Newsletter

The Haskell

By The Shore – East Coast Edition

By The Shore – West Coast Edition

Oh Canada…Again

Ruidoso Downs

Hambletonian Hopefuls

Thoroughbred Racing Action

Harness Stakes Action

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The Haskell
A Million Reasons to Run

This Sunday, the racing world will be looking at a sleepy little town on the Jersey shore with a big race to be run…the $1,000,000, Grade I – Haskell Invitational. And who will be keenly looking atthe prize…trainer Bob Baffert is no stranger to the winner’s circle.

On Sunday, Baffert will try for an unprecedented fourth win in Monmouth’s Haskell Invitational with Preakness hero and last year’s Champion 2-Year-Old Lookin at Lucky.

Following a juvenile campaign that saw him win a trio of Grade 1 races en route to capturing an Eclipse Award as the nation’s best 2-year-old colt, Lookin at Lucky shipped to Oaklawn Park to take the Grade 2 Rebel in his 2010 and dirt debut.

The son of Smart Strike then shipped back to California and finished a troubled third in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby before running sixth in the Kentucky Derby as the favorite.

Two weeks later, Lookin at Lucky returned to the winner’s circle in the Preakness,finishing ahead of fellow Haskell contenders First Dude and Super Saver.

Baffert, who has won the Haskell with Roman Ruler (2005), War Emblem (2002), and Point Given (2001), says Sunday’s race is one of the deepest Haskell fields he’s ever seen.

“I think it’s probably the toughest of all the Haskell’s that I’ve been in,” said Baffert, who on Sunday will attempt to become the first trainer to ever saddle four Haskell winners. “I’ve always had a lot of success at Monmouth and I like going where I’ve had a lot of success.

This will also be a rematch of sorts as Lookin at Lucky will face Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver. Super Saver will look to take on Lookin at Lucky…it is Super Saver’s first start since the Preakness and third against his familiar foe.

Trainer Todd Pletcher said that was the best work he’s ever seen him put in,” Walden said. “We feel very good about his fitness level and how he’s coming up to the Haskell.”

Without a clear standout in the 3-year-old division, a good second half of the year from Super Saver could lead to an Eclipse Award.

The field for the Haskell is also expected to include Derby runner-up Ice Box, Preakness runner-up First Dude, Long Branch Stakes winner Trappe Shot, Withers champion Afleet Again, Pasco Stakes winner Uptowncharlybrown and recent allowance winner Our Dark Knight.

By The Shore – East Coast Edition
Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

Monmouth Park’s moniker of “the Shore’s Greatest Stretch” lives up to its name this weekend with not only the running of the Grade I – $1,000,000 Haskell…the Jersey gang has six additional stakes races on Sunday, August 1^st.

Monmouth has two Grade III turf events in the Oceanport at 8.5 furlongs and Matchmaker Stakes at 9 furlongs, both have purses of $200,000.

The remaining races are the Jersey Derby Stakes for three year-olds on the turf and the Majestic Light Stakes for three year-olds and up. Both have purses of $150,000 and will be contested at 8.5 furlongs.

The Regret Stakes and the Teddy Drone are for three year-olds and up. Both races are six furlong sprints and carry a $150,000 purse.

By The Shore – West Coast Edition
Del Mar – The Great Race Place

Starting on Friday Del Mar continues its great racing with four stakes races. On Friday is the $125,000 Grade 3 Cougar II. On Saturday the $200,000 Grade II San Diego Handicap and the $100,000 Fleet Treat Stakes will be run. On Sunday, the $250,000 Grade I Bing Crosby Stakes, a six furlong sprint will be the feature event on the card.

And Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will be busy mulling the possibility for one or more his runners. Richard’s Kid is the defending champion of Del Mar’s biggest race, the $1 million Pacific Classic. After finishing third in the Hollywood Gold Cup earlier this month, he is scheduled to have one local prep for the 1 1/4-mile Pacific Classic. But whether that comes on Friday, in the Cougar II Handicap at 1 1/2 miles, or Saturday, in the San Diego Handicap at 1 1/16 miles, is still to be determined.

Richard’s Kid is entered in the Cougar II, a race in which he finished second last year prior to the Pacific Classic, and that seemed the most likely spot in which he would run this week. But on Tuesday morning, trainer Bob Baffert was still mulling over which of his older runners to put in the San Diego, and Richard’s Kid was part of that mix, along with Mythical Power, Sangaree, and Spurrier.

