by John Manzi, publicity director, Monticello Raceway

Monticello, NY — Two $25,000 eliminations for Monticello Raceway’s $388,000 Nevele Pride Stakes will go to post on Monday, June 18, to determine the eight horses that will come back the following Monday to compete in the $338,000 final.

Fourteen of the country’s premier 3-year-old trotting colts have entered and the two seven-horse fields will go as races five and eight on the 13-race card that afternoon.

Headlining the first $25,000 elim is the Dexter Cup winner, Manfinity, owned by M And L Of Delaware, Inc. and trained by Larry Rathbone. On May 5, Manfinity won the Dexter Cup in 1:58.2 and his most recent effort was a 1:57.3 triumph at Vernon Downs on May 31.

The son of Malabar Man currently has three wins and one second in four seasonal starts and has drawn the rail. He’ll be driven by Monticello native George Brennan, who returns to his roots.

Green Day arguably will supply the stiffest competition in that split. The Enjoy Lavec colt will come into the event off a 1:54.1 victory in a New Jersey Sire Stakes race at the Meadowlands in his last start on June 7 and already has four wins this year.

Owned by Trillium Racing Stable and trained by Jim Raymer, Hall of Famer Catello Manzi will handle the lines and will start from post position seven.

The second $25,000 split features the outstanding sophomore trotters Hitwiththeladies and Mythical Lindy.

Hitwiththeladies, a son of Giant Hit, was the 2-year-old New York Sire Stakes trotting champion and earned over $195,000 in ’06. He has already been victorious this year in a time of 1:56.1 when he copped an elimination of the Empire Breeders Stakes at Vernon Downs on May 19. In his last outing, Hitwittheladies finished second in a $66,552 NYSS division here at Monticello Raceway on June 5.

Hitwiththeladies, owned and trained by Allan McCarty, has drawn the coveted rail position and will be driven by John Flanigen.

Mythical Lindy, a SJ’s Caviar colt in from the Midwest, bankrolled $298,000 and earned a 1:57 freshman record last year and is two-for-two already this season.

Owned by Thomas York, Jr. and Joe Sbrocco, and trained by Jim Arledge, Mythical Lindy won in 1:56 at Hoosier Park on June 2 and came back on June 9 to score in 1:56.3 at the Meadows. David Miller will handle the driving chores and will leave from post position seven.

The field in the first elimination (in post position order with drivers) is as follows: Manfinity (#1-George Brennan); Aisling (#2-Stephane Bouchard); Rushmore Hanover (#3-Jeff Gregory); Cumulus (#4-Trond Smedshammer); Anzio Hall (#5-Ron Steck); Sullivan’s Travels (#6-Greg Grismore) and Green Day (#7-Catello Manzi).

The second split lines up like this: Hitwiththeladies (#1-John Flanigen); Strive For Perfect (#2-Catello Manzi); Worldclass Guy (#3-Tim Tetrick); Around And Over (#4-David Miller); Got That Look (#5-David Miller); Spiked Cider (#6-Dan Daley) and Mythical Lindy (#7-David Miller).

Post time for the first race is at 1:10 p.m.