo Hopefuls To Battle at Big M Postcards From France By Bill Finley Though the race is worth just $25,000, tonight’s 10th By Bill Finley event at the Meadowlands will bring together several of Even on vacation and with no plans to go anywhere near the top candidates for the Hambletonian. a horse, I couldn’t escape harness racing. While visiting the Normandy region of France to take in the historical The 6-5 morning-line favorite in the Open is Pastor sights where D-Day occurred, I stumbled upon quite a Stephen (Cantab Hall), who is coming off a second-place sight at Utah Beach–a collection of French trotters. finish in the Earl Beal at Pocono, but driver Ron Pierce is Utah Beach was one of the key spots of World War II. expecting a bettor effort tonight. Some 23,250 Allied troops landed on Utah Beach on June “During the week, three days 6, 1944 in an effort to liberate France. They had to dodge before his last race, he kicked the land mines and enemy fire. Had they come some 67 years stall,” Pierce said of the Jimmy later they might have had to also dodge some horses. Takter-trained colt. “He bruised his On one of the most historic beaches in the world and right hind ankle, so he wasn’t 100 hallowed ground so far as the U.S. is concerned, a French percent for his last race. With stable apparently prepares its horses for battles on the Takter training him, he’s just going racetrack. to get better and better until the Normandy was gorgeous and I would have loved to Hambo.” make it to the races, but none in the area were racing Pastor Stephen was beaten at while I would have been able to attend. I did watch the Pocono by Dejarmbro (Credit simulcast of a few races from Argentan, including a Winner), who is not eligible for the “monte” race, a spectacle I hope to see in person some Hambletonian. That is among the day. reasons Pierce is confident that Pastor Stephen with Pastor Stephen is well on his way Pastor Stephen, Ken to winning one of the sport’s big- Weingartner photo gest prizes.