by Ellen Harvey, Harness Racing Communications

Goshen, NY — With temperatures creeping in to the 90s, the races at Goshen Historic Track saw a near-record performance in a division of the New York Excelsior Series.

USTA/Ellen Harvey photo

Dealmaker (Mike Simons driving) comes back to the winner’s circle at Goshen Historic Track Saturday after winning the $12,700 Excelsior Series division in 1:56.1 for New York sired 3-year-old pacing colts. Dealmaker is by American ideal.

In the $12,700 third race Excelsior for 3-year-old pacing colts and geldings, Just Bettor, driven by Greg Merton for trainer Arnold Marks, led the way to the first quarter, with Zinger’s Laugh (Brandon Simpson) giving chase to the :58 half.

Down N Dirty (Stephane Bouchard) was up to challenge at the five-eighths mile mark but he could not get past the son of Bettor’s Delight, who tripped the three-quarter mile marker at 1:27. Just Bettor opened up on the field to win in 1:55.1, just a fifth of a second off the track record for 3-year-old pacing geldings, set in 2008 by Capote.

“Mr. Marks (trainer Arnold Marks) said he could clear to the lead, he could win,” said Merton. “I had to work a little to get the lead, but once I did, I was confident.”

Just Bettor is owned by Frasetto, Old Block Stables and Team S Racing.

Venus Delight, a chestnut daughter of Bettor’s Delight, was 9-3/4 lengths the best in her $12,700 division of the Excelsior Series for 2-year-old pacing fillies, for her fourth win in a row.

It was a virtual cattle charge going through the first turn, with multiple fillies vying for the lead and Venus Delight on the outside of the bunch.

“We had an anxious moment going to the quarter,” said winning driver Jason Bartlett. Four left inside me and I just kept moving, because it’s really hard to make up ground here. I knew I had the best horse; I just had to get her in the right position. I just wanted to move her forward and didn’t realize I’d be hung that far but she raced really well.

Venus Delight is trained by Frank Podlenski for the Fbp Racing Stable of Hinsdale, NH.

Yet another Bettor’s Delight filly had her first career win at Goshen in a $12,600 Excelsior Division when Trevor’s Bebe made every call a winning one, in fractions of :28.3, :57.4, 1:27 and a career mark of 1:57.4.

Jordan Stratton drove for trainer Jean Drolet and owners Stephen Schneider, William Siegel and Marthe Drolet.

“That was as easy as it looked,” said Stratton after the race. “It doesn’t show on the program, but I schooled her a couple times and she was always good from the moment she got behind the gate. She was pretty grabby, she wanted to race the whole time and I let her do it.”