The San Diego also is scheduled to include Battle of Hastings, a turf specialist who will attempt a switch to the synthetic Polytrack surface. He worked five furlongs on Hollywood Park’s Cushion Track surface Tuesday morning in 1:00.20 for trainer Jeff Mullins.

Battle of Hastings largely has been ridden by Tyler Baze, but with Baze sidelined with facial fractures, Joe Talamo will take over. Battle of Hastings was fifth of 10 in the Grade 1 Whittingham Handicap on June 5. He was third in the Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita and fourth in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill Downs in other Grade 1 grass races earlier this year.

Others expected for the San Diego include Dakota Phone, Deal Breaker, Isle of Giant’s, Slew’s Tiznow, Tres Borrachos, and Enriched, who finished third in the Eddie Read on Saturday but will be wheeled back by the meet’s leading trainer, Doug O’Neill, after being supplemented to the race for $2,000 on Sunday.

Oh Canada…Again
A Long Weekend Up North

This Monday marks Canada’s Civic Holiday…or “long weekend” as they call it. And to celebrate the long weekend, BetAmerica.com offers all of the best of Canadian racing. Fort Erie, Hastings Park, Assiniboia and Northlands host a bevy of Stakes races.

Hastings Park will host their British Cup Series with eight stakes races for British Columbia bred horses. The star of the show may be Spaghetti Mouse, who will be the first or second choice in the $50,000 B.C. Cup Classic. Spaghetti Mouse, the all-time leading earner among B.C.-breds, boosted his earnings to $919,677 when he finished second to Teide in the Lieutenant Governors on July 1st. In the Classic, he will get his stiffest competition from Ganbei, who won the S.W. Randall Plate last Sunday. Spaghetti Mouse beat Ganbei when they finished one-two in a $50,000 optional race May 30th.

Ruidoso Downs
Heat on the Southern Border

This Sunday, look for more heat on the Southern Border as Rudioso Park hosts six stakes races featuring the $200,000 Rio Grand3 Futurity. New Mexico bred two year-olds will face for $200,000 in purses over a 5,5 furlong event. The Futurity has both filly and colt divisions.

Included on Sunday is the Land of Enchantment Handicap for three-year olds and up. This $50,000 race will be run at 7.5 furlongs. The Lincoln Handicap will be a six furlong race and both the Road Runner Handicap and Sierra Starlet Handicap will be run at 5.5 furlongs. All these races carry a $50,000 purse.

Look for more great quarter horse racing with the richest stakes in all of quarter horse racing – the Grade 1, $1,500,000 All American Derby at Ruidoso Downs on September 5th and the Grade 1, $1,250,000 Los Alamitos Super Derby at Los Alamitos Race Course in Southern California in November. Both will be available at BetAmerica.com.

Hambletonian Hopefuls
Eliminations Set for Saturday

A total of 24 sophomore colt and gelding trotters have dropped into the box for the 2010 Hambletonian, the second leg of the Trotting Triple Crown.

There will be a trio of eliminations for the Hambletonian, which will take place this Saturday, July 31, at Meadowlands Racetrack. The top three in each elimination, plus the fourth-place finisher with the highest lifetime earnings, will advance to the $1.5 million final, set for Saturday, August 7th.

Here are the elimination fields, in post position order, with listed drivers and most recent trainers. The connections of elimination winners will select their post positions.

1. Take My Picture, Jeff Gregory, Taylor Gower;
2. On The Tab, David Miller, Jimmy Takter;
3. Temple Of Doom, David Miller, Jonas Czernyson;
4. Pretty Boy Lindy, Tim Tetrick, Frank Antonacci, Jr.;
5. Cassis, Tim Tetrick, Ray Schnittker;
6. Boztheman, Brian Sears, Trond Smedshammer;
7. Arriba Amigo, Trevor Ritchie, Blair Burgess;
8. Wishing Stone, John Campbell, Dewayne Minor.

