by John Manzi, for Goshen Historic Track

Goshen, NY — If one had gone to the matinee races at Historic Track on Sunday (June 16), they would have felt as if it was Grand Circuit week.

Geri Schwarz photo

The famous Budweiser Clydesdales performed after the races.

“We had a huge crowd for the matinee program mostly because we had the famous Budweiser Clydesdales performing after the races,” noted Linda Myers, office manager and secretary to the Board. “Actually, on Sunday, we had a better day than on most non–weekend race programs during Grand Circuit week.”

The third and last of three matinee cards prior to the four-day Grand Circuit meeting, which will get underway on July 4, posted nine races. Of the nine races, two were for 2-year-olds, one was a race under saddle, and the others strictly matinee races for fun and pleasure as well as for qualifying times for the pari-mutuel race tracks.

Last week Ray Schnittker rode Flex The Muscle to a 2:06.2 victory and in this week’s RUS Jennifer Connor rode Admirable Hanover to a stunning 2:04.3 triumph.

In the first freshman event, Keystone Wasabi, a Cantab Hall-Womanly Image colt driven by Chuck Connor, Jr., trotted his final half in 1:01.1 and last quarter in :30.1 en route to a 2:06.3 score. Ten days prior, Keystone Wasabi made his racing debut with a stunning wire- to-wire triumph in 2:02.3 over four others at Pocono Downs. The colt is owned by the Kitefield Stable of Goshen and trained by Janice Connor.

Connor also won the other 2-year-old race when he hustled Suplemental Income, a daughter of Bettor’s Delight-JK Getupngo, to a 2:01.4 triumph with a last half paced in :59.3 and a final stanza in :29.1. In her first time behind a starting gate, Suplemental Income finished third, beaten a length in 1:57.3. She’s owned by Jennifer and Janice Connor and trained by Janice Connor.

Though the huge crowd seemed to thoroughly enjoy the matinee races, it was for the Budweiser Clydesdales that most came to see. The magnificent eight-horse team was on display after the final race on the matinee card. They paraded around the track and stopped in front of the grandstand for all to get a perfect view and then did some maneuvers on the racetrack.

They later delivered beer to Delancy’s, a restaurant adjacent to Historic Track, where many admirers got up close to the team and beer wagon for a once in a lifetime opportunity for photographs.

“They were a tremendous hit,” Myers added. “It’s too bad they don’t come more often.”