Weekend
Transcription
Weekend
Weekend FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2016 DRF HARNESS HOME DRF BETS Featured Tracks Meadowlands (FRI) Analysis PPs Mohawk (FRI) Analysis PPs Hawthorne (SAT) Analysis PPs Meadowlands (SAT) Analysis PPs Mohawk (SAT) Analysis PPs Yonkers (SAT) Analysis PPs Get Analysis FREE PPS Top Stories, Links & What’s Inside Harris has Hambletonian aspirations with Waitlifter K READ MORE Alagna sends out power combo in Hambo Oaks Elims READ MORE Southwind Frank makes final prep for Hambletonian READ MORE Watch the Hambo Oaks elims LIVE + video analysis READ MORE Alagna, Burke hold the cards in $400K Adios Final, Page 3 Summing up a 40-year career in Harness Racing, Page 4 Takter trio ready for Hambo Oaks eliminations, Page 5 For Advertising contact: Derick Giwner Email [email protected] HARNESS PPS DIGITAL HARNESS EYE ENTRIES DRF HARNESS LIVE industry view The greatest of all time and other quick jabs By Keith Gisser Muhammad Ali earned the title “The Greatest,” even if he did assign it to himself. The late boxer won 56 of 61 bouts lifetime, an impressive record. The term greatest or Greatest of All Time (GOAT) gets thrown around a lot these days. Lately the term has been applied by many pundits and observers to free-for-all pacer Always B Miki. While Miki has been very good, I am not sure his record qualifies him as great. Miki has six wins in eight starts this year and is 19 for 43 in the win column lifetime. The fact that Miki missed an entire year of racing may weigh in his favor, just as we ask about the affect of Ali’s missed time in prison or Bob Feller’s four year absence while serving in the military (Feller debuted at 17 but missed four years in his early twenties, after pitching a no-hitter at 21 and making the All Star team from ages 19-22, before enlisting). Feller was perhaps great, but still not the GOAT. Most of the elements of greatness are there when discussing Miki. There must be dominance. No argument from me; at least for the past couple of months. There must be a noted foe or foes. Ali had Frazier; Affirmed had Alydar, but wasn’t the GOAT; Miki has Wiggle It Jiggleit and Freaky Feet Pete. Finally, there must be time or tenure. That is where I am reluctant to call Miki great. He has always been pretty good. No, very good, at least from his 3-year-old campaign on. If we eliminate a lackluster freshman campaign, Miki is at 31 wins and nine losses. But he needs to sustain that performance for an entire season or longer to be named in the Nikki Sherman Always B Miki will take aim at the all-time speed record on Hambletonian Day. same breath as Bret Hanover (62 of 68 lifetime with 24 wins in his best season) or Niatross (37 of 39 lifetime). Miki has raced longer than both. But the other two each had undefeated seasons. He has not been dominant for as long as those two. Miki has yet to lose to his main competition this year. His losses have come to Rockeyed Optimist and Mel Mara. Good horses, yes. But great ones should not lose to these. There is a lot of racing left and I would be happy to print a retraction at the end of the season. What would be better for the sport? Always B Miki dominating the ranks, with Wiggle It Jiggleit reduced to being Miki’s Alydar, or having the pair (and even Pete) start splitting the wins week in and week out? I am not sure there is an answer. Which do we need more, a Super-Horse or a several good ones, battling week in, week out, for supremacy? CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 $100 $100 SIGN-UP BONUS + 3% cashback on all harness exotics OF FREE BETS LEARN MORE! © 2016 Daily Racing Form, LLC - 708 3rd Ave, 12th Floor, NY, NY 10017 Family fun! Carnival rides & games, face painters and pony rides. Giveaways: Commemorative Hambo baseball cap for adults and a horse barn coin bank for kids! *with paid admission, while supply lasts Harness racing’s greatest day! Gates open 10 a.m. First Race 12 Noon, featuring an $8 MILLION handle including the $1.2 MILLION HAMBLETONIAN! 91 Hambo trophy presentation by Nascar Sprint Cup Driver Martin Truex, Jr. S AT U R D AY, AUGUST 6 $5 ADMISSION $850 Hambo Hat Contest Sign up at in the lobby 10am-1pm Live music in the Backyard from The Nerds 12 PM - 4 PM LIVE BROADCAST of the Hambletonian Final 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. EDT #Hambo16 Sponsored by Keith Gisser: Random thoughts that are on my mind CONTINUED from page 1 An open plea in Ohio Dear Northfield Park Management and Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association – Stop acting like petulant children. Earlier this month, the OHHA sued Northfield, but Northfield won’t budge on its plans to close the backstretch on August 1. So the OHHA retaliated