Take My Picture is winless in 11 starts, but has seven second-place finishes, including in the Yonkers Trot . . . On The Tab won the Yonkers Trot, his only victory in nine races this year, and has six runner-up finishes . . . Temple Of Doom was second to Muscle Massive in a Stanley Dancer Memorial division . . . Pretty Boy Lindy has three wins this season, two in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Stallion Series, in five starts . . . Cassis, who was second to He’s A Demon in a Dancer elim, has won seven of nine races this year and been no worse than second in any start . . . Boztheman has two wins, one on the New York Sire Stakes circuit, in seven races . . . Arriba Amigo has two victories, one on the Ontario Sire Stakes circuit, in seven starts this year . . . Wishing Stone is 0-for-4 this year, but won divisions of the Bluegrass and International Stallion stakes last season.

1. Mystery Photo, Andy Miller, Julie Miller;
2. Holiday Road, Brian Sears, Greg Peck;
3. Coco Lindy, Tim Tetrick, Frank Antonacci, Jr.;
4. Break The Bank K, Dave Palone, Trond Smedshammer;
5. Lucky Chucky, John Campbell, Chuck Sylvester;
6. Senor Glide, Daniel Dube, Jimmy Takter;
7. He’s A Demon, Jody Jamieson, Jeff Gillis;
8. Plan B In HD, John Campbell, Tom Haughton.

Mystery Photo has won three of nine races this year, including one on the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes circuit, and was third in a Stanley Dancer Memorial division . . . Holiday Road is 2-for-2 this season, with wins in the Dickerson Cup and a Dancer division, and won last season’s Peter Haughton Memorial . . . Coco Lindy is winless in three starts this year, but won six of seven last year, including the Kindergarten Classic and a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes division . . . Break The Bank K has one win in six races this season and last year won a division of the Champlain Stakes . . . Lucky Chucky, who is 0-for-2 this year and coming off a second-place finish to Holiday Road in a Dancer division, was last year’s Dan Patch Award winner as best 2-year-old after winning nine of 12 races (including Matron and Valley Victory) and $667,649 . . . Senor Glide has one victory (Yonkers Trot elim) in seven races this year and last season won a Champlain division . . . He’s A Demon has won four of six races this season, including a Dancer division . . . Plan B In HD is winless in three races this year and last season won on the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes circuit.

1. Muscle Massive, Ron Pierce, Jimmy Takter;

2. Winning Fireworks, John Campbell, Noel Daley;

3. Perseverando, TBA, Ann Larsen;
4. Pilgrims Taj, Mike Lachance, Monte Gelrod;
5. Pilgrims Chuckie, Mike Lachance, Scott Andrews;
6. Flex The Muscle, Ray Schnittker, Schnittker;
7. Hard Livin, Yannick Gingras, Jimmy Takter;
8. RC Gallent Image, George Brennan, Bjorn “Bernie” Noren.

Muscle Massive has won three of six races this year, including a division of the Stanley Dancer Memorial and the New Jersey Sire Stakes championship . . . Winning Fireworks is 0-for-2 this year and last season won a division of the International Stallion and was second in a Bluegrass division among three starts . . . Perseverando has two wins in nine races this year and moves into stakes company for the first time . . . Pilgrims Taj has two Pennsylvania Sire Stakes victories among five starts this season and won last year’s Breeders Crown . . . Pilgrims Chuckie has one win, a world-record equaling triumph at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs on the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes circuit, in seven races this year . . . Flex The Muscle has two wins in eight races this year, including the Dexter Cup at Freehold . . . Hard Livin has three wins in nine starts this season, including a Yonkers Trot elim and division of the Currier & Ives . . . RC Gallent Image has one win in four races this year and meets stakes company for the second time.

Thoroughbred Racing Action
Weekend Stakes Action

East Coast and West Coast Stakes make for perfect wagering as well as over the border in Canada and on the Southern border…there is plenty of wagering action. Watch these and more all on BetAmerica.com.

Friday – July 30

• Del Mar: Cougar II Handicap G-3, $125,000, 3&up, 12f.
• Evangeline Downs: John Franks Memorial Sales Stakes, $100,000, 2yo f,5.5f.
• Penn National: Jennie Wade Handicap, $100,000, 3&up, f/m, 5f (turf).
• Penn National: Femme Fatale Stakes, $75,000, 3yo f, 6f.
• Penn National: Red Carpet Stakes, $75,000, 3&up, f/m, 8.5f (turf).
• Penn National: Philadelphia Park: Power By Far S (R), $75,000, 3yo, 6f.
• Penn National: Roanoke Stakes, $75,000, 3yo f, Pennsylvania bred/sired, 6f.

