Top Reacher split rivals from a ground-saving trip and collared his rough-gaited stablemate Command Center in the closing strides of a 1:54 mile to land a 24-1 upset in the $80,000 Kentucky Championship Series opening preliminary for 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings on Monday afternoon (Aug. 3) at The Red Mile.
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Meadows Monday Memo
Here is this week’s Meadows Monday Memo:
Solid win for Fragment in NYSS at Monticello
The Glamour division did not disappoint, Fragment roared to an uncontested seven-length wire-to-wire win in 1:52.2, just missing the track record for 3-year-old colts in the lone heat of New York Sire Stakes for $119,700 on Monday (Aug. 3). Cooperstown Boy (C. Kelly) was second and Hunting Glory (J. Taggart Jr.) was third. It was the fastest mile of the year at Monticello Raceway.
Gobstopper stomps rivals in Kentucky Championship opener
Sweet Lou colt Gobstopper, who currently holds the national season’s mark for pacing freshmen from a 1:50.1 victory in his most recent start at The Meadowlands, brushed to the top heading to the last turn and held command firmly to the finish of a 1:53.1 mile in the $80,000 Kentucky Championship Series opening preliminary for 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings, which was contested on a non-betting card Monday morning (Aug. 3) at The Red Mile.
‘Art’ and ‘Al’ take Pine Tree Opens at Cumberland
The final program for the Spring-Summer meet at First Tracks Cumberland on Sunday (Aug. 2) saw Arts Flight and Big Al M take their respective $12,000 Pine Tree Opens with records falling as the curtain closed on another successful harness racing season.
Clark doubles in Philly AHDC Paces
William Clark Jr. snagged two of the three $8,500 divisions of the American Harness Drivers Club (AHDC) Pace at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon (Aug. 2).
Cash Money Twenty dazzles in Dan Patch FFA at Running Aces
The Sunday night (August 2) harness racing program at Running Aces featured the 2026 Dan Patch FFA final, which offered a compact but very talented field of five pacers going into battle for the $50,000 event in a race that provided fans with a spectacular contest from start to finish.
Hambletonian and Oaks draws Tuesday at Chateau Grande
Head for the Chateau Grande in East Brunswick, NJ, on Tuesday (Aug. 4), and catch a special event on the harness racing calendar when the post position draws for the $1-million Hambletonian and $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks are conducted, and while you are there, enjoy some great food.
The Dragon Reborn gets the “breaks” to win Philly feature
The Dragon Reborn certainly got a break when he drew the rail for the $14,000 featured pace for classclimbers Sunday afternoon (Aug. 2) at Harrah’s Philadelphia. He needed only one more break in the race, and after that, he maximized his ability to score a 1:51.2 victory.
Stalbaum strikes twice Sunday in Batavia Opens
Saratoga shippers have been a major factor at Batavia Downs this meet, and that trend continued on Sunday (Aug. 2) afternoon when Larry Stalbaum, aka The Bomber, rolled in with a pair of his stable stars and left with the lion’s share of the purse after winning both $13,500 Opens as the heavily-bet favorite.