American Courage, who started his career seven-for-seven before an out-of-character seventh-place finish in the New York Sire Stakes final last September, began his three-year-old campaign in style with an authoritative 1:52 victory in one of four W.N. Reynolds Memorial divisions for sophomore pacers of both sexes that took place on Friday night at Yonkers Raceway.
Driven by Matt Kakaley in the $23,750 event, American Courage gunned out from post six and was able to clear 1-5 choice Ill Drink To That (Dexter Dunn) before the :27.1 opening quarter. American Courage remained the boss through the :56.1 half and the 1:24.3 three-quarters, then paced home in :27.2 to defeat Ill Drink To That by a length and three-quarters. Shakespeare (Todd McCarthy) followed along in third throughout and ended up finishing in that spot.
The 11-race card at Freehold Raceway on Friday (April 23) features both the stars of yesterday and of today. The program includes a prep for the Lady Suffolk, as well as a stacked renewal of the Preferred Handicap Trot.
The Lady Suffolk Prep drew a field of six three-year-old trotting fillies, and is scheduled as the third race on the card, with a post time of about 1:10 p.m. (EDT). Ron Burke sends out a pair in here including Hot As Hill, the winner of two legs of the Kindergarten series last fall at the Meadowlands. She qualified at Freehold last week, trotting the mile in 1:59.1. Her uncoupled stablemate, The Queen B, finished third last week in a conditioned trot at Freehold, and was sixth in the Kindergarten final last year.
The 12-year-old trotting veteran Meladys Monet is no stranger to winning. He won for the 73rd time in his long career on Friday (April 16), taking the Preferred Handicap Trot at Freehold Raceway by a length.
Off two consecutive wins in upper-level conditioned company at Yonkers Raceway along with two wins in the Preferred Handicap at Freehold earlier this year, Meladys Monet went off as the 1-5 favourite from post position eight. Driver Eric Abbatiello was patient early on, dropping the favourite into fifth position nearing the opening quarter.
As they headed to the half-mile point, Abbatiello moved Meladys Monet to the outside and began the first-over grind after the leader, Winneress. Winneress held the lead as they rounded the final turn, but in the last sixteenth, Meladys Monet wore him down. He crossed the finish line a length in front, stopping the clock in 1:58.
Meladys Monet is getting up in age but remains young at heart. The 12-year-old male trotter has three wins and a second in four starts this season and will look for career victory No. 71 when he visits The Meadowlands for Saturday’s $22,500 conditioned trot.
“He’s doing really good,” trainer Hermann Heitmann said. “Nothing has changed with him (over the years). He is still acting like a young horse, actually. He likes to play around in the paddocks, he enjoys his lunch, he doesn’t look like he wants to slow down yet.
“He just likes to race.”
Meladys Monet is a son of Revenue S out of Keystone Melady. He was bred by Ester Balenzano and her husband Luca, who passed away last year. Ester remains the horse’s owner under the Melady Enterprises banner.
Obrigado has been perfect so far in 2021, with two wins in Freehold Raceway s Preferred Handicap Trot. He will try to make it three in a row on Friday (Jan. 29), and is once again likely to be a big favourite.
Co-owned and trained by Paul Kelley, Obrigado is one of the classiest trotters on the east coast, having won 55 times in his career including numerous major stakes wins and boasting earnings of almost $2 million. So far in his 11-year-old season, he has won two Freehold Preferred Handicaps while leading at every point of call. He will try to do it again from post position eight with Dan Dubé listed to drive.