Joe Bongiorno says he's being punished by Gural for appealing NJRC ruling
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Joe Bongiorno says he’s being punished
by Gural for appealing NJRC ruling
The driver said his 20-day ban from racing at the Meadowlands, Tioga Downs and Vernon Downs
was handed down after he appealed the New Jersey Commission’s 20-day suspension and $5,000
fine for his drive in a race that ended in an accident that led to Incredible Shark being euthanized.
by Dave Briggs
Despite receiving a stay of a 20-day suspension and $5,000 fine
by the New Jersey Racing Commission (NJRC) while he waits for
his appeal to be heard, driver Joe Bongiorno has been handed a
20-day ban from racing at the three tracks owned by Jeff Gural
— The Meadowlands, Tioga and Vernon Downs.
The suspension began Friday (June 27).
“It’s been appealed at the Commission level and I was granted
a stay,” Bongiorno said Saturday evening. “In the hearing the
(NJRC) judges’ finding was that I did not cause the accident.
To me, this action was taken (by the Gural tracks) because I
placed an appeal. That’s a constitutional right to be able to
appeal a decision.
“I raced (at the Meadowlands) the three weekends prior to
this racetrack rule and if the case was that they believed I was
dangerous then I wouldn’t have been able to race those three
weekends prior. That would be my thinking.”
The NJRC initially ruled that while driving Pat Stanley N in the
7th race on May 29, 2021, Bongiorno failed to keep the lines
reasonably taut during the race.
“Mr. Bongiorno displayed exaggerated movement with the whip, horse Pat Stanley N stumbled and fell, unseating Mr. Bongirono
using more than wrist action and raising his whipping arm as well as two other drivers.”
to a level above shoulder height; Mr. Bongiorno continued to
use the whip to urge his horse after the horse was no longer In a press release, the Meadowlands, Tioga and Vernon said
responding,” the ruling said. “The culmination of these actions, its suspension of Bongiorno was “due to track management’s
each of which is a violation of N.J.A.C. 13:71-20.15, placed Mr. observation of Mr. Bongiorno’s driving over a lengthy period of
Bongiorno in a position of being unable to respond when the time. Most recently, in the 7th race on Saturday, May 29, 2021,
Mr. Bongiorno was driving the horse Pat Stanley N when that
Harness Racing Update | Page 1 | June 27, 2021
Harness Racing Update
In today's HRU
Show us the horses page 03
Goldie’s Legacy has shown flashes of brilliance heading into tonight’s
Hoosier Cup eliminations page 04
Face Time Bourbon ready for summer races page 11
Some questions, some answers page 15
horse fell while in contention in the very late stages of the race,
resulting in a three horse accident where one of the horses
(Incredible Shark) suffered a catastrophic injury (and was sub-
sequently euthanized). Fortunately, the other two horses and
all three drivers were able to walk away with minor injuries.
“Careful study of the accident from a number of angles supports
the opinion that Mr. Bongiorno has the style of driving the
horse with very loose lines, and the belief that he was not in
a position to react quickly enough to support the horse when
he began to fall.”
Bongiorno repeatedly emphasized that judges said he did not
cause the accident.
Dave Landry “Obviously, it’s a horrible situation that the horse fell, but that’s
Driver Joe Bongiorno said NJRC judges said he did not cause the risk that comes with going on the racetrack. It’s not the first
the accident that was a focus of his suspension. time a horse fell,” he said.
Harness Racing Update | Page 2 | June 27, 2021
Harness Racing Update
“I’ve driven this way all my life. Nothing has changed… and I The exclusion from the Gural tracks will end on Wednesday,
was never called dangerous prior to this ever… Since the new July 14, 2021, and Bongiorno can be listed as the driver for the
whipping rule (in New Jersey), which has probably been in place draw for races scheduled for July 16 and 17.
for six, eight months, I have not been fined with that whipping - with files from the NJRC and Meadowlands media relations
rule and they haven’t said a word about my style since the new
whipping rule has been intact.”
In the press release, Gural was quoted as saying, “Our concern for
the safety of our drivers, including Joe, and the horses is paramount.
It is our hope that Joe will learn from this near tragedy as he is a
terrific up and coming young driver who should have a good future.”
Over in harness racing, many of you no doubt make wagers on
how a horse looks; how he or she moves scoring down, or even
walks in the infield, because you know horses. It’s a learned
skill, mastered with a mind’s eye, something a computer doesn’t
have. It’s one way of getting a leg up on the computer teams.
How does the sport facilitate this? I believe by broadcasting
the horses in as many ways as possible.
