Gaitway Farm held 10 qualifiers for 2-year-olds on Monday (June 26) as its June events for the rookies came to an end. Trainer Ron Burke had four winners while Jennifer Bongiorno, Julie Miller and Symon Spicer each had two. Burke-trained colt Dancin Champion, a 1:55 winner, had the day’s fastest pacing time over the one-mile oval while Spicer-trained Shiv took trotting honors with a 1:58.2 clocking.
Tag: Ken Weingartner
Iwon’t Backdown As stands his ground
Over the years, trainer Anette Lorentzon has named some of her family’s homebred horses after songs, but Iwon’t Backdown As is more than a nod to a Tom Petty hit. It fits her 4-year-old trotter to a T. On Saturday, Iwon’t Backdown As returns to The Big M for the third-and-final preliminary round of the Graduate.
Engblom hopes for ‘Trendy’ result in Graduate
When it comes to his style on the racetrack, Trendy Teen is with it. A 4-year-old gelding, Trendy Teen has jumped up to Grand Circuit action this season and held his own in the first two rounds of the Graduate Pacing Series, putting himself in position to reach the July 8 final with another strong performance this Saturday (June 24) at The Meadowlands.
A change in philosophy and Kierkegaard K
Swedish-born trotter Gone Baby Gone never had the opportunity to fulfill the potential trainer Åke Svanstedt saw in the filly at the age of 2. Five years later, though, she is making her presence known through the performances of her first foal, Kierkegaard K. Three-year-old colt Kierkegaard K, the No. 4-ranked horse on the most recent “Road to the Hambletonian” produced by Meadowlands announcer/analyst Ken Warkentin, is 2-for-2 this season and coming off equaling the fastest trotting mile ever at Vernon Downs as he heads to Friday’s second of two eliminations of the MGM Yonkers Trot.
Freshmen take another turn at Magical Acres
Magical Acres held 13 qualifiers for 2-year-olds Wednesday (June 21). Trainers Tom Cancelliere, Noel Daley, Chuck Sylvester and Carter Pinske each sent out two winners over the training center’s five-eighths-mile oval. They included Sylvester’s colt Ever Clever, who recorded the morning’s fastest trotting mile for the rookies, and Cancelliere’s colt Steven’s Saloon, who had the quickest pacing mile.
Trainer Tony Alagna reaches 2,000 win milestone
Tony Alagna got career training win 2,000 on Sunday (June 18) when Saldana Hanover won the fifth race at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania. George Napolitano Jr. was in the sulky. The 3-year-old filly is a daughter of Captaintreacherous, who was Pacer of the Year for Alagna in 2012 and 2013 before becoming one of the sport’s prominent sires.
Repeat winners highlight Gaitway qualifiers
Qualifying was just as good the second time around for five of Monday’s 2-year-olds in action at Gaitway Farm as Blue Pacific, Sweet Gal, Rochester Flash, Swifty Lazar and T C I repeated as winners in their second tries around the training center’s one-mile oval.
Tetrick, McCarthy eye more Cup glory
Tim Tetrick will head to Saturday’s C$1 million Pepsi North America Cup for 3-year-old pacers at Woodbine Mohawk Park with morning-line favorite Confederate, and a win would make him only the third driver to capture the race at least three times as well as increase his total number of victories in million-dollar races to nine. Of course, nine foes stand in the way of Confederate and Tetrick. Among them is Christchurch and Todd McCarthy, who with a triumph would become the first driver to win the Cup in his first two appearances in the race while also becoming only the third driver ever to hoist the trophy in consecutive years.
Morgan sends Grace Hill and Refined into Mohawk stakes
Virgil Morgan Jr. has nothing but good things to say about female pacer Grace Hill and female trotter Refined heading into Saturday’s stakes action at Woodbine Mohawk Park, and it is easy to understand why.
King hopes surf’s up in NA Cup
The King Stable knows the thrill of winning the Pepsi North America Cup, having captured the 2015 edition of the million-dollar race for 3-year-old pacers with Wakizashi Hanover in an upset over Wiggle It Jiggleit. On Saturday, the stable will return to Woodbine Mohawk Park for a North America Cup final for the first time since that memorable day, hoping to spring another surprise with Lyons Surfing.