Ken Weingartner

Hightstown, NJ — Sheena McElhiney was a groom when she first visited Yonkers Raceway two decades ago. Now in her third year with her own stable, the trainer’s trip to The Hilltop on Monday will be for one of the biggest races of the year at the half-mile oval.

McElhiney’s Leonidas A is among the eight older male pacers in next week’s $514,000 MGM Borgata Pacing Series final. The 6-year-old Australia-bred gelding, undefeated in four preliminary-round starts in the event, will leave from post seven with driver Austin Siegelman and is 6-1 on the morning line.

“I was thinking back, and I’ve been going to Yonkers since I was 17, starting as a groom,” McElhiney said. “For the last 20 years, I’ve been there and seen some really good horses come in and out. It was kind of a dream to ever be in a race like this, and then to have one of my own in it is really exciting, especially being young in my career. I couldn’t really ask for more.”

In the six-week Bogata Series, Leonidas A won divisions in the first two legs before taking a week off. He returned to win two more times in advancing to the final. Chris Brokate photo.

Leonidas A brings a six-race win streak to the Borgata final. That stretch began with his 15-1 upset in the Potomac Pace Invitational at Rosecroft Raceway last November. Over his most recent 10 starts, the gelding has nine wins and one second-place finish.

“I’m still kind of letting everything sink in having a horse this nice,” McElhiney said. “He really doesn’t do anything wrong. The kids can play with him, they can brush him and pick out his feet, and he’s just perfect. Anything you ask of him, he follows through with it. He doesn’t have a crazy personality, he’s just all about business.”

Leonidas A, owned by Jesmeral Stable, has won 10 of 14 races since arriving in the U.S. last year and 29 of 55 lifetime. He has career earnings of $311,848.

In the six-week Bogata Series, Leonidas A won divisions in the first two legs before taking a week off. He returned to win two more times in advancing to the final. In his first start in the event, he won from off the pace, which was his known style at the time. In his three starts since then, he’s led at every quarter-mile interval.

“He just has a great mind, and he does anything I ask,” Siegelman said. “It’s funny, he won’t do any more than he has to do to win, but he’ll do enough. He just knows how to win. It’s really been a privilege to drive a horse like him.”

Leonidas A faces a difficult challenge in the Borgata final, starting from a post position that has produced only 4.2 percent winners in 2021.

“He’s probably the best horse in the race, he just got an unfortunate draw,” Siegelman said. “He can win from last but in this race in particular, it would just be a matter of how much traffic he would get if I chose to race him from off the pace.”

Western Joe, who posted two wins and two seconds in five prelims, is the 3-1 morning-line favorite in Monday’s Borgata final. He starts from post five. Other finalists with multiple wins in the series are Backstreet Shadow (4-1), Rockapelo (9-2), and Hesa Kingslayer N (6-1).

“We’re just happy to be in there and facing the caliber of horses we’re racing against,” McElhiney said. “It’s pretty cool.”

Racing begins at 7:15 p.m. (EDT) Monday at Yonkers. The Borgata final is race eight on the card, which also includes the $232,800 final of the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series for older female pacers (race seven) as well as consolations for both series.

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