by Ken Weingartner, USTA Media Relations Manager
Hightstown, NJ — Mark Harder is hoping Wes Delight can provide a lot of joy this season.
The 3-year-old male pacer will race Saturday (May 12) in a $23,066 division of the W.N. Reynolds Memorial Stakes at Yonkers Raceway as he tunes up for a North America Cup bid next month. Last year, Wes Delight won three of 11 starts and earned $124,077 for owners Harder, Rick Phillips, and Deena Frost.
So far this year, the colt beat older horses in his seasonal debut and finished second to Dorsoduro Hanover in a division of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes at The Meadows despite traffic trouble around the final turn.
“I think he’s the real deal,” Harder said. “He showed a lot of talent last year at 2, but just struggled with his gait a little bit. He’s come back good and strong this year. He was very good at the Meadows last week. He sat behind (leader) Pedro Hanover and he stopped and took us out of the race. But when he got free, he had a lot of pace late.”
Wes Delight is a son of Bettor’s Delight out of Maid West, a half-sister to stakes-winner Gimmebackmybullets. Wes Delight was purchased for $55,000 at the 2016 Lexington Selected Sale. He is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in his Reynolds division, which is the first of three for the 3-year-old male pacers, and will have Corey Callahan in the sulky.
“He will have a couple of races before we head off to the North America Cup,” Harder said. “Big plans, but I think he can go with those horses. He’s not a big horse, but he travels like a bigger horse. He gets over the ground good and has good desire. He’s got a personality and is just a nice horse to be around. He’s just a happy horse.”
Harder also will send out horses in the other two Reynolds divisions, 4-1 Iluvtomakemoney in the third and 12-1 Major Offense in the second.
Iluvtomakemoney, a son of Well Said out of millionaire Symphony In Motion, has won six of 15 career races and heads to the Reynolds off a victory in a division of the Pennsylvania Stallion Series. He has earned $93,901 lifetime and is owned by breeder Joseph Jannuzzelli. Tim Tetrick will drive the gelding.
“He’s just a good little hard-hitting horse,” Harder said. “He’s not overly abundant in talent, but he goes to the races and makes money. He’s always right there. We’ll keep him away from the big boys. You’re better off being a big fish in a little pond than a little fish in a big pond.”
Major Offense, who is eligible to the upcoming Art Rooney Pace at Yonkers, won twice in his first three races this year but is winless in three starts since then. For his career, the son of Art Major-Northwestern has won two of 12 races and earned $29,056 for the same ownership group as Wes Delight. George Brennan will drive Major Offense; his first opportunity in the bike behind the gelding.
“It seems like he’s tailed off a little bit, like he doesn’t really like it (at Yonkers) much,” Harder said. “We decided to give this race a shot and I made a driver change just to see if it made a difference. He’s just not getting away in good spots and he’s gapping off. We’ll see if George can light a fire in him a little bit and get him involved.
“How he races will determine whether we go to the Rooney or not. It’s doubtful at this stage.”
Rob Harmon’s Kwik Talkin is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the second Reynolds division and Harmon’s Mach N Cheese is the 5-2 choice in the third.
In addition to the Reynolds action for the boys, Yonkers hosts three divisions for the 3-year-old female pacers as well.
First race post time is 6:50 p.m. (EDT). For complete entries, click here.
- Reynolds Memorial at Yonkers is this week’s Grand Circuit action (Wednesday, May 09, 2018)
Yonkers Raceway on Saturday night (May 12) will host three divisions in the $69,200 W.N. Reynolds Memorial for 3-year-old male pacers and three divisions in the $63,700 W.N. Reynolds Memorial for 3-year-old filly pacers.
- Bluebird Jesse making jump from Yonkers series winner to Open trotter (Friday, May 11, 2018)
Since arriving in the barn of Scott Di Domenico this year, Bluebird Jesse has surpassed expectations. The 4-year-old trotter won two of the three preliminary legs of the Yonkers Raceway/SOA of NY Bonus Trotting Series before capturing the $85,000 series final April 24. Last week, he made his first start in the local Open Trot, finishing third. Mike Castellano photo.
- Sheppard winner Kwik Talkin returns to Yonkers in Reynolds (Saturday, May 12, 2018)
Nearly a year after winning Yonkers Raceway’s signature race for 2-year-olds, the Lawrence B. Sheppard Pace, Kwik Talkin will return to the Hilltop in Saturday night’s (May 12) W.N. Reynolds Memorial. Kwik Talkin will start from post four as the 5-2 morning line favorite in the second of three $23,066 divisions of the Reynolds, his seasonal debut.
- Reynolds sophomore pacers, quickie mile lead Yonkers Saturday (Sunday, May 13, 2018)
It’s a Reynolds Wrap. The mercurial W.N. Reynolds Memorial found its way to Westchester Saturday night (May 12), with Yonkers Raceway hosting six divisions for 3-year-olds pacers of both genders. More than $132,000 was up for grabs in three ‘moist’ divisions each for the boys and the girls. Mike Castellano photo.
- Wes Delight part of ‘deep group’ in Pepsi North America Cup (Wednesday, June 13, 2018)
Trainer Mark Harder says Saturday’s Pepsi North America Cup might lack a prohibitive favorite, but it does not suffer from a lack of talent. “Just because there’s not a standout doesn’t mean there’s not a lot of good horses,” said Harder, who will send out Wes Delight in the C$1 million event for 3-year-old male pacers at Woodbine Mohawk Park. “There is probably a bunch of them that can win it. No one is running away from anybody, I don’t think. It’s a deep group.”