The post parade is important, but so is everything that happens
directly after the post parade. Following each and every horse
before the word go should be a staple of every harness simul-
cast. Particularly with the favorites.
A hot horse (one that the computer algos may be on) could be
a total pitch, keying a big score. A trotter breaking is similar.
Show us the horses Meanwhile, the straight and true square gaiter with a confident
driver scoring down is the Holy Grail.
Many of you no doubt make wagers on how Similar to this is the broadcast of qualifiers. It’s been a pleasant
surprise to see more and more qualifiers uploaded to a tracks’
a horse looks; how he or she moves scoring YouTube page, or in some cases (Woodbine and the Big M) shown
live. I can’t tell you how much this is appreciated by customers
down, or even walks in the infield, because you who are willing to do the work, especially as the 2-year-olds
know horses. It’s a learned skill, mastered with start up. We do not expect perfection – even Hoosier, for example,
uploading the entire day, not race by race is just fine.
a mind’s eye, something a computer doesn’t What else might be done to help the at-home, everyday player?
have. It’s one way of getting a leg up on the Why not (on big race days perhaps), broadcast the second
computer teams. warm-up trip. Warm-up miles generally happen in times of dead
air, or when the simulcast hosts are chatting about an upcoming
by Dean Towers race. Wouldn’t it be nice at this year’s Meadowlands Pace to see
Perfect Sting or Abuckabett Hanover go their second trips to
In today’s betting world, it’s important for everyday customers gauge how they look before multi-race wagers are sent?
to see what they’re wagering on You’ll notice that the above not only addresses the wagering public,
I was chatting with bettor Masaru Kanemoto on social media but horse owners and trainers who can’t make it to the track, too.
recently. He’s embarking on a very interesting project — tracking The harness racing betting environment has changed much
how thoroughbred racehorses look in the paddock and post over the last quarter century. People are betting from home, (or
parade. Masaru is observing pre-race behavior like “head up”, offsite) in vast amounts. Computer wagering is a staple of the
“swishing tale” and “fighting bit”, logging the results in a data- betting pools. In my view, it’s never more important to ensure the
base, and searching for trends. track is brought directly into living rooms in the most innovative
This type of qualitative handicapping is not new. But in today’s ways possible. The more reasons we give the public to watch
betting landscape it might be more important than ever. With and wager, the better chance they become regular customers.
computer teams, professional database bettors and other sharp
entities blasting the pools (using mainly computer-based speed
figures, power ratings and the like), there’s room for the ‘feel’
bettors. It’s pretty difficult to add these factors to an algorithm
in real time, so it is likely an edge.
Harness Racing Update | Page 3 | June 27, 2021
Harness Racing Update
Goldie’s Legacy has
shown flashes of
brilliance heading into
tonight’s Hoosier Cup
describes the charge as inexperienced.
eliminations “He’s just green and learning,” said Cullipher, who has part-
nered with Tom Pollack on the gelding. “Last year we didn’t try
The son of former Indiana Sires Stakes to make him flashy. We were hoping he would get it together
champion mare Ag-N-Au Bluegrass is coming before his 3-year-old year, but he didn’t. Obviously, we didn’t
give up on him.”
off a 1:49.2 victory in ISS competition.
In 10 freshman starts, Goldie’s Legacy hit the board three times,
by James Platz picking up a pair of victories. He competed in a trio of sires
stakes legs, but did not manage to garner the points necessary
Tonight, Harrah’s Hoosier Park will play host to eliminations to make the Super Final. Instead, he took his freshman mark
for the $75,000 Hoosier Cup, an event for Indiana-sired sopho- winning the $25,000 consolation, pacing in 1:53.1. Cullipher
more colt pacers. Trainer Jeff Cullipher will send out his hopeful, and Pollack purchased the pacer, bred by Dave M Yoder of Paris,
Goldie’s Legacy, in the first elimination on the program, carded Kentucky, for $35,000 at the Hoosier Classic sale. They did so due
as race 10. A son of former Indiana Sires Stakes (ISS) champion to their familiarity with Ag-N-Au Bluegrass and her offspring.
Ag-N-Au Bluegrass, the 3-year-old has shown flashes of bril-
As a racehorse, Ag-N-Au Bluegrass finished first or second in
liance lately. He is coming off a 1:49.2 victory in the second 23 of 27 starts over her 2- and 3-year-old campaigns. As a
round of ISS competition, but his conditioner and co-owner still
Dean Gillette
Goldie’s Legacy (Sam Widger) winning his Indiana Sires Stakes test on June 13 in a career best 1:49.2.
