Author: by Tim Bojarski for the Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts

After having a career year in 2022, La Bella Vita N has returned to action in fine form in 2023 and claimed her second consecutive win in only three starts this year on Monday afternoon (May 1) at Plainridge Park in the $25,000 fillies and mares Winners-Over pacing feature and took a personal season’s best mark in the process.

C Is For Cookie was the only competitor in the Bobby Weiss Series for 3-year-olds who won all three of her preliminary races, and on Monday (May 10 afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, the daughter of Betting Line racked up the “Grand Slam” by impressively winning the final of the pacing misses section. The time was 1:52.4 over a track which had just been rerated to “sloppy.”

Joe Lee got on base out of post eight with Cheyenne Ryan Lee and rounded home a winner in the $9,000 American Harness Drivers Club (AHDC) Pace at Freehold Raceway on Friday afternoon (April 28).

Unusual Clarity (Ron Harp) dug in to win exciting $6,500 fillies & mares featured pace at Vernon Downs on Friday (April 28).

Commander Frank was parked for most of the opening panel. But once he cleared his stablemate, the Southwind Frank-Lady Athens gelding easily deflected the first-over challenge of Express Man and scored in 1:54.3 for Mike Wilder, matching his career best. Fire N Lightning completed the ticket. It was one of three wins on the 12-race card for Wilder on Friday (April 28) afternoon.

Winning Legends is starting to become a ‘legend’ as he collected his fourth straight Open Trot victory with a nose win in Buffalo Raceway’s $15,500 main event on Friday afternoon (April 28). He nipped Alan by a mere nostril in 1:59.2 over the fast track.

A Rocknroll Star is quickly becoming quite the equine star, winning his sixth straight race in the $20,000 Open pace for males on Friday (April 28) afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with the 1:51.1 clocking achieved despite a “sloppy” oval.

On a Monday (April 24) afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania where horses racing up front did not do too well late, the best illustration of that concept came in the $20,000 Championship of the Game Of Pacing Claims Series for $10,000-base claimers, where Southwind Dredge was last at every call but the most important one, thundering by his field to reach the wire first in 1:54.2.

After changing owners, trainer and driver, and not having raced in four weeks, Icanflylikeanangel flaunted his class and made easy work of a full field of eight entrants in the $25,000 Winners-Over trotting feature at Plainridge Park on Monday afternoon (April 24).

George and Tina Dennis’ Wager On Me ($19.60, Ross Wolfenden) was an upset winner in the $20,000 Open Pace Monday (April 24) at Harrington Raceway.