DRF HARNESS HOME DIGITAL HARNESS EYE HARNESS PPS DRF BETS ENTRIES ARCHIVE THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 Sylvester eyeing third Yonkers Trot trophy Few trainers have as many trotting trophies as Chuck Sylvester and he hopes to add to the collection with Arnold N Dicky in 2021 Inside this issue Derick Giwner: Can the “pay to play” system work in harness racing?, Page 4 Darin Zoccali: Worrying about the future of the sport, Page 5 Toscano trio has hopes of reaching stakes finals at Yonkers, Page 6 “Dollarbill” eyes 1st money in YR Trot elims; “Ato” goes in Currier & Ives, Page 7 GRACE ZIMMERS Arnold N Dicky got back on track last time at Harrah’s Philadelphia with a 1:52 3/5 win. On The Backstretch: Profile of Ryan Clements, Page 8 Chuck Sylvester, the Hall of Fame trainer Best Bets & Analysis, Page 10 who turned 81 a week ago, will send out JAYWALKING Arnold N Dicky, a colt from the first crop of Headlines: Walter Case Jr back in the Bar Hopping in quest of his third Yonkers bike Saturday at Cumberland; Rick By Jay Bergman Trot title. Sylvester, for those who aren’t old Plano reaches 4,000 wins, Page 11 @BergmanJay enough to have witnessed his vast accom- plishments on the trotting side of this sport, is Comments? Questions? well-remembered for capturing the Yonkers Email the Editor [email protected] There were 13 horses entered for the first Trot as well as many other high profile jewel in trotting’s Triple Crown – the MGM events with the 1987 champion Mack Lobell. Yonkers Trot – this past Monday. With a He returned 11 years later and managed the TO ENSURE PROPER delivery pair of elimination races on tap Friday, eight fortunes of Muscles Yankee to a Yonkers Trot OF THE NEWSLETTER VIA horses hope to return for the $500,000 July 2 title. Both Mack Lobell and Muscles Yankee EMAIL, ADD [email protected]. final. There are a host of top trainers of trot- would capture the Hambletonian as well, ters represented but just one with roots that com to your contact LIST span generations. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 Congratulations to last weekeknd’s Ohio Sires Stakes Winners! Conditions & schedule at www.racingohio.net Coming up 3-Year-Old Colt Pace Leg 2 Winner Saturday, June 26 at Scioto Downs 3-Year-Old Colt Pace Leg 2 Winner Rock N Republic 3-Year-Old Filly Trot ~ Leg 2 Charlie May © 2021 Daily Racing Form, LLC - 10 Grand Central, 3rd Floor, NY, NY 10017 WE’RE BACK! NORTHSTANDARDBRED AMERICA’S #1 RACING 5 NIGHTS A WEEK Post Time: 7pm (ET) $100,000 Guaranteed Early Pick 5 Every Race Night Know When To Take The Reins. ResponsibleGambling.org TM Trademark of Woodbine Entertainment Group CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Arnold N Dicky drew post three in the $40,000 earning two-thirds of the Triple Crown. MGM Yonkers Trot elimi- Sylvester is quite optimistic he can return 23 years after his last nation carded as race Yonkers Trot victory and get his third with the $17,000 yearling buy seven on Friday and needs Arnold N Dicky. He is convinced that the half-mile track is a perfect a top-four finish against spot for his sophomore colt. some heavy hitters includ- “He set a world record last year at Delaware,” Sylvester said from ing a pair from Svanst- his home base in De Leon Springs, Florida where he currently resides, edt’s vast stable, Ambas- taking special care of his wife Sharon as she battles dementia. sador Hanover and Johan Last year Arnold N Dicky won four of his 10 starts competing at the Palema. The field also highest level against the top colts and geldings along the Pennsylva- includes In Range, the nia Sire Stakes. That Sylvester was able to pluck a horse good enough runner-up in last year’s to compete with six-figure yearlings should come as no surprise to Breeders Crown. anyone who has seen him do it so many times before. A lot changes over time “I thought he would sell for a lot more,” said Sylvester of the bargain and Sylvester notices a vast buy. “He toed-out and a lot of people thought he would hit his knees, difference in the caliber of but he doesn’t.” today’s trotter as opposed In the game of trotting few want one that hits their knees, especially to those he trained more during these times when races are going so fast from the first moment than 30 years ago. a horse steps on the track. What Sylvester saw in Arnold N Dicky’s “They’re just much more pedigree obviously looked somewhat familiar to him given his long