by pulling simulcast approval as of August 3. I get it, but as a patron who has pushed thousands of dollars through the windows each year for the past 20-plus, supporting horsemen and management salaries, I no longer care who is right or wrong. Previously, I wrote, “I have no idea who is eventually going to win this battle. Actually, yes I do. Nobody. No matter what the outcome, even a legitimate negotiated settlement after 16 months or so, the animosity will remain. Northfield looks petty and cheap. The horsemen look greedy.” I left out one group, the patrons. We also lose. Fix it. Please! [EDITOR’S NOTE: An Ohio Judge ruled this week that there will be a three month cooling off period between Northfield and the OHHA. The Judge strongly suggested that the two entities fix this problem.] Quick thought on Gural/Faraldo Speaking of petulant children, is the Jeff and Joe show just beginning to wear a bit thin? Maybe Vince McMahon can sign the two of them to a one-time only pay-per-view bout, with proceeds going to a worthy harness charity. I would suggest the Harness Horse Youth Foundation, but that opinion may be slightly biased. Maybe the Standardbred Retirement Fund or New Vocations would be a good charity choice. I am not picky. Great food coming to Tioga I was at Vernon and Tioga last weekend as part of my summer Handicapping Herpetologist tour. The construction at Tioga is amazing, although it is now harder to see and access the racetrack from the main entrance. But that is a small price to pay for Virgil’s Barbecue, one of my go-to New York City destinations. Granted, I am not in NYC often, but I love the food and the atmosphere. If they can duplicate that experience at Tioga, I will put up with a few extra twists and turns to get to the grandstand. And hasn’t somebody been saying for years that racetracks need to brand their restaurants like this to draw more people? Who was that guy? Good job Tioga Downs. Have reptiles, will travel This weekend I am off to Running Aces in Minnesota for my reptile road show. It is always a fun trip. Running Aces is a great little racetrack and has amazingly dedicated horsemen basically working on an island of harness racing. The reptiles will be there, I will be doing a couple of on-camera handicapping segments and I hope to see you. I plan to cash a few tickets. Hopefully you will, too. See you next month. Alagna, Burke hold the cards in 2016 Adios Final at The Meadows By Derick Giwner Nine of the best 3-year-old pacers in the sport will line up behind the gate on Saturday afternoon for the 50th Delvin Miller Adios Final at The Meadows. To say that the odds favor a victory by a Ron Burke or Tony Alagna trained horse would be an understatement. Burke, far and away the leading trainer in the sport in terms of wins with 466 this year, will send out five hopefuls chasing the $400,000 purse. While there is strength in numbers, Alagna seems to have the advantage over Burke, as his pair is led by 8-5 morning line favorite Racing Hill. With North America Cup winner Betting Line remaining in Canada and Meadowlands Pace champion Control The Moment sitting on the sidelines, Racing Hill has a prime opportunity to add the Adios trophy to his Max Hempt prize earned on July 2 at the Downs at Pocono. With $636,702 earned, the Alagna-trained colt sits atop the leaderboard for all sophomores regardless of gait. Racing Hill comes into the Adios final off a convincing 1:49 1/5 elimination victory over The Meadows’ five-eighths oval last Saturday. While the margin of victory was less than one length, driver Brett Miller appeared to be very confident while holding runner-up Check Six at bay on that day and the son of Blue Chip Farms’ Roll With Joe seems to be ready to roll this week as well. “He’s had a great week so far,” Alagna said. “He came out of the race good and shipped home good. He was fresh on Sunday and I jogged him (Tuesday) morning and he was very good, so we’ll see what happens. We took the four post in the final. It’s very good.” Nikki Sherman Racing Hill is the 8-5 morning line favorite in Saturday’s Adios Final. Alagna also sends out American Passport in the Adios from post six with Scott Zeron. Prone to mistakes and erratic behavior, the son of American Ideal was at it again in his elimination when he put in a few steps on the final turn. Fortunately, he was able to recover to finish fourth to make the final. Despite sending out more than half of the field, Ron Burke has his work cut out for him if he is to win the featured race at his home track. Elimination winner Manhattan Beach would appear to provide him the best opportunity, though he did pace more than a second slower (1:50 2/5) in victory than Racing Hill last week. Manhattan Beach