On Derby Day
Dancin Yankee, who generally steers
clear of the FFA set, raced in the $50,000 Van Rose Invitational at Pocono
Downs after making several starts in the Levy Series at Yonkers Raceway. Dovuto
Hanover was the 9/5 favorite and Dancin Yankee was second choice at 3/1.
Trainer Josh Green was still in business at that time. Sweet Lou, who was coming off an unsuccessful
run of three starts in the Levy was 15/1 for Matt Kakaley. Abelard Hanover,
Golden Receiver and Dancin Yankee flew to the quarter in :25.2—perhaps the
fastest opening panel ever at that track. The latter took control on the back
for Brett Miller and won in a lifetime best 1:49. The highly regarded graduate
of the Kentucky Sire Stakes program, Bandolito, was second and Lou came late to
get third. Considering the speed explosion Lou treated us to not long after
this, the Van Rose proved to be a major upset. Also, a couple of weeks later
Dancin Yankee matched Pet Rock’s 1:47.2 world record and broke the 1:47.4 track
record at Pocono Downs.
JK Endofanera won a split of the SBSW and was 1/2
favorite in his Cup elimination the following week. However, he disappointed in
that race, finishing third behind Lyonssomewhere. As a result In the final JK
End, who drew the nine with Sears, was sent away at 12/1 while Tellitlikeitis,
who didn’t win anything of note all year except for his Cup elimination, was
established as the 9/5 favorite. Lyonssomewhere blew to the quarter in :25.1,
the fastest open ever in a Cup final, and Sears took his time and came late to
win in 1:48.4 and pay $26.30.
In early
June at Mohawk D’Orsay, who won the
Muscle Hill and Ima Lula last year, came off the rail late and fired past
dueling divas Bee A Magician (3/5) and Classic Martine (1/1) for Sylvain Filion
in an elimination for the Armbro Flight. The Yankee Glide 5-year-old paid a
generous $111.30 for her 1:52.1 win.
The winner
of the Molson Pace this year and last, State Treasurer, was the 3/2 favorite in
this year’s Mohawk Gold Cup Invitational. Foiled Again, who had dropped four in
a row, was co-second choice at 7/2 with Sunshine Beach. Foiled needed this one,
but was denied by paternal brother Evenin
Of Pleasure, a four-year-old preferred pacer, on his best days, who never
left the rail and paid $164.30 for the win in reign to Sylvain Filion. Foiled
would endure seven more losses before finally winning a Quillen elimination.
On June 21 Domethatagain, a five-year-old Bettor’s
Delight pacer trained by the horse whisperer, Rene Allard, upset Captaintreacherous
and Foiled in a Franklin elimination. The Captain was making his second start
after having won the Maturity at the Meadowlands. Simon Allard carried the 3/5
favorite, Captain T, to the 3/8 and pocketed to that one the rest of the way.
He beat Tetrick’s star pacer a head at 29/1 and paid $60.20. This was a
harbinger of things to come in a stress filled four-year-old campaign for
Captaintreacherous.
Sylvain
Filion was behind the wheel for several high-end upsets in 2014: D’Orsay,
Evenin of Pleasure and a couple with Intimidate.
The latter came off cover and ran down 1/5 favorite Sebastian K on a nasty
night at Mohawk in the Maple Leaf Trot. The five-year-old Justice Hall gelding
paid $96.50 for the 1:54.2 win. He also knocked off Sebastian, the even money
favorite, in the TVG more than four months later, paying $30.00. This time
Scott Zeron drove. That secured the two highest purses for aged trotters in NA
for the lightly raced Intimidate.
On August 30
at Mohawk Modern Legend, the only
horse in the David Drew stable, came off cover and won the Canadian Pacing
Derby in 1:47.2 for David Miller. The richest son of Modern Art, who paid
$135.70, set a stakes record and tied the track and Canadian records in
overcoming a potent quartet from the Burke stable. The seemingly invincible
Sweet Lou, who was the 1/5 favorite, faded at the end and failed to make the
board. This race signaled a sea change for Lou, who lost his next four starts
before finishing on a high note with a win in the TVG.
On October 5
the legend, Sebastian K, suffered his third loss of the year in the Allerage at
The Red Mile. Trace Tetrick hustled Creatine
out of the 8 post at the start, allowed his trotter to be covered up, and
ultimately erased a five length lead held by Sebastian through the stretch to
win in 1:51.2 and pay $64.80. Like Intimidate, the winner of last year’s
Kentucky Futurity has some experience winning the big one. He had finished
second to Natural Herbie in the Chip Noble the previous week.
Speaking of Natural Herbie, Verlin Yoder’s
four-year-old Here Comes Herbie trotter, who had won the Vincennes at the
Meadowlands in early August at a surprisingly stingy 4/1, beat Commander Crowe
and Sebastian in the 1 ¼ mile International Trot Preview Invitational at
Yonkers. Herbie paid $21.60 from the seven post. Commander Crowe was second,
while Sebastian broke early and was no factor.
In late
October 1/5 superstar Mission Brief broke at the start of the Goldsmith Maid.
So did Jolene, Gatka Hanover and Danielle Hall. The Explosive Matter filly, Smexi, who finished fourth in her
elimination at 27/1 for trainer Jimmy Takter, rode a pocket trip to victory for
Corey Callahan, paying $159.30.
This falls
outside the high-end nature of the above examples, but on October 30 at
Monticello the trotter Edgar beat NW
210 at 146/1 for Jimmy Marohn Jr, paying $294.50.
Joe
FitzGerald
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