Two $8,000 non-betting trotting divisions for amateur drivers were presented tonight at Yonkers Raceway prior to the betting card getting underway and when the judges posted the results Tony Verruso had reined the winner in the first split and Dave Offenberg won the second.
Verruso, who s enjoying his finest year in the sulky, went wire to wire for a 1:58.1 triumph with Exarch in the first split while Offenberg aped that journey behind Fiji for a 1:59.1 triumph in the other.
Both races were presented prior to the betting card getting underway
In his split Verruso sent Exarch immediately to the lead and they had two lengths on a parked-out Raceace(Alan Schwartz) when they trotted by the first quarter in :28.3. Still on the limb the order remained the same when the trotters passed the half in :58.4.
Machnhope, last seen winning the $232,800 Blue Chip Matchmaker at Yonkers Raceway on April 19, kept on rolling Friday night at The Meadowlands, taking the $30,000 featured Winners Over/Preferred Handicap for fillies and mares on the pace in wire-to-wire fashion despite going off as the fifth choice in the betting in the six-horse field.
“I wasn’t sure how to play it,” said winning driver Andy McCarthy after being asked what was his thought process given how the extremely windy conditions favoured speed all night long. “I didn’t have a plan. I saw some of the horses to my inside weren’t leaving, so I decided to step her off the gate.”
Faves Lower Marks At Philly | Standardbred Canada standardbredcanada.ca - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from standardbredcanada.ca Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The publicity department for the Grand Circuit has sent its weekly recap and preview of racing on the Grand Circuit.
This Week: Dexter Cup final and Lady Suffolk, Freehold Raceway, Freehold, N.J., and Graduate Series first leg, The Meadowlands, East Rutherford, N.J.
Schedule of events: The Grand Circuit at Freehold on Saturday (May 1) features the $115,583 Dexter Cup final for three-year-old open trotters and two $36,057 divisions in the Lady Suffolk for three-year-old filly trotters.
Also on Saturday, The Meadowlands has a pair of $50,000 first leg divisions in the Graduate Series for four-year-old open pacers.
Last Time: Rather than accept a bye and guarantee himself two Dexter Cup final starters, trainer Åke Svanstedt decided to let Incommunicado compete in Saturday’s (April 24) Dexter Cup elimination at Freehold Raceway. The gamble paid off, as Incommunicado cruised under the wire 2-3/4 lengths in front and established himself as one of the favourites for this week’s Dex
This Week: Dexter Cup elimination, Freehold Raceway, Freehold, N.J.
Schedule of events: The Grand Circuit at Freehold on Saturday (April 24) features a single $38,529 Dexter Cup elimination for three-year-old open trotters.
Ten horses entered the Dexter Cup on Wednesday. Two of them, Ambassador Hanover for trainer Åke Svanstedt, and Sunny Crockett, trained by Julie Miller, accepted byes and will advance to next week’s final. As a result, the top six finishers in the elimination will move on to the final.
Last Time: This Is The Plan was able to overcome starting from the outside post eight with a blitz off the gate and then never let anybody get close to him after that in winning Monday night’s (April 19) $514,000 MGM Borgata Pacing Series final at Yonkers Raceway in 1:50.4. This Is The Plan, driven by Yannick Gingras and one of three in the final sent out by trainer Ron Burke, was dispatched at odds of 11-1.