will start from post three with Matt Kakaley in the bike. Check Six is another from the Burke handful with the ability to step up. While he couldn’t get to Racing Hill last week, he does own five wins in 10 starts this year and earnings just shy of $470,000. Yannick Gingras will drive the Somebeachsomewhere-sired colt from post six. Burke also has starters from post one (More Dragon), post eight (Fernando Hanover) and post nine (Big Top Hanover). “We’ve got enough shots,” Burke said with a laugh. “Racing Hill is tough. We’ve got to put him in a spot where he’s not on the inside just getting his own fractions. But he’s a very good horse and it’s going to be hard to do that probably.” Rounding out the field for the Adios are Another Daily Copy (post two) and Lyons Snyder (post seven). The Meadows will offer a 17-race program commencing at noon with the featured Adios slated as race 12. The track will also offer a filly companion race, the $110,950 Adioo Volo, for 3-yearold pacers. Dismissal puts her seven-race winning streak on the line as she faces Open foes for the first time in her career. Brett Miller will drive the Michael Hall trainee from post six in the ninth race undercard topper. Summing up a 40-year career in Harness Racing PANDYCAPPING By Bob Pandolfo It was at Yonkers Raceway where I first heard track announcer Max Brewer say, “The Marshall calls the pacers.” Brewer’s voice, style, and cadence gave the expression of reverence. I loved it. I had made my bet. The tickets were clenched in my hand. The horses were on the track. When the Marshall calls the pacers, the race is about to start! I can remember the adrenaline rush I felt. This is my last column. I’m not hanging up the pen, per se. I’m still going to write and publish books. My next book, Power Pace Handicapping, a thoroughbred handicapping book, will be out in a few weeks. I’m also working on a new harness handicapping book. And, I’m planning some video handicapping segments. But I’ve written over a thousand columns in the last 40 years, for DRF Harness, American Turf Monthly, The Racing Times, Racing Action, and other publications. I used to relish deadlines. Now, not so much. To put myself in the right frame of mind for this final column, I settled back into a recliner and closed my eyes. I drifted back in time, back to when I was a teenager. I could smell the ink on the Doc Robbin’s Tomorrow’s Trots (past performance program), ubiquitously tucked in my pocket. There’s something about being young and impressionable. My love affair with harness racing started in 1972. I went to Roosevelt and saw Albatross. A few weeks later I was there for the International Trot, which to this day is still my favorite race. The great French mare Une de Mai, who won the International twice, finished second, but her courageous effort gave me goose bumps. Little did I know, at the time, that some years later I’d be on television covering the International Trot live for Yonkers Raceway. I remember the crowds. We often talk about how we can get young people interested in horse racing. Well, having a packed grandstand helps. It was exciting. One way or another, you have to get people out to the track. Handicapping is a great puzzle, and it comes with a prize. I loved it then, and still do. I start handicapping at 6 a.m. most days. Coffee and past performances, that’s the way I like to start the day. Early on, I kept it simple. Herve Filion was the leading driver. I noticed that many people who were ripping up their tickets were saying, “Herve beat me again!” I figured since I was still learning how to handicap, I’d make most of my bets on Herve. One night he had six drives. I bet them all in a series of three horse round robin win parlays. Herve won five and lost his last drive by a nose. You don’t forget those nights. One night at Roosevelt, I was standing near the finish line watching the race and Herve’s horse lost its action, went into a wild break and started to fall. Herve was thrust out of the seat and ended up lying on his stomach. I saw the horse’s nose come within an inch of the ground. But Herve tugged hard on the reins and yanked the horse’s head up. The horse regained its balance, and Herve, his feet dragging on the track, pulled him up. That was the magic of Herve Filion. Once I started working for Sports Eye in 1976, I got to hang around with a bunch of young guys who were just like me, harness racing aficionados. It was great. I covered the 1991 Meadowlands Pace for The Racing Times. Two-year-old champion Artsplace was the favorite in a stellar field that included Die Laughing and Precious Bunny. Artsplace lost to Precious Bunny in the final. But Artsplace fulfilled his massive potential as a 4-year-old. In 