by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — When it comes to qualifying for the George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series championship, Heez Orl Black N is on the outside looking in. But thanks to a preliminary-round win last week at 13-1 odds, the gelding’s chances of advancing to the lucrative final have improved significantly.

Yonkers Raceway on Saturday hosts the last preliminary round of the Levy Series. Twenty of the top 21 horses in the standings were among the pacers entered, with the group divided into three seven-horse fields. P H Supercam, who is No. 1 in points and guaranteed a spot in the final thanks to winning all three of his previous Levy starts, is in the second division. He is joined there by Beach Memories, who is tied for second in the standings.

Horses receive 25 points for each start in the series. First-place finishes are worth 50 points, with 25 points for second, 12 points for third, eight points for fourth and five points for fifth. The top eight horses in the standings following Saturday’s preliminary round will qualify for the final on April 25. The next eight horses are eligible for the consolation.

The top 14 horses in the standings are separated by 71 points. The field for Saturday’s third Levy division includes four horses — Take It Back Terry, Fat Mans Alley, Windsong Jack and Domethatagain — who are in the top nine. Michael’s Power, who is tied for second in the standings, was not entered this week.

USTA/Ken Weingartner photo

Heez Orl Black N has won four times in 11 North American starts, with earnings of $64,570.

Heez Orl Black N, who is 10th in the standings, drew post No. 1 in the first division. The all-black 7-year-old New Zealand-bred gelding, trained by Anita Vallee, trails Sapphire City by four points for the eighth spot in the standings.

Sapphire City drew post three in the same Levy division as Heez Orl Black N while Polak A, who is seventh in the standings, got post five. Bettor’s Edge, who is 11th in the standings, three points behind Heez Orl Black N, received post No. 2. No other horses in the top 11 are in the first division.

“With a good draw, I think we have a chance to hit the board and then we’ll let the chips fall where they may,” said Shaun Vallee, who owns Heez Orl Black N with Daniel Vlahakis’ DPV Racing Stable. “I’m not wishing any of the other ones bad luck, but just hoping I have enough luck to get in.”

Vallee purchased Heez Orl Black N, a former stakes-winner in New Zealand, in October. Heez Orl Black N, a son of stallion In The Pocket out of the mare Cracker Kate, won 15 races and $182,615 competing Down Under.

“When he was racing over there, his races were very consistent and very good races,” said Vallee, who saw Heez Orl Black N while visiting friends in Australia. “I was just lucky they were willing to sell him. They had so many in the same class and were willing to sell him.”

USTA/Ken Weingartner photo

Heez Orl Black N with co-owners Shaun Vallee and Daniel Vlahakis.

In his first start this year, Heez Orl Black N finished third at the Meadowlands. He then was sent to Yonkers, where the half-mile oval suited his smaller build. He won his first two starts at The Hilltop before finishing second to P H Supercam in a conditioned race in late January.

“After I raced him a couple starts, I thought that if he kept racing consistently that we could put him in the Levy,” said Vallee, who drove Heez Orl Black N in his first nine starts. “But in the beginning, I wasn’t that sure. After he won three or four races, I thought he might be alright in there and we gave him a chance.

“He’s average to smaller (size). That’s his game, the half-mile (track). We’ll give him a couple weeks off after the Levy and then he’ll race mostly in overnights at Yonkers. That’s a good spot for him. Unless he does real good in the Levy, then I might try to put him in other races. But I’m not so sure he’ll be real good at the mile track against those other horses when they start going big miles.”

Mike Lizzi photo

Heez Orl Black N won a Levy leg last week with driver Brian Sears in 1:53.1.

Heez Orl Black N won last week with driver Brian Sears by one length over National Debt in 1:53.1. He also has two fourth-place finishes among four starts in the Levy.

“He’s versatile and he’s all race horse on the track,” Vallee said. “No matter where he is, he never stops trying. Even if he’s in what you’d call an impossible spot, he’s still trying to do it. That’s a good sign.”

Levy Standings (Top 20): 1. P H Supercam-225; T2. Beach Memories, Michael’s Power, Take It Back Terry-200; T5. Fat Mans Alley, Windsong Jack-187; 7. Polak A-175; 8. Sapphire City-170; 9. Domethatagain-168; 10. Heez Orl Black N-166; 11. Bettor’s Edge-163; 12. Lucan Hanover-162; 13. Frankies Dragon-158; 14. Mach It So-154; 15. National Debt-142; 16. Machs Beach Boy-140; 17. Clear Vision-137; 18. Texican N-128; T19. McErlean, Warrawee Needy-125.