Saturday – July 31

• Assiniboia Downs: R.J. Speers Stakes, $30,000, 3&up, 8.5f.
• Calder Race Course: Ema Bovary Stakes, $50,000, 3&up, f/m, 6.5f.
• Canterbury Park: Minnesota Derby, $60,000, 3yo, c/g, Minnesota-bred, 8.32f.
• Canterbury Park: Minnesota Oaks, $60,000, 3yo f, Minnesota-bred, 8.32f.
• Del Mar: San Diego Handicap G-2, $200,000, 3&up, 8.5f.
• Del Mar: Fleet Treat Stakes, $100,000, 3yo f, California-bred, 7f.
• Evangeline Downs: John Franks Memorial Sales Stakes, $100,000, 2yo, c/g,5.5f.
• Louisiana Downs: Laurel Lane, $50,000, 2yo, Louisiana-bred, 6f.
• Louisiana Downs: Stardust, $50,000, 2yo f, Louisiana-bred, 6f.
• Monmouth Park: Mongo Queen Stakes, $100,000, 3yo f, 5.5f (turf).
• Northlands Park: Count Lathum Handicap, $50,000, 3yo, 8.5f.
• Penn National: Pennsylvania Governor’s Cup Handicap, $200,000, 3&up, 5f(turf).

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Del Mar’s Eddie Read Stakes

$400k Lady’s Secret Stakes

Claiming Crown at Canterbury

Oh Canada!

Say Hello to the Adios

Hambletonian Hopefuls

Thoroughbred Racing Action

Harness Stakes Action

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Del Mar’s Eddie Read Stakes
$300k Grade I Turf

This Saturday, the $300,000 Grade I Eddie Read Stakes the first Grade 1 race of the Del Mar meeting, drew an evenly matched field of seven horses that includes four Grade 1 or Group 1 winners for the 1 1/8-mile turf race.

Victor’s Cry enters the off a victory over Karelian in the Shoemaker Mile Stakes on May 31 at Hollywood Park. The five-year-old ridgling secured his first graded stakes win in the Shoemaker Mile after finishing second in the San Simeon Handicap in April.

The other top-level winners in the field are Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap winner Acclamation, 2009 Hollywood Derby winner The Usual Q.T. who looms as the likely favorite, and 2008 England’s Racing Post Trophy winner Crowded House.

The Usual Q.T. closed last season with a six-race winning streak on grass capped by three straight graded stakes wins. After an unplaced finish on the main track in the Sunshine Millions Classic Stakes at Santa Anita Park, The Usual Q.T. returned to grass and finished a respectable fourth in the Dubai Duty Free on March 27th at Meydan Racecourse. The four-year-old Unusual Heat gelding got back on track for trainer James Cassidy by winning a one-mile turf allowance race on June 27th at Hollywood in his prep for the Eddie Read.

Acclamation won the Jim Murray Handicap (G2) in May and followed with his first Grade 1 win in the Whittingham on June 5. The front-running Unusual Heat colt will attempt to rebound from a ninth-place finish in the United Nations Stakes on July 3rd at Monmouth Park.

The Eddie Read field is rounded out with San Marcos Stakes winner Loup Breton, a third-place finisher in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes on May 1st at Churchill Downs; Grade 3-placed winner Enriched; and Whittingham runner-up Hyades. Battle of Hastings and Temple City are possible.

$400k Lady’s Secret Stakes
Rachel Alexandra Leads Small Field

This Saturday, one of America’s sweet-hearts, Rachel Alexandra will face six rivals in the $400,000, 1 1/16 mile Lady’s Secret Stakes at Monmouth Park. With regular rider Calvin Borel aboard the defending Horse of the Year will start from post 5 and carry 123 pounds.

Rachel Alexandra, who won last year’s Haskell Invitational over the colts at Monmouth, returns for the first time in a race customized to the specifications of trainer Steve Asmussen and owner Jess Jackson. Originally slated for August 1st at, the Lady’s Secret was shifted to this weekend with $250,000 added to the purse.

Initial fears of a small field gave way to a turnout of seven from 24 nominations. Listed in post position order: Stage Trick, Queen Martha, Ask the Moon, Hark, Rachel Alexandra, Fabulous Babe, and Yes She’s a Lady.