1992, Artsplace had one of the greatest years in the sport’s history when he won all 16 of his starts including the Breeders Crown. In 1984, Nihilator, with Bill Haughton in the bike, made three moves to the lead winning a baby race at the Meadowlands. It was his third lifetime start. Back then, they brought them along more slowly. The time wasn’t blazing, but the way Nihilator moved, I just felt that he was something special. In my Sports Eye column I wrote, “This may be the next superhorse.” They used the quote in an ad. Some favorite moments by great horses: Shady Daisy’s wicked backstretch brush winning a stakes race at the Meadowlands… Sonsam’s monster three wide final turn blitz winning the Meadowlands Pace at the Meadowlands…Bonefish’s courageous four heat Hambletonian win in 1975…Niatross winning the Meadowlands Pace in front of a packed house…Peace Corps’ last to first three wide sweep winning the International Trot at Yonkers…Cam Fella’s 28 race win streak…Art Official’s stunning upset over Somebeachsomewhere (I picked the exacta cold for this publication)…The great mares Silk Stockings and Tarport Hap in their classic battles. It’s not always about the great horses, though. There were plenty of regular raceway horses that were worth writing about. The greatest claim may have been Fight The Foe. Claimed for $10,000, Fight The Foe climbed the class ladder and became one of the top pacers in the sport. In 1979, he won the Cardigan Bay Pace at Roosevelt Raceway, defeating a quality field that included Rambling Willie, Newt Lobell, Nickylou, Seedling Herbert, Mostest Yankee, Wizard Almahurst and Sirota Anderson. Another cool raceway horse was from Down Under, Payoff N. Trained by Alan Alkes and driven by Bob Vitrano, Payoff N was a big chestnut horse who was popular with racing fans in New York. Prior to the races he’d warm up with his head bent down. Once the gate opened, Payoff N left and opened up a huge lead, sometimes in excess of 15 lengths while setting a fast pace. Then at the wire he was life and death to hold on. But he won 49 races in his career and he was fun to watch. Another personal favorite was Momentous, who wasn’t a top class horse but he had a lot of fans. Fellow harness writer Doug Kaplan and I decided to team up and do an interview with trainer Bob Rahner. When we got to the barn at Roosevelt, Momentous was standing outside his stall. Rahner came rushing up to us with his hands out. “Don’t get too close to him! He bites, kicks, you name it. He’ll hurt you.” Momentous put that mean streak to good use on the racetrack. He would often be assigned post 8 in handicap races. He wasn’t quick out of the gate and didn’t have a fast brush, so Rahner would leave with him and let him grind. Momentous would race parked-the-mile without cover and he won a lot of races the hard way. Author Carol Ann Vercz wrote a book about Momentous, “Momentous: An Unbridled Spirit,” which is out of print. Momentous was so popular that Yonkers threw him a retirement party on New Years Eve, 1981. Some of the most exciting moments of my career were when I did live events, such as television and handicapping seminars. I did several “Racing From Roosevelt” shows with Stan Bergstein, Spencer Ross, and John Dockery. And of course, there was the Meadowlands recap show and handicapping analysis for a popular Yonkers Raceway cable show with Gary Sussman. On one of those shows, I covered the International Trot, won by Reve d’ Udon. I interviewed The Voice of Roosevelt Raceway, Jack E. Lee, one of the all-time great race callers. He loved the column so much that for the rest of his career he had it hanging on the wall in his announcer’s booth. Probably the most popular column I ever wrote was an interview with “The Red Man,” Carmine Abbatiello. We ran teasers in Sports Eye for weeks, “Why do horses go faster with Carmine? Find out when Pandy interviews The Redman.” The Sunday edition sold 40,000 copies, best of the year. Abbatiello gave out some trade secrets. For instance, he explained how he used the whip to tease the horse and keep it alert. “I tap the horse at the base of the tail, not hard, nice and easy, just to let it know I’m here, keep it alert,” Abbatiello said, before showing me how he held the whip and moved his hand. “Tap, tap, tap…tap, tap, tap…tap, tap, tap…and then when I’m ready to make my move, I shout and shake the reins, and the horse takes off.” I could go on and on. But, you can’t put 40 years into one column. It’s been fun. I know some of you have been reading my columns for a long time. Thank you! It’s a wrap. I hear the announcement, “The Marshall calls the pacers.” It is time for the next race of my career. Takter trio on target for Hambletonian Oaks eliminations By Jay