Harness Racing Update | Page 4 | June 27, 2021
Harness Racing Update
sophomore, she produced a 9-7-0 record in 19 starts, captur- did not return until the opening round of ISS, held June 21.
ing a $150,000 Indiana Sires Stakes final and racing second in Sent off at odds of 9-1 and guided by regular pilot Sam Widger,
another before being named divisional champion in the Hoosier the gelding won by two lengths in 1:50.2 after taking com-
State for 2009. Banking just over $232,000 that season, she was mand racing to the half. In his next start, Widger ducked the
recognized as Indiana Pacer of the Year for trainer John Merkel sophomore and Goldie’s Legacy experienced road trouble to
and owner Luel Overstreet. finish fifth. He bounced back June 13 to score a two-and-a-half
length victory in the second round of sires stakes, earning a
Prior to the arrival of Goldie’s Legacy, Ag-N-Au Bluegrass had new lifetime mark.
shown she could pass her speedy genes on to the next gener-
ation. Au D Lox Bluegrass, a Panspacificflight filly that Merkel “He still has no clue how fast he is. He doesn’t even know how
also raced for Overstreet, impressed enough that Pollack and to go fast yet,” said Cullipher, who currently ranks second in the
Cullipher purchased her in May of her four-year-old season. Au nation in wins (114) and purse earnings ($1.4 million). “I know
D Lox Bluegrass won seven times for the new owners, including he went in 49.2. Sam shut him down and said, ‘It’s unreal. I’m
a decisive four and three-quarter-length victory in the $70,000 just scared to turn him loose. He doesn’t know what to do.’ He
Indiana Sires Stakes final for older pacing mares, stopping the had always shown something.”
clock in 1:50. The mare would also set a Hoosier Park track Tonight, he’ll get another chance to gain valuable experience
record with a 1:49.2 performance that July. She was victorious in the Hoosier Cup, once Indiana’s richest harness race with
in 10 of 22 starts and collected $146,850 in purses in 2017, a an impressive list of former champions including Real Desire,
majority of the money earned for Pollack and Cullipher. Total Truth, Art Major, and his son, Art Official. Of the 22 soph-
“His sister turned into a really nice mare,” the trainer said. “She omore colts entered in the trifecta of $15,000 Hoosier Cup
was somewhat the same way. I didn’t have her at two or three, eliminations, 15 have winning times of 1:52 or faster. In the
but she got better with age.” division Goldie’s Legacy has drawn into, three other entrants
have recorded miles in under 1:51. Cullipher’s charge has drawn
Returning at 5, Au D Lox Bluegrass made 10 starts, registering the outside post in the field of seven. A top three finish will
two victories and close to $40,000 in earnings. In her last start, guarantee a spot in the final, slated for July 4.
June 9, 2018, the mare was nosed out at the wire in 1:49.4 in a
$20,000 fillies and mares preferred event at Harrah’s Hoosier “We’re just trying to race him and teach him, and he has been
Park. She never made it back to her stall. known to make a break. It goes back to the fact that he just
doesn’t know how to race,” added Cullipher. “But I think he’s
“She finished second and died pulling up on the backside. She figuring it out. I still think he’s going to be an even better
had an aneurysm,” he recalled. 4-year-old.”
In making their purchase at the Hoosier Classic, Cullipher and
Pollack hoped the son of Always A Virgin could repeat the
efforts of his accomplished sibling. This season, his potential
is beginning to translate into victories. Goldie’s Legacy reached
the winner’s circle in his third seasonal start in early April, but
Harness Racing Update | Page 5 | June 27, 2021
Harness Racing Update
Gangle relishes challenge
in move from Western Fair
to Wagga Wagga
The former Raceway Manager at The Raceway
“The growth at Western Fair is only going to take you so far and
at The Western Fair District spoke at length I felt like this was a big stepping stone to my career, because
about the grand opportunity to become the I’m going to be the CEO there,” he said. “It’s really going to ele-
vate me and I hope I can have an impact down there. I’m really
CEO of Wagga Wagga Harness Racing Club in looking forward to the challenge – the culture of how they race,
Australia. the distance racing, their style of racing, how they conduct their
business with the industry, the economy… a lot of it is different.
by Dave Briggs
“They’ve got the fixed odds wagering. They seem to be ahead,
Greg Gangle said moving from Canada to the other side of the I would say, of North America.
world to become CEO of Wagga Wagga Harness Racing Club in “I could give you a zillion examples and a great one is that if the
Australia is both a personal and professional challenge. first race is 3:05, scheduled on Sky Racing 1, if you’re delayed
The 34-year-old Ontario native has already landed in Australia, you’re going to get bumped to Sky Racing 2, so you have your
but before he left Canada he spoke at length about leaving allocated time and there’s no post time drag or anything like
behind his position as raceway manager of The Raceway at The that. That’s a great way to make sure everybody gets maximum
Western Fair District. exposure.”
