by M. Kelly Young, Executive Assistant, Harness Horse Breeders of New York

Syracuse, NY — Two Hambletonian starters and one courageous filly are among the 14 horses entered in the Dr. Harry M. Zweig Memorial Open Trot, the feature event of the Syracuse Mile meet, on Sunday, August 15, at the New York State Fairgrounds.

American Mike and Castle Of Fortune, both from the barn of trainer Charlie Norris, will be heading to Syracuse for the Zweig Trot following sixth and seventh place finishes, respectively, in the Hambletonian on August 7.

With 14 entrants, the Zweig was split into two $109,150 divisions and Norris will have an entrant in each.

“They were all right last week, but they were never really in the hunt,” said Norris of his Hambo starters. “We were hoping for a quick pace and it didn’t work out that way.”

Norris, a Western Pennsylvania horseman, will be visiting the Syracuse Mile for the first time in his career. Both American Mike and Castle Of Fortune are homebreds owned by Robert Key, also of Pennsylvania.

“They’re feeling good and eating good this week, so I hope they will do well,” said the trainer of his prospects in the Zweig.

Trainer Chris Ryder decided to try filly Mystical Sunshine against the colts. She will start in the 11th race Zweig division from post one with leading Yonkers Raceway reinsman Stephane Bouchard.

A winner of the $438,949 Elegantimage Stakes earlier in the season, Mystical Sunshine has won five races this year and earned $312,000. She scored in her elimination for the Hambletonian Oaks, but was used early in the final and finished at the back of the field. The Yankee Glide filly is owned by Alvin Jacobson and Sidney Korn.

While uncommon for a filly to race in the Open division, the most recent to try and succeed was My Starchip, who won in 2002.

Enflammatory has been installed as the 3-1 morning line favorite in the same division as Castle Of Fortune and Mystical Sunshine. Self Obsessed is the 7-2 second choice in that division.

Enflammatory will start for trainer Trond Smedshammer and is a stablemate of Hambletonian winner Windsong’s Legacy. The gelding is a New Jersey Sires Stakes champion owned by Smedshammer with Patricia Spinelli, Martha Frank and Ted Gewertz. Regular driver Brian Sears will be in the bike.

Trainer-driver Ray Schnittker is confident that Self Obsessed, from post four, has a solid chance in the field.

“He seems to be turning the corner. He won the Townsend Ackerman and felt good doing it,” said Schnittker.

Early-season Hambletonian buzz surrounded Self Obsessed, but after finishing a disappointing fifth in the Dexter Cup after winning his elim, he failed to fire in any of his other stakes engagements until the Ackerman, a $50,000 event at the Meadowlands on August 6.

The filly division of the Zweig, carrying a $40,000 purse, is headlined by New York Sires Stakes standout Becca J and the New Jersey filly Enjoy The Sun.

Becca J is trained and driven by Saratoga Raceway’s John Stark, Jr. for owner Ken Jacobs of nearby Baldwinsville, New York. Enjoy The Sun is trained by trotting specialist Jan Johnson for Arden Homestead Stable and Adelaide Skoglund. Last weekend Johnson captured his sixth Hambletonian Oaks with another filly in his barn, Silver Springs.

The 12 race Zweig Day card also features New York Sires Stakes State Fair divisions for three-year-old colt and filly pacers and three divisions of the C.K.G. Billings Amateur Trot.

Live harness racing and pari-mutuel wagering at the Syracuse Mile will be held Friday, August 13, through Sunday, August 15. Post time each day is 1:00 p.m. Admission and parking are free.

Free buses are available from downtown Syracuse to the track each racing day. Blue Chip Transportation buses will leave from the intersection of East Washington and Salina Streets at noon on Friday and at noon and 12:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Buses will depart for the return trip from the NYS Fairgrounds 15 minutes after the last race daily.

For more information, call the Syracuse Mile at (315) 487-5780.

The fields for the Dr. Harry M. Zweig Memorial Trot Sunday are:

Race Eleven $109,150
1. Mystical Sunshine
2. Il Pirata
3. Enflammatory
4. Self Obsessed
5. Castle Of Fortune
6. Desert Classic
7. Arctic Hanover

Race Seven—Filly Division $40,000
1. Wolf’s Gwen (Post 1)
1A. Lisa Go Go (Post 2)
2. Malabar Melody
3. Forever Joy
4. Enjoy The Sun
5. Celebrity Demi
6. Becca J
7. Claiming The Title