Yonkers, NY – Trainer Ron Burke went two-for-two in the first round of the MGM Grand Prix Trotting Series on Friday night (Oct. 11) at MGM Yonkers Raceway, taking the $75,000 divisions with It’s Academic and Chapercraz.
It’s Academic, driven by Jason Bartlett, lowered the track record for an older trotting stallion to 1:53.1 in his triumph. Starting from the outside post seven, It’s Academic got to the top before the :27.4 quarter, was unchallenged through middle-half stations of :57 and 1:25.1, and came home in 28 seconds to defeat pocket-sitter Take All Comers (Jordan Stratton) by a length and a half. Ghostly Casper (Pat Lachance) was third.
That time of 1:53.1 knocked two-fifths of a second off the previous mark of 1:53.3 set by Major Athens back on June 25, 2016.
A 7-year-old Uncle Peter stallion owned by Brad Grant, It’s Academic won for the 33rd time in his career and has now earned $2,634,323. The Dan Patch Award winner for top older male trotter a year ago, It’s Academic paid $2.70 to win as the 1-5 favorite and was atop a $5.80 exacta and a $22.20 trifecta.
In the second split, Chapercraz (George Brennan) was in front through stations of :27.4, :57.3 and 1:26.2, and while several closers made up ground on Chapercraz through the stretch drive, he was able to hold them all off to the finish line, winning by a head in 1:56.1. Ari Ferrari J (Bartlett), who was two-wide throughout but on cover, surged three-wide to the wire to get second and Bestfriend Volo (Matt Kakaley), who had space on the inside in the lane from the pocket, checked in third.
Chapercraz is a 4-year-old gelding by Crazy Wow and is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC., Weaver Bruscemi LLC. and Phil Collura. Chapercraz returned $5.40 to win as the 8-5 favorite and led a $28.80 exacta and a $165.50 trifecta.
Rounds two and three of the MGM Grand Prix Trotting Series are scheduled for November 1 and November 8, with the $250,000 final on November 15. The third leg and the final will be conducted at the distance of a mile and a sixteenth.
MGM Yonkers Raceway is currently operating on a Monday through Friday live racing schedule with post time each night at 7 p.m. (EDT).