Mocha Java (Creatine) prevailed in his debut in the Open Trot at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Monday afternoon.
So Rock N Roll posts record breaking 1:48.2 mile at Plainridge
The records continue to fall over the lightning-fast track at Plainridge Park this year and the latest one to drop made So Rock N Roll the all-time fastest Massachusetts-bred pacer ever after he won the featured $23,000 upper-level conditioned pace on Monday (Aug. 3).
2YOs Shalom Hanover in 1:49.2; Starstruck Hanover in 1:49.4
Shalom Hanover, a 2-year-old pacing colt by Papi Rob Hanover – Sammy’s Magic Girl, captured his division of a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes event for his grouping on Monday (Aug. 3) afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, winning easily in 1:49.2 – a time which makes him the fastest 2-year-old of 2026 and the fastest 2-year-old of all-time at Pocono, and a clocking just a fifth shy of the all-time record for any freshman on a 5/8-mile track (Frantic Hanover’s 1:49.1 in last year’s Sire Stakes Championship at Philly).
Hayden makes plenty of hay in Maine
On the final day of the Cumberland meet the Pine Tree State’s entire group of 2- and 3-year-old trotters helped close out the season on Sunday (August 2) at the iconic Southern Maine oval, with many of the series’ familiar faces increasing their leads in the point standings. Among the group of sophomore distaff trotters is the current Belle of the Ball, Hayden, who has won four of her five seasonal outings.
Top Reacher Upsets in Kentucky Championship Series; Melander Wins Six
Top Reacher split rivals from a ground-saving trip and collared his rough-gaited stablemate Command Center in the closing strides of a 1:54 mile to land a 24-1 upset in the $80,000 Kentucky Championship Series opening preliminary for 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings on Monday afternoon (Aug. 3) at The Red Mile.
Meadows Monday Memo
Here is this week’s Meadows Monday Memo:
Solid win for Fragment in NYSS at Monticello
The Glamour division did not disappoint, Fragment roared to an uncontested seven-length wire-to-wire win in 1:52.2, just missing the track record for 3-year-old colts in the lone heat of New York Sire Stakes for $119,700 on Monday (Aug. 3). Cooperstown Boy (C. Kelly) was second and Hunting Glory (J. Taggart Jr.) was third. It was the fastest mile of the year at Monticello Raceway.
Gobstopper stomps rivals in Kentucky Championship opener
Sweet Lou colt Gobstopper, who currently holds the national season’s mark for pacing freshmen from a 1:50.1 victory in his most recent start at The Meadowlands, brushed to the top heading to the last turn and held command firmly to the finish of a 1:53.1 mile in the $80,000 Kentucky Championship Series opening preliminary for 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings, which was contested on a non-betting card Monday morning (Aug. 3) at The Red Mile.
‘Art’ and ‘Al’ take Pine Tree Opens at Cumberland
The final program for the Spring-Summer meet at First Tracks Cumberland on Sunday (Aug. 2) saw Arts Flight and Big Al M take their respective $12,000 Pine Tree Opens with records falling as the curtain closed on another successful harness racing season.
Clark doubles in Philly AHDC Paces
William Clark Jr. snagged two of the three $8,500 divisions of the American Harness Drivers Club (AHDC) Pace at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon (Aug. 2).