Bergman Some trainers are so good they make it look easy. But make no mistake, nothing is ever as easy as it looks, especially training high level trotters. Jimmy Takter has made it look easy. As the premier trotting trainer of this generation he’s carefully brought horses to their peak performance and has somehow managed to time it just right to coincide with the first Saturday in August. Though in 2016 and just a week away from the big event, Takter doesn’t appear to be holding all of the cards. He’ll send out three from his large assemblage of sophomore filly trotters in two $50,000 eliminations for the Hambletonian Oaks Saturday at The Meadowlands. “I’m happy with all three,” said Takter, taking the politically correct path. A trainer on his level deals with multiple partnerships, but at the same time he has managed to keep a level head and a solid stable with similar talent. Unica Steed is a relatively new example of a Hambletonian Oaks contender in that the daughter of Muscles Yankee was racing in Italy before arriving on these shores early this season. “It was a little difficult for her to acclimate,” said Takter. “She was trotting miles in 2:01 in Italy and now she had to go in 1:53.” The transition was a bit slower than Takter would have expected, but Unica Steed finally put it together when surprising Womans Will on the wire with a 1:54 2/5 dead-heat victory in a division of the Del Miller on July 16. Unica Steed drew post two in the first of the two Hambletonian Oaks divisions and will once again have Tim Tetrick in the bike in the field of ten. Unlike Unica Steed, All The Time, one of two Takter-trained fillies in the seventh race and second Oaks division, is home grown. A sparkling 2-year-old season made her one of Nikki Sherman Unica Steed will try to make her second U.S. winner’s circle appearance on Saturday at The Meadowlands. the top rated fillies in North America heading into 2016, but All The Time has been less than perfect. “She’s been dealing with some back issues,” said Takter, quite aware that the beautifully bred daughter of Muscle Hill is still as consistent as she was winning seven of 12 starts as a freshman, but has lacked the killer instinct others have expected. Most recently All The Time finished second to Broadway Donna in a division of the Miller but the trainer praised the perfor- mance nonetheless. “I don’t think it was a great drive,” Takter said critically. “She’s more of a hunter.” Though driver Yannick Gingras did take All The Time to the front, the fractions were not very taxing. Despite the second-place finish, both Takter and Gingras appear to be on the same page with the pilot in charge once again from post five on Saturday. The Pennsylvania-bred Miss Tezsla has been notably flying below the radar but Takter believes she earned a spot in the Oaks. “She came a faster last quarter than any of them,” Takter said referring to the 27 flat last panel Miss Tezsla showed in the Miller two weeks earlier. With one win in her six seasonal starts it would be easy to discount the daughter of Andover Hall from post seven, but here’s where Takter’s experience and knowledge comes in. Miss Tezsla’s dam, Filly At Bigs, was campaigned by Takter during her racing career and in 2003 the Donerail-sired filly finished third behind stablemate Southwind Allaire in the Hambletonian Oaks. She too was a bit of a closer. Perhaps it’s that connection that has Takter excited about his chances on Saturday night. The trainer is not short of talent in the 3-year-old colt and gelding division and with entries due on Monday he was still on the fence about just how many from his stable would enter the $1 million Hambletonian on August 6. “I’m going to train them on Saturday and make a decision by Monday,” said Takter in regard to his expected presence in the sport’s top event. “I definitely think I’ll have at least three,” Takter said. Meadowlands 13-race program on Saturday has a first post of 7:15 p.m. and also features likely Hambletonian favorite Southwind Frank. Also driven by Gingras, he will start from post 11 in the second tier in the fifth race $53,488 Reynolds Memorial. Harness Racing loses Berkner, Marsh George W. Berkner universally known as “B” throughout the harness world and the world in general, succumbed to the ravages of pancreatic cancer following a gallant battle. “B” was 74. A long-time trainer/driver, Berkner is best known for steering the fabled BG’s Bunny to a then track record 1:54 in the inaugural Meadowlands Pace first heat back in 1977. Although Escort won the second heat as BGs Bunny was unable to return, coming up sore following his effort, it was “Bunny” that won the hearts that night. More recently, Berkner trained and partially owned New Jersey Classic winner BG’s Folly p,3,1:49 1/5 (Rocknroll HanoverArt Amour) and put together the ownership group behind that one’s sensational full brother Rockeyed Optimist p,5,1:48. Berkner is survived by his beloved wife Ginny Whipple, who was at his side throughout. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any donations be made to the Alan Kirschenbaum Heading for Home Horse Retraining and Adoption Center at 683 Lake Avenue, Saratoga, NY 12866 It should be noted, that “Kirsh” got his start as a caretaker and then was second trainer for Berkner. Arrangements will be announced shortly. --Bob Marks Joe Marsh Jr., 82, one of the top drivers from the “glory days” of harness racing, died peacefully on July 27, 2016, after a long illness. Born on June 20, 1934, at Cadiz, Ohio, Mr. Marsh followed in the footsteps of his father, beginning as a groom in 1952, and entering the driving ranks in 1959, when he batted .316 against all other North American drivers, placing him 12th in the nation. He soon became one of the leading drivers on the continent, competing at Roosevelt, Yonkers, Liberty Bell, Washington Park, Hazel Park, Wolverine, The Meadows, Sportsman’s Park, Maywood, Aurora Downs and Hollywood Park. Mr. Marsh and his son Ron share membership in the “5,000 win club” as the only fatherson driving team in harness racing history to achieve that elite status. Mr. Marsh drove 5,882 winners to the tune of $36,401,271, and also had the longest streak (35 years) of driving at least 100 winners per season, from 1960 through 1994. From 19781992 he also had consecutive $1 million-plus seasons. Mr. Marsh also held the distinction of being the first American driver to win the World Driving Championship in 1974. He also represented the U.S. in 1973, 1975 and 1987, and over the years won driving titles in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan. In fact, he won nine consecutive driving titles at all Chicago area racetracks from 1971 through 1973, and as a result of that was voted 1973 Horseman of the Year by Harness Horsemen International. Besides steering racehorses in Califor- The joy of watching Wiggle It Jiggleit By Derick Giwner Joe Marsh Jr lived 82 years. USTA Photo nia, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, he drove in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. In 1972 and 1973 Mr. Marsh finished second to Herve Filion in North American dash wins, and was also voted Chicago Driver of the Year in 1972. Mr. Marsh captured numerous stakes races, and trained and/or drove some of the top horses in the country in some of harness racing’s major events for five decades. He won seven American-National events and finished third in the Little Brown Jug once. Some of his top horses included Careless Time, Tarport Hap, Sir Dalrae, Follow That Star, Rambling Willie, Jiffy Boy and Pacific Dream. “Joe was a very good friend of mine and was at the very top of the list of great drivers,” said USTA President Phil Langley. “Were he in his prime today, he’d rank right up there with Yannick, Brian, Tim, Dave and other top drivers. “I had the good fortune to go to Europe with him in the World Driving Championship and also to see him race a good part of his career in Chicago. He drove and trained a lot of very good horses including the excellent mare Glad Rags.” Mr. Marsh was preceded in death by his wife, Marge; and is survived by his sisters, Donna Dusseau and Patricia Snide; sons, Ronnie, Ed (Maureen), Robert (Niki) and Dan; daughter, Susie (Jay) Litchfield; grandchildren, Deadra, Brad, Ryan, Tara, Chris, Frankie, Eric and Adam; and great-grandchildren, Brooke, Brandon, Mackenzie, Eddie, Logan and Cadence. --USTA Communications It seems the moments when we get an excited crowd in harness racing are few and far between. From the moment Wiggle It Jiggleit came on the track for Saturday’s $260,000 Joe Gerrity Jr Memorial at Saratoga Hotel Casino, there was electricity in the air. The large crowd was anticipating a big effort and they got it. Despite getting parked three wide and taking a big portion of the first half of the race to secure the lead, Wiggle It Jiggleit came up with a huge mile to win in 1:51 without much trouble in the stretch. Said George Teague Jr on the moment as the crowd cheered WIJI home through the stretch, “We don’t get it very often. Sometimes you look at the grandstands and it is pretty bare. When you see this here and you get to be a part of it, it is definitely a great feeling.” We agree. It was great to be at Saratoga on July 23. Kudos to the crowd for showing apprecation and to the connections for making the horse available. Tune in each Saturday evening to: Real-Time Insights, Analysis and Betting Information Go to Harness Live!