Against this field, Rachel Alexandra figures to again be a very short-priced favorite. She was the 1-10 choice most recently in her 10 1/2-length romp in the Fleur de Lis Handicap at Churchill Downs, her first win in three attempts in 2010.

Rachel Alexandra returned to Monmouth on Tuesday morning following a final workout Monday at Saratoga of a half-mile in 49.60 seconds over the Oklahoma training track.

Of the challengers, only Stage Trick and Ask the Moon exit stakes races.

Stake Trick, trained locally by Alan Goldberg, set the pace before settling for third in the Grade 3 Obeah Stakes at Delaware Park. A 4-year-old, Stage Trick is one for three at Monmouth with the victory coming last fall in a second-level allowance.

Ask the Moon would love a wet track, where she is 4-0-1 in eight races for trainer Ned Allard. A 5-year-old, Ask the Moon is 1 for 9 at Monmouth, the victory coming in the Lighthouse Stakes last year in the slop. Ask the Moon was seventh in the Lady’s Secret last year.

Queen Martha will make her first start on dirt. A 4-year-old, Queen Martha ran five times in England before finishing second on the turf in her U.S. debut, a second-level allowance here on May 30 for trainer Patrick Biancone.

The full field for the Lady’s Secret is below:

PP	Horse	A/S	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer
1	Stage Trick	4/F	E Trujillo	118	A E Goldberg
2	Queen Martha	4/F	J Bravo	118	P L Biancone
3	Ask the Moon	5/M	J Rose	118	E T Allard
4	Hark	6/M	C H Marquez, Jr.	118	I R Wilkes
5	Rachel Alexandra	4/F	C H Borel	123	S M Asmussen
6	Fabulous Babe	5/M	P Fragoso	118	J Corrigan
7	Yes She’s a Lady	4/F	E Castro	120	T A Pletcher

Claiming Crown at Canterbury
12^th Running of “Blue-Collar” Showcase

The $150,000 Jewel is one of six Claiming Crown races on Saturday’s card, worth a total of $500,000. The Claiming Crown, in its 12th renewal, celebrates claiming horses by offering stakes races restricted to horses that have started in claiming races in 2010 or ’09.

The Claiming Crown, loosely modeled after the Breeders’ Cup while aiming to reward lower-profile runners, has tended to attract a remarkable variety of horses and owners from throughout North America since its 1999 inception. And last year, the day’s featured event, the $150,000 Claiming Crown Jewel, actually produced a Breeders’ Cup winner later in 2009 when Furthest Land took the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Oak Tree.

This is the 10th time that Canterbury will host the Claiming Crown, with Philadelphia Park (2002) and Ellis Park (2007) having been the only alternate venues. This year’s Claiming Crown races have attracted 52 starters from throughout the nation.

In the $150k Jewel Stakes, Racing Bran will try to take the most lucrative prize at Canterbury Park.

Racing Bran registered five victories racing in the Midwest last year and was twice claimed in 2009. The five-year-old gelding has won three of five starts, including victories in the $100,000 Essex Handicap at Oaklawn Park and the $85,725 Milwaukee Avenue Handicap at Hawthorne Race Course

Owner William Stiritz and trainer Scott Becker will enter Racing Bran in Saturday’s 1 1/8-mile race for three-year-olds and older off a runner-up finish to Shadowbdancing in the $300,000 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap. Racing Bran has won ten of 25 starts and has earned $354,794 in four seasons of racing.

In the $100,000 Emerald Stakes, Grade 2 winner Inca King figures to battle Gran Estreno a Group 1 winner in Argentina, in the 1 1/16-mile turf race. Both multiple stakes winners with combined earnings of nearly $1.1 million, head a remarkably deep field of 12 in the Emerald, Inca King enters off a third-place finish in the Firecracker Handicap on July 4th at Churchill Downs while Gran Estreno makes his first start since finishing third in the Hanshin Cup Handicap on May 29th on the Arlington Park Polytrack.

Julien Leparoux, the 2009 Eclipse Award-winning jockey, will be in from Saratoga to ride for the second straight year in the Claiming Crown. Leparoux, who has the call from trainer Mike Maker on Inca King in the Emerald, is one of about 15 out-of-town jockeys named to ride here Saturday.