naturally gaited these history in the sport and the various talent he’s trained. Arnold N days,” Sylvester said of the Dicky is the eighth foal from the Broadway Hall-sired dam Kali- breed. “Anyone can train a HARNESS RACING UPDATE--TWITTER brated. He is the first to cross with a Muscle Hill-line stallion of which trotter these days.” Chuck Sylvester has trained four Bar Hopping belongs. Roll the clock back some 18 years and you’ll find While that may be a true Hambletonian winners during his a horse named Mutineer in the same family tree. Mutineer was also statement to some degree career. the eighth foal of her dam and the first bred to a Valley Victory-line getting a 3-year-old trot- stallion by the name of Muscles Yankee. Muscles Yankee is of course ter to race consistently and in top form throughout a long campaign the sire of Muscle Hill. Sylvester trained Mutineer, who captured a requires a great amount of wisdom as well as excellent care. In the few major stakes in 2003 including the Zweig and American National. case of Arnold N Dicky, he’s blessed with the best of both. Sylvester conditioned Arnold N Dicky over the winter and then sent him north under the impeccable care of Kelly Smith (2020 Care- JUNE 25 - RACE 6 - MGM YONKERS TROT ELIMINATION #1 taker of the Year winner) as well as Hermann Heitmann, who serves as assistant trainer for Arnold N Dicky in addition to his one-horse PN HORSE DRIVER TRAINER MORNING LINE stable star Melady’s Monet. Arnold N Dicky made his sophomore 1 ETHAN T HANOVER JASON Bartlett PER ENGBLOM 5-1 debut in a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes at The Meadows on May 15 and 2 CALLE PALEMA SARAH Svanstedt AKE Svanstedt 8-1 was most impressive for driver Dexter Dunn despite an overland trip. Dunn guided Arnold N Dicky essentially from last to first into the 3 MON AMOUR YANNICK GINGRAS AKE Svanstedt 5-1 homestretch only to lose to a horse with a better trip near the wire. 4 AHUNDREDDOLLARBILL ANDREW MCCarthy TONY ALAGNA 2-1 With a good first effort, expectations were high for his next start in 5 INCOMMUNICADO AKE Svanstedt AKE Svanstedt 5-2 the Sire Stakes at Pocono on May 31, but Arnold N Dicky was up-the- track finishing nearly 13 lengths behind Captain Corey at the finish. 6 ON A STREAK BOB MCCLURE LUC BLAIS 5-1 “That was my fault,” said Sylvester, “We had him shod all wrong.” With a new set of shoes Arnold N Dicky returned on June 10 with JUNE 25 - RACE 7 - MGM YONKERS TROT ELIMINATION #2 a sparkling performance at Harrah’s Philadelphia winning convinc- ingly in 1:52 3/5, a career best in a conditioned event. The mile put him PN/PP HORSE DRIVER TRAINER MORNING LINE back on track for his Yonkers Trot appearance on Friday. 1-PP2 AMBASSADOR HANOVER AKE Svanstedt AKE Svanstedt 8-5 “I think he’s going to have a good year,” said Sylvester. “I think his 1A-PP4 JOHAN PALEMA YANNICK GINGRAS AKE Svanstedt 8-5 big edge is on the half-mile track. I’m not saying he won’t be competi- tive on the bigger tracks but I’m not sure he’ll be able to go with Ake’s 2-PP1 THE IRISHMAN David MILLER GEORGE DUCHARME 6-1 colt (Captain Corey).” 3-PP3 ARNOLD N DICKY DEXTER DUNN CHUCK Sylvester 3-1 Sylvester was more than mindful that Captain Corey was racing 4-PP5 STEEL ANDY MILLER JULIE MILLER 12-1 in Pennsylvania Sire Stakes this past week – where he made a break at the start as the heavy favorite – as opposed to the Yonkers Trot. “I 5-PP6 IN RANGE TIM TETRICK MARCUS MELANDER 5-2 think Ake (Svanstedt) may have over-raced him last year,” Sylvester 6-PP7 JULA MUSCLE PACK SCOTT ZERON PER ENGBLOM 15-1 said of Captain Corey, who he believes is the top 3-year-old trotter. DRF Harness Digest | 3 | June 24, 2021 Visit us online at drf.com/harness Can the “pay to play” system work in harness racing? EDITOR’S EYE By Derick Giwner @DRFHarness So far in 2021 we have five races – four Next Generation events and the Mohawk Million – which work on this payment plan, where owners buy a spot into a race and the track puts up some additional money to fill out the purse. In the Next Generation the entry fee is $10,000 for a spot with nine slots sold and a final purse of $150,000. So $90,000 comes from owners and $60,000 from the track’s purse account, a 60/40 split. The Mohawk Million handles things a bit differently. Here nine owners put up $100,000 in Canadian dollars and a tenth horse – the winner of the William Wellwood Memorial – is awarded a free entry into the $1,000,000 (CDN) final.