by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Englishtown, NJ — Some of harness racing’s potential future stars were in action Monday (June 10), along with one of the sport’s bigger names, at Gaitway Farm in central New Jersey.

Fifteen qualifying races were conducted Monday morning despite heavy rain that had portions of the training center resembling rivers and ponds. The first nine qualifiers were for 2-year-old trotters and pacers, with the home-based Ron Burke and Julie Miller stables combining for five wins.

Older horses followed the 2-year-olds, among them older male pacer Razzle Dazzle, who won in 1:52.3. Razzle Dazzle won the Levy Memorial Series at Yonkers in April and is the No. 5-ranked horse in the most recent harness racing Top 10 poll.

Burke’s three winners among the 2-year-olds were pacers Forty Five Red and A La Notte Hanover plus trotter Southwind Spirit.

Southwind Spirit was a winner in 1:59.1 for Yannick Gingras and Ron Burke.

A son of stallion Muscle Hill out of the mare Spice On Ice, Southwind Spirit was driven by Yannick Gingras and won in 1:59.1 over the sloppy mile oval at Gaitway. Southwind Spirit is a half-brother to 2007 Breeders Crown winner Southwind Serena, who also was driven by Gingras — and upset Pampered Princess at odds of 50-1.

“That’s our best 2-year-old, we think,” Burke said about Southwind Spirit, who was purchased last fall for $105,000 at the Lexington Selected Sale. “We thought all the way down he was our best, so we’ll see.”

Forty Five Red (If I Can Dream-Sakura Hanover) won his qualifier in 1:57.4 for Gingras and Burke. The colt also was purchased for $105,000 at the Lexington Selected Sale. Forty Five Red is a half-brother to Thirty Two Red, who won three times on the New York Sire Stakes circuit as a 2-year-old, and his family includes multiple-stakes-winner Glowing Report.

Filly pacer A La Notte Hanover (Art Major-All Night Long) won in 1:59, again with Gingras at the lines.

Burke said the soggy conditions weren’t a factor for his horses.

“We train every day in the rain with ours — we’d be training today if it was a training day — so they’re used to it,” Burke said. “It doesn’t bother them.”

Clara, a half-sister to stakes-winner Lislea Phia, won in 2:00.1 for Brian Sears and Larry Remmen.

Miller notched wins with colt pacer West Matters (Western Terror-Life Matters) and filly trotter Annies List (Conway Hall-Ann’s Promise).

West Matters was timed in 1:56.4, with a :26.3 final quarter-mile, and Annies List scored in 2:00.2. Both were driven by Andy Miller.

Annies List, owned by the Andy Miller Stable, was purchased for $2,500 at the Standardbred Horse Sale.

Other victorious 2-year-olds were gelding trotter Explosive De Vie (Explosive Matter-Ava) in 2:02.3 for trainer Jim Oscarsson and filly pacers Highland Rockstar (Rocknroll Hanover-Cams Sweet Luck) in 1:59.4 for Buzzy Sholty, Scandalicious (American Ideal-The Company Store) in 2:01 for Scott Di Domenico and Clara (Art Major-Cat Thief) in 2:00.1 for Larry Remmen.

Clara is a half-sister to stakes-winner Lislea Phia.

USTA/Ken Weingartner photos

Levy champion Razzle Dazzle won his qualifying race in 1:52.3.

Razzle Dazzle, who has won four of seven starts this year and earned $303,750, won his qualifier with Brian Sears doing the driving for trainer Mark Silva. The 6-year-old Razzle Dazzle, who is nearing $1 million in career earnings, last raced May 11 when he finished fifth in the TVG Free For All Championship Series at Meadowlands Racetrack.

His next race is expected to be the Ben Franklin Pace at the end of the month. He will most likely train Saturday at Gaitway rather than enter another qualifier, which would be held June 17.

“I don’t want to come back and qualify next Monday and race the following Saturday; I’d rather go Saturday to Saturday,” Silva said. “He’s really good right now; he’s fresh. He’s had a nice rest. He had a little bit of ulcers and mucous, which we addressed during the break. His ulcers were quite bad, so it might really help him.”

— Ellen Harvey also contributed to this report