Sea Gaze will be looking for his third straight victory when the six-year-old gelding starts in the $50,000 Iron Horse. Owned and trained by Steve Asmussen, Sea Gaze has won 13 of 41 starts but will try to secure the first black-type of his career in the 1 1/16-mile race.

Esperamos had won three straight races before being edged by a head in a June 10th claiming race at Churchill Downs. The six-year-old gelding will try to secure his first career stakes-placing in the $50,000 Express Stakes, a six-furlong race.

In the $75,000 Glass Slipper, four-time stakes winner Miranda Diane will seek the most lucrative victory of her career in an expected field of eight fillies and mares going six furlongs. Miranda Diane has registered two stakes wins at Will Rogers Downs this year.

Zoeling will try for his third straight victory when he starts in an expected field of 11 three-year-olds and older in the $75,000 Rapid Transit Stakes at six furlongs. Zoeling enters off a three-quarter-length victory in the Leemat Stakes on June 25th at Presque Isle Downs, the first stakes win of his career.

The day also includes the $100,000 Lady Canterbury Stakes, where Danzon enters off a narrow victory in the Locust Grove Handicap at Churchill Downs. The seven-year-old Royal Academy mare will try to secure her sixth career stakes win in the one-mile turf race for fillies and mares.

The Claiming Crown will be held as races 4 through 9 on an 11-race card that also includes the $100,000 Lady Canterbury (race 10),. First post is 1:30 p.m. Central, with the first Claiming Crown race, the $50,000 Iron Horse, going at 3:06 p.m.

Oh Canada!
75^th Running of the Prince of Wales Stakes

Sunday’s running of the1 3/16 mile Prince of Wales Stakes for three-year-olds foaled in Canada has drawn a field of eight. Recent Queen’s Plate winner, Big Red Mike, has been installed as the morning line favorite at 6/5. The Prince of Wales carries a purse of $500,000 with the winner collecting the lion’s share of $300,000.

The Prince of Wales is the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown; the first leg is the Queen’s Plate. The final leg is the 1½ mile Breeders’ Stakes in August which is run on turf over one full lap of the E. P. Taylor Turf Course at Woodbine.

Established in 1959, the series is unique in that it shares the same distances as its American counterpart, but is contested on three different race surfaces. The last Canadian Triple Crown winner was Wando, who accomplished the feat in 2003.

Scheduled for a 5:00 p.m. EST post time, the Prince of Wales is the eighth race on Sunday’s card.

Say Hello to the Adios
$700k on the Line for Three Year-Old Pacers

We Will See, winner of more than $500,000 and undefeated at The Meadows, and Versado, a colt purchased for the express purpose of winning the “Pace for the Orchids,” head a deep, accomplished field of 22 3-year-old colts and geldings who will contest the $700,000 Delvin Miller Adios at The Meadows on Saturday afternoon.

While the Adios historically has featured same-day eliminations and final heats, the new format started in 2009, of having the elimination and finals one week apart proved popular with horsemen and fans alike.

Three eliminations will be held with the top three finishers from each advancing to the final the following Saturday afternoon. The eliminations will go as races 9, 10 and 11 on the July 24 card, with race 9 post time of approximately 3:25 p.m. EST.

We Will See finished a close second in the final of the North America Cup and a narrowly beaten third in the Art Rooney. Just as importantly, he has excelled at The Meadows, capturing three stakes in as many tries. We Will See drew the rail in race 9.

Trainer Ron Burke privately acquired Versado, hoping that the gelding would repeat the feat of May June Character, who won the 2007 Adios for the Burke stable. In his first start for new owners Burke Racing Stable, Versado handily won a Pennsylvania Sires Stake division in 1:50.3. Versado leaves from post five in race 10.

Other acclaimed colts in the field are Valentino, who fell only 1-1/4 lengths short in the Meadowlands Pace final while finishing third, and Rockin Image, winner of a Meadowlands Pace elimination before finishing just behind Valentino in the final.

The Burke stable has three entrants, including Blue Rock and Fisher’s Character, a full brother to May June Character. Trainers George Teague Jr. (Delmarvalous, I’m Gorgeous), Jimmy Takter (Rockin Image, Golden Time) and Luis Pena (Valentino, Nova Artist), each have a pair of Adios hopefuls, as do owners Peter Pan Stables (Pang Shui, Europan Union) and Brittany Farms (Foreign Officer, Golden Time). Takter will be gunning for back-to-back Adios titles following his win last year with Vintage Master.

