Hightstown, NJ – The road to next month’s Hambletonian and Hambletonian Oaks passes through Vernon Downs this Sunday (July 19) when the upstate New York oval hosts Grade 2 Dr. Harry M. Zweig Memorial races for 3-year-old male and female trotters.
Diabolic Hill, the No. 2-ranked horse in Meadowlands announcer/analyst Ken Warkentin’s Road to the Winning Key Farm Hambletonian, is among a field of nine Zweig Memorial Open Trot participants all eligible to the 101st edition of America’s Trotting Classic for sophomore trotters, which will be held Aug. 8 (eliminations Aug. 1, if necessary) at the Meadowlands.
The Annie Stoebe-trained Diabolic Hill, with driver Todd McCarthy, will leave from post 5 in Sunday’s $300,000 Zweig Memorial Open. The field also includes four other trotters in Warkentin’s Road to the Hambletonian Top 10: No. 4 Magic Punk, No. 5 American Power, No. 8 Neighver Punt and No. 10 Nix Nacken.
Diabolic Hill, a son of Muscle Hill-Crysti Dream, has raced three times this year. He finished third in a leg of the New Jersey Sire Stakes Platinum Series on June 5 before registering second-place finishes in the NJSS final (a half-length behind Apex, who is No. 1 in the Road to the Hambletonian rankings) on June 12 and in a division of the W.N. Reynolds Memorial (a length behind Magic Punk) on July 4. All three races were at the Meadowlands.
“I’m excited to get him to the Zweig,” Stoebe said about Diabolic Hill, who in the Reynolds got the lead from post 9 exiting the first turn and remained on top into deep stretch before pocket-sitting Magic Punk got by in a 1:51.4 mile. “His last start, he’s not as game on the front; he loves having a target. He got nipped at the end but came a huge back half.
“He’s raced good every start, in my opinion. I’m just hoping that trip-wise it works out (Sunday) and he can get his first win of the year. He feels good coming into it.”
Diabolic Hill – owned by Stoebe, Mario Mazza and AC Crawford Racing Stable – battled immaturity issues last year but still won five of 10 races, including the Grade 1 Valley Victory Stakes, and was second in the G1 Breeders Crown for freshman male trotters on his way to $506,636 in earnings. During the offseason, he matured into a different horse.
“He’s not as diabolical, like he was last year,” Stoebe said with a laugh. “He’s like a little sports car now; Todd can do whatever he wants with him. He’s very manageable and nice to be around. I’m so happy with my horse.”
Stoebe, who started her stable in 2021, has had a horse compete in the G1 Hambletonian Oaks, for 3-year-old female trotters, in the past (Instagram Model in 2023) but prior to last year never raced any male trotters. Now, she is working to get Diabolic Hill prepared for the G1 Hambletonian.
“I’m really looking forward to getting to be in that race,” Stoebe said. “It’s definitely a lot of stress and pressure but I’m trying to enjoy it along the way. You have to take it all into perspective. It’s good pressure to have and good stress to have. It’s exciting. You just focus on the horse, and he’s turned into such a cool animal. You enjoy being around him and hanging out with him now. It’s nice to have such a nice horse.”
Following the Zweig, Diabolic Hill is eligible to the Tompkins-Geers Stakes at the Meadowlands on July 25.
“So, we’re going to take this weekend, and if we need the Geers, we’ll race,” Stoebe said. “If not, we won’t.”
Neighver Punt, who won the G2 Goodtimes Stakes at Woodbine Mohawk Park on June 13, is one of three Zweig Memorial Open participants from the stable of trainer Marcus Melander, along with American Power and Nix Nacken. Neighver Punt (with driver Scott Zeron) will start Sunday from post 9 while American Power (James MacDonald) leaves from post 4 and Nix Nacken (Dexter Dunn) from post 8.
Magic Punk, who won the G3 Dexter Cup at the Meadowlands on May 2 and was second in the Goodtimes, will leave from post 2 with Yannick Gingras in the sulky for trainer Åke Svanstedt.
Also on Sunday’s card is the $139,000 Zweig Memorial Filly Trot, with a nine-horse field made up entirely of Hambletonian Oaks eligibles.
That group includes 2025 Dan Patch Award winner Setyoursightshigh, who will start from post 4 with Dunn driving for Melander; All Time Trot S, who won last year’s G1 Goldsmith Maid Stakes and leaves from post 7 with Gingras driving for Svanstedt; Busy Miss Lissy S, who won last year’s G3 Kindergarten Classic Series final and starts from post 2 with trainer Svanstedt in the sulky; and Madam Cheval, who won the 2026 New Jersey Sire Stakes Platinum final and leaves from post 5 with Tim Tetrick driving for Nancy Takter.
Action at Vernon Downs begins at 6:05 p.m. (EDT) on Sunday. The Zweig Memorial Filly Trot is race 9 on the card, with the Zweig Memorial Open Trot going as race 11.
For complete entries, click here.