Thebeachiscalling and Always B First took top billing in Wednesday s (May 19) Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for three-year-old pacing fillies at Harrah s Philadelphia with matching 1:50 miles, while Continualou won the remaining division.
Thebeachiscalling, who had earned $161,196 without winning in the first 10 starts of her career, built on a winning effort last week to take her $50,645 Sire Stakes event in a new mark for Bella Racing Ltd and trainer Chris Ryder. The daughter of Somebeachsomewhere led early before being overpowered by Grace Hill and favourite Blue Diamond Eyes past the :26.4 quarter. Blue Diamond Eyes carried on through fast :54.1 and 1:21.4 middle splits before Andy McCarthy angled outside to challenge on the far turn. Thebeachiscalling moved powerfully on the turn into contention and pushed to the lead in upper stretch. Mikala rallied for second, a neck behind, and Blue Diamond Eyes finished third.
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.
With many sire stakes programs yet to commence and little on the Grand Circuit schedule for three-year-old pacers during the month of May, Yonkers Raceway attracted four divisions of the W.N. Reynolds Series for sophomores on the pace.
Carded as races four through seven on the Friday 10-race program, the Reynolds are split evenly, with two races for fillies and a pair for colts and geldings.
There is no shortage of talent among the 30 entered, but the two splits for the boys came up especially deep. Perhaps at the top of the heap off 2020 performance is American Courage. The Travis Alexander trainee won seven of eight starts in his rookie year of racing and returns to the races off a strong second-place finish in a qualifier at The Downs at Pocono. He sat third in that mile, before moving into second on the final turn and sprinting home in :27.1.
Harness racing’s Grand Circuit rolls back into Yonkers Raceway on Friday night as the oval plays host to divisions of the W.N. Reynolds Memorial for three-year-old pacers. Colts and geldings will face off in a pair of splits, worth $23,250 and $23,750, in races four and seven, and the fillies will match up in two flights, with purses of $28,500 and $29,000, in races five and six.
Coalition Hanover (post six, Dexter Dunn/Chris Ryder) won a section of the Pennsylvania Stallion Series most recently at The Meadows in 1:51.3 and will look to keep sharp in the first Reynolds test for the boys. He’ll face off against the likes of last year’s New York Sire Stakes Excelsior A Series and Massachusetts Sire Stakes champion Mullinax (post four, Scott Zeron/Mark Ford), and Whichwaytothebeach (post three, Andrew McCarthy/Brett Pelling), who won a few stakes events as a rookie, including the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes consolation.
A star-studded group of Standardbreds qualifying at The Meadowlands on Saturday (April 17) was joined by Canada s reigning driver of the year, Bob McClure.
McClure told Dan Ralph of the Canadian Press that he was asked to drive stateside by Team Determination and trainer Luc Blais, and he ll be vaccinated for COVID-19 within five hours of entering the U.S.
“It wasn’t an option to just shut down because they have grand circuit horses that are going to compete with the American-breds all summer.and you can’t just let the American horses get a month head start,” said McClure. “They have to be race-ready and that takes racing.