Among Adios contenders with local connections, the most interesting may be Jonesie Hanover, a full brother to 2005 Little Brown Jug winner P-Forty-Seven.

Hambletonian Hopefuls
$1.5 Million and Trotting Triple Crown

Harness racing eliminations will be held a week from Saturday for the $1.5 million Hambletonian on August 7 at the Meadowlands Racetrack. The race is the second jewel in the Trotting Triple Crown, following the Yonkers Trot and prior to the Kentucky Futurity, and is the world’s most prestigious event for 3-year-old trotters.

Last weekend, a number of Hambletonian hopefuls were in action in three divisions of the Stanley Dancer Memorial at the Meadowlands. He’s A Demon, Muscle Massive and Holiday Road came away with wins.

Other major races leading to the Hambletonian have been won by On The Tab (Yonkers Trot), Holiday Road also won the Historic-Dickerson Cup while Muscle Massive won the New Jersey Sire Stakes championship. Jetblue Volo won a Tompkins-Geers stakes and Baximum won a Reynolds division.

Here’s a rundown on some of the hopefuls:

Holiday Road — The 2009 Peter Haughton Memorial winner is 2-for-2 this year, with $105,450 in earnings. His 1:52.4 win in the Dickerson, where he beat Muscle Massive by a half-length, is the fastest time for a 3-year-old male trotter this season. The trainer-driver team of Greg Peck and Brian Sears won last year’s Hambletonian with Muscle Hill.

Muscle Massive– Jimmy Takter’s colt has won three of six races this year and earned $202,165. He ranks fourth among 3-year-old male trotters in seasonal earnings.

He’s A Demon– The Canadian invader stepped into stakes company for the first time and posted his fourth victory in six starts this year by winning the fastest Dancer division (1:53.1) by a neck over Cassis. He’s A Demon was winless in three races last year for trainer Jeff Gillis and driver Jody Jamieson, who are among the colt’s owners.

Lucky Chucky– Last season’s Dan Patch Award winner as best 2-year-old male trotter is 0-for-2 this year, but was second to Holiday Road in their Dancer division, closing with a :27.2 final quarter-mile. Last year, Lucky Chucky won nine of 12 races and earned $667,649. The trainer-driver combo of Chuck Sylvester and John Campbell teamed up with Hambletonian winners Muscles Yankee in 1998 and Mack Lobell in 1987.

On The Tab– The colt’s half-length win over Take My Picture in the Yonkers Trot on July 10 was his first win of the season and snapped a streak of four second-place finishes. On The Tab has a total of six second-place efforts among eight races this year and has earned $374,101, which leads all 3-year-old trotters.

Cassis and Flex The Muscle– Two horses from the stable of Ray Schnittker, who won the 2008 Hambletonian with Deweycheatumnhowe. Cassis has won seven of nine races this year and been no worse than second while posting earnings of $195,763. He smashed the track record at Goshen Historic Track on July 2, finishing in 1:55.4.

Flex The Muscle has won two of eight races this season and earned $153,404. He was second to Muscle Massive in the New Jersey Sire Stakes championship and was fourth in his Dancer division, also won by Muscle Massive.

Pilgrims Chuckie – The second-fastest 3-year-old male trotter to date, with a 1:53 win at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs in a leg of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes. The time equaled the world record for 3-year-old trotters on a five-eighths-mile oval. The colt is trained by Scott Andrews and co-owned by Sylvester. He has one win and five on-the-board finishes in seven starts this year, earning $95,404 in the process.

Thoroughbred Racing Action
Weekend Stakes Action

Head north this weekend to watch the $500k Price of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie and the Claiming Crown series at Canterbury Park. Then head west for Del Mar’s Eddie Read stakes. Watch these and more all on BetAmerica.com.

Friday – July 23

• Del Mar: CTBA Stakes, $100,000, 2yo f, California-bred, 5.5f.

