from Harness Publicists across North America

Monday’s (July 6) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Yonkers Raceway, Harrah’s Chester and Monticello Raceway.

Bartlett wins six on the sixth

Yonkers, NY — For the sixth of July, Jason Bartlett cracked open a six-pack of victories.

Yonkers Raceway’s leading driver padded that margin Monday night (July 6), rolling a happy half-dozen during the 13-race extravaganza. In fact, all of his wins came in the first eight races.

Bartlett swept the first three races, winning the $18,000 pacing opener with the invader Born With Class ($5.50) in 1:55.1, the $7,500 second race trot with Maritime interloper Rustico Trisox ($3.20, $13.20 early double) in a life-best 2:00.1 and the $12,000 third race pace with another first-time Westchesterite, Roca Rockette ($4.30), in a career-best 1:57.3.

After winding up a pocket second in the fourth race and up the track (seventh) in the fifth, he struck again at a very-un-Bartlett-like 34-1. Mystical Coin ($70.50) overcame the eight hole to get up on the money in the $12,000 sixth race trot (2:00.3), that one’s first board finish in four seasonal starts.

Talk Forever ($8.60) went up and over in the $18,000 seventh race pace (season’s-best 1:54.3) before Keystone Nite Hawk (life-best 1:54.4) was a wire-to-wire winner in the $18,000 eighth race pace ($13.40).

Bartlett’s final five drives of the evening saw him end up eighth, sixth, second, fifth and second. He began the week sixth in North America with 326 ’09 wins.

Jordan Stratton added a consecutive double-digit double, winning the 11th and 12th events with Caviart Cody ($14.80) in 1:54.2 and Tattoo Hall ($35.40) in 1:55.1, respectively. Stephane Bouchard also won a pair, while Billy Dobson, Jim Pantaleano and Pat Berry accounted for the other victories.

— Frank Drucker

Back-to-back wins for Lolique

Chester, PA — After winning in first-over fashion in last week’s Open Trot, Lolique was impressive just the same in Monday evening’s $35,000 Nevele Pride at Harrah’s Chester, turning in a 1:52.4 performance.

The 6-year-old Tagliabue gelding brushed to the front up the backstretch, overtaking Too Salty (David Miller) and Classic Lane (Mike Lachance) just past their point of departure. Lolique continued to stave off a late charge from Classic Lane under just moderate urging to secure his 22nd career win.

Tim Curtin drove Lolique for trainer John Wagner and owners Pamela Wagner and Scott Woogen.

— Harrah’s Chester Publicity Department

Gilmour remembered at Monticello

Monticello, NY — The very well respected horseman George Gilmour, who passed away 2-1/2 years ago, was memorialized at Monticello Raceway on Monday afternoon with a race named in his honor.

Gilmour, one of four famous driving brothers including Hall of Famer Buddy Gilmour, was a longtime regular at Monticello Raceway and during the 1960s and 1970s his name could always be found near the top of the drivers’ standings, both in races won and driving percentage.

A career horseman, Gilmour became a Mighty M regular in 1965 when Buddy sent a stable of racehorses to compete here with George in charge.

An easygoing, affable gentleman, Gilmour reined 1,802 winners during his driving career and later in life he concentrated on training and developed the multiple stakes winner Dexter Nukes, a winner of 19 of 29 races during the 1989 campaign. The son of No Nukes bankrolled $1,027,602 that year and earned a record of 1:51.3 when that clocking was not as normal as it is today.

His wife, Pat (John Campbell’s aunt), and their children along with family and friends were on hand for the presentation in the race won by Jimmy Marohn behind Valantine De Vie.

Also that afternoon Kyle DiBenedetto moved closer to a career milestone when he reined two winners on the card and is now just 15 wins away from 5,000.

DiBenedetto’s first victory came behind RBH Ventures’ trotter Over The Wire ($7.20) in 2:01.2 in the fourth race. He also won the 12th with David Yarock’s pacer Heidi’s Character ($20.20) in a 2:00.4 clocking.

— John Manzi