Yonkers, NY – Dexter Dunn completed a sweep of the Triple Crown opening leg races at MGM Yonkers Raceway on Friday night (June 27) when he guided Twisted Destiny to victory in the $200,000 Grade 2 MGM Grand Messenger Stakes for 3-year-old male pacers. The homebred son of Bettor’s Wish, out of the Badlands Hanover-sired mare Tug River Princess, scored in 1:51.2, holding off Dandy Ideal by a head, with pacesetter Manolete third in the mile.
Manolete used the rail for Scott Zeron to perfect tactical advantage, zipping away from the gate at the outset and forcing Twisted Destiny to move into the two-hole. Banderas, Papi’s Rocket and Odds On No Limit all left from the outer flank but were hampered as Banderas, with Jordan Stratton, attempted to find a hole along the pylons but got shut out when World Of Wishes and Joe Bongiorno closed ranks on the inside. That move forced Stratton to hold Banderas in place and forced Papi’s Rocket and Odds On No Limit to retreat at the same time.
With the outside flank going nowhere, Dunn was half-in/half-out for much of the opening-half, with Manolete setting hot fractions of :27.2 and :55.3 for the first two panels. Dunn finally pulled on the backstretch as second-choice Dandy Ideal was able to slip out from fourth and go on the offensive.
Manolete and Twisted Destiny battled through three-quarters in 1:23.4, and the pair went through the final turn on even-terms with Twisted Destiny surging into the homestretch but needing a hard drive by Dunn to maintain his advantage as Dandy Ideal, the 6-5 second choice, attempted to collar him in the final yards but came up just short. Odds On No Limit and Papi’s Rocket rounded out the top-five finishers in the field that had been reduced to seven when Fast Choice was scratched.
Twisted Destiny was a winner for the ninth time in 13 career starts for trainer Chris Ryder, who will be enshrined in the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in Goshen, N.Y., on July 6. Owned by Let It Ride Stables, Alberg Racing and Enviro Stables, Twisted Destiny increased his career earnings to $237,414 with the victory. As the 4-5 betting favorite Twisted Destiny returned $3.80 to win, keying an $8.10 exacta and a $13.40 trifecta. Let It Ride Stables, Docs Farm Inc. and Dana Parham bred Twisted Destiny, the ninth foal out of his $1.8 million-earning dam.
While the victory was Ryder’s third Messenger title, it was his first over the half-mile track at MGM Yonkers Raceway. It was Dunn’s first Messenger triumph.