Harness Racing This Week: Breeders Crown eliminations and Circle City, Harrah’s Hoosier Park, Anderson, Ind.; Kindergarten Series leg, The Meadowlands, East Rutherford, N.J.; and John Simpson Stakes, Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Schedule of events: Thursday will see three $25,000 eliminations for 2-year-old filly trotters and two $25,000 eliminations for 2-year-old male trotters;
Harness racing trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt put on another command performance in the John Simpson Sr. Memorial stakes races on Tuesday (Oct. 17) at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania. A day after winning with all three of his Simpson starters, Svanstedt swept all three $43,100 “Super Bowl” divisions for two-year old trotting colts and geldings. What’s
Ominous skies loomed over Hawthorne Race Course much of the day on Saturday (Oct. 14) evening but the rains cleared as the track was listed as good for Night of Champions. Twelve stakes finals were contested as the best in the state of Illinois lined up with nearly $1.2 million in purses on the line.
Rarely do rivalries live up to the hype in horse racing. Still, on Saturday, Oct. 14, the rivalry between Jugette winner Ucandoit Blue Chip and Jugette runner-up Zanatta more than lived up to the hype.
The rain certainly didn’t dampen the spirits of any of the Illinois Conceived and Foaled harness racing pacers and trotters who vied in 12 events totaling $1,175,000 on Saturday night, Oct. 14, known as “The Night of Champions.” Starter Adam Brownly got each race off to a near perfect start over a track surface listed as