Saturday – July 24

• Arapahoe Park: CTBA Breeders Oaks, $30,000, 3yo f, Colorado-bred, 8.32f.
• Calder Race Course: Nancy’s Glitter Handicap, $50,000, 3&up, f/m, 8.5f.
• Calder Race Course: Band Is Passing Stakes, $50,000, 3&up, 7.5f (turf).
• Canterbury Park: Claiming Crown Jewel, $150,000, 3&up, 9f.
• Canterbury Park: Claiming Crown Emerald, $100,000, 3&up, 8.5f (turf).
• Canterbury Park: Claiming Crown Glass Slipper, $75,000, 3&up, f/m, 6f.
• Canterbury Park: Claiming Crown Rapid Transit, $75,000, 3&up, 6f.
• Canterbury Park: Claiming Crown Express, $50,000, 3&up, 6f.
• Canterbury Park: Claiming Crown Iron Horse, $50,000, 3&up, 8.5f.
• Canterbury Park: Lady Canterbury Breeders’ Cup Stakes, $50,000, 3&up, f/m, 8f (turf).
• Canterbury Park: HBPA Sprint Stakes, $25,000, 3&up, 6f.
• Del Mar: Eddie Read Stakes – G1, $300,000, 3&up, 9f (turf).
• Del Mar: Osunitas Stakes, $75,000, 3&up, f/m, 8.5f (turf).
• Ellis Park: Ellis Park Turf Breeders’ Cup Stakes, $50,000, 3&up, f/m, 8.5f (turf).
• Evangeline Downs: Matron Stakes, $50,000, 3&up, f/m, 8f (turf).
• Monmouth Park: Lady’s Secret Stakes, $400,000, 3&up, f/m, 9f.
• Monmouth Park: Desert Vixen Stakes, $100,000, 3yo f, 8.5f (turf).
• Northlands Park: Don Fleming Handicap, $50,000, 3&up, 8.5f.
• Prairie Meadows: Prairie Meadows H, $100,000, 3&up, 10f.
• River Downs: Tah Dah Stakes, $50,000, 2yo f, Ohio-bred, 5.5f.
• Suffolk Downs: Last Dance Stakes, $50,000, 3&up, Massachusetts-bred, 8.32f.

Sunday – July 25

• Arapahoe Park: Columbine, $30,000, 3&up, f/m, 8.5f.
• Calder Race Course: American Dreamer Stakes, $50,000g, 3yo, 8f.
• Del Mar: San Clemente Handicap – G2, $150,000, 3yo f, 8f (turf).
• Del Mar: California Dreamin’ Handicap, $100,000, 3&up, California-bred, 8.5f (turf).
• Emerald Downs: Seattle Slew Handicap, $50,000, 3yo, c/g, 8.5f.
• Fort Erie: Prince of Wales Stakes, $500,000, 3yo, Canadian-bred, 9.5f.
• Fort Erie: D. Wells Sr. Memorial Stakes, $50,000, 3&up, c/g, Canadian-bred, 5f (turf).
• Fort Erie: Ernie Samuel Memorial Stakes, $50,000, 3&up, f/m, Canadian-bred, 5f (turf).
• Monmouth Park: Tyro Stakes, $100,000, 2yo, 5.5f.

Harness Stakes Action
This Weekend’s Stakes Action

Lots of great Harness racing this week. Lots and Lots, including the prelims for the Adios Stakes this Saturday and tons of summer stakes in the standard-bred world. Watch and Wager on these fantastic Harness stakes races this week:

Friday – July 23

• Buffalo: NYSS, $200,000, 2yo, Filly Pace
• Chester: PASS, $200,000, 2yo, C&G Pace
• Flamboro: OSS Gold Finals, $130,000, 2yo, Filly Trot
• Saratoga Harness: NYSS, $200,000, 2yo, Filly Trot

Saturday – July 24

• Balmoral: Incredible Final, $8,000, 3yo, C&G Pace
• Balmoral: Mini Me, $8,000, 2yo, C&G Pace
• Balmoral: Loyal Opposition, $8,000, 2yo, Filly Pace
• Buffalo: NYSS, $200,000, 3yo, C&G Pace
• Karwartha: OSS Grassroots, $24,000, 3yo, Filly Pace
• The Meadows: Adios Elims, $50,000, 3yo, Open Pace
• The Meadowlands: Tarport Hap, $155,000, 3yo, Filly Pace
• Saratoga Harness: NYSS LC, $12,500, 3yo,Filly Pace

Sunday – July 25

• Balmoral: Kadabra, $8,000, 3yo, C&G Trot
• Balmoral: Ann Vonian, $8,000, 3yo, Filly Pace
• Balmoral: Fox Valley Evita, $8,000, 3yo, Filly Trot