It was a frigid day in Freehold, N.J., and the cold weather brought some strange happenings in the first AHDC amateur trot event. Following the old saying, it’s better to be lucky than good, Anthony Verruso used every ounce of luck to prevail in what was the best bet race on the Saturday afternoon card.

 Lochinvar Art A came to town with a sparkling resume from his native Australia, and the 8-year-old lived up to his lifetime bankroll of $1 million by taking the Saturday night (Feb. 4) co-feature at The Meadowlands, a $27,500 winners-over $10,500 for pacers.

Standardbred Canada announced the winners of the 2022 O’Brien Awards, honoring Canada’s best in harness racing over the past season, at the Black-Tie Gala on Saturday (Feb. 4). Bulldog Hanover stole the show, winning the Somebeachsomewhere Horse of the Year title, taking the Older Pacing Horse division, and he was also honored as the 2022 recipient of the prestigious Cam Fella Award.

After winning a pair of races on Wednesday night, trainer Keith Kash Jr. entered Saturday (Feb. 4) only needing one victory to reach the 1,000-win milestone. He wasted no time getting it done in the first race on the program, driving 5-year-old mare Ball Diamond to the victory.

Unfiltered, a winner of five of his seven appearances at this meet, heads the cast for Sunday night’s (Feb. 5) $15,500 Steve Wiseman final for the pacers at Cal Expo.

Three-time Dan Patch Award-winning female trotter Manchego delivered her first foal, a filly by Walner, at 10:45 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 2) at Kentuckiana Farms. Manchego, owned by Barry Guariglia’s Black Horse Racing, retired in 2021.