Claus Andersen
Greg Gangle (right) prepares to interview trainer Peter Tritton at The Raceway at The Western Fair District. Gangle has left his
job as raceway manager to become the CEO of Wagga Wagga Harness Racing Club in Australia.
Harness Racing Update | Page 6 | June 27, 2021
Harness Racing Update
Wagga Wagga, Australia is an inland town with a population of
some 70,000 right in the middle of The Riverina agricultural
region in New South Wales.
Gangle said the track plays host to a single card of racing a
week, year round.
“There’s about six other tracks within close proximity as well. It’s
a major breeding hub. Yirribee Stud is down there and they’ve
got Lazarus and Warrawee Needy, so it’s a big breeding desti-
nation, which attracts me as well because I enjoy that.”
Gangle’s wife, Anna, is an Aussie native whose brother and sister
work at the country’s biggest harness track, Menangle Park near
Sydney, about four hours east of Wagga Wagga.
“Anna’s family, her brother and sister, are at Menangle Park and
Anna’s mom is in Victoria (about 500 kilometres west of Wagga
Wagga), so we’re right in the middle, four hours either way.”
Greg and Anna have two young daughters, Taylor and Shanelle
— ages 6 and 3 — that the couple think can benefit from the
experience living in another country.
But, mostly, Greg said the move is about personal and career
development.
Greg started working at The Raceway in 2016 as the assis- Claus Andersen
tant manager after several years working at the Woodbine Gangle in the jog cart.
Entertainment Group (WEG) for both the broadcast and com-
munications divisions. Prior to that, worked for Harold Howe at this is the other side of the world. So, we had to factor in many
the Harness Edge magazine. different things.
“I want to keep growing. I’m 34 and I’m young enough to do it. “I just didn’t want to look back and say, ‘Why didn’t we do this
My kids are young enough where I can move them to the other or that.?’ Just take the plunge. If it was 10 years later, it probably
side of the world. Anna and I have talked about it the last couple wouldn’t have happened. My oldest daughter would’ve been 16
of years about making a change. I just didn’t want to look back at that time, but she’s six now.
in five years and say, ‘Coulda, woulda, shoulda.’” “Also, they don’t know what a snow shovel is or snow tires,” Greg
Greg said he and Anna will keep and rent out their house in Port said. “Imagine that?”
Stanley, ON in case they don’t like their Australian adventure
and want to move back to Canada.
He is also planning to keep his three broodmares and partial
ownership of Ontario-based stallion Sunfire Blue Chip that he
shares with Eric Cherry’s Let It Ride Stables. Sunfire Blue Chip
stands at Mac Lilley Farms.
“So, I’m still invested (in Ontario),” Greg said, “but it’s very difficult
to make a living racing at the smaller tracks and that needs to
be increased.”
Greg said he’s visited Australia a few times, but has never been
to Wagga Wagga specifically.
“I’m not going in blind,” he said. “I know what I’m getting myself
into and what the housing is like. I know what the economy is
like and I know what taxes are like. It will be an adjustment.
I’m fortunate enough to have my immigration in order and my
partner visa with Anna, so it’s pretty much full steam ahead. It
was a difficult decision. It really was because it’s not like you’re
just leaving one track for the next in North America or Canada,
Harness Racing Update | Page 7 | June 27, 2021
Harness Racing Update
Fields set for MGM
Yonkers Trot and New
York, New York
Ahundreddollarbill, Johan Palema take choice hit the half in 57 seconds, with his five rivals willing to
Yonkers Trot elims; Mazzarati wins lone New follow along the pylons.
York New York test. Ahundreddollarbill rated the pace kindly as Mon Amour pulled
from third on the backstretch, allowing On A Streak to catch
by Yonkers Raceway his cover. With three-quarters clocked in 1:25.4, McCarthy let
the Tony Alagna-trained son of Chapter Seven sprint off from
Ahundreddollarbill captured the first of two $40,000 elimina- the field, and he trotted a :28.3 final quarter well in-hand. Mon
tions of the MGM Yonkers Trot for 3-year-old colts and geldings Amour and Yannick Gingras made up decent ground to finish
on Friday night (July 25) at Yonkers Raceway in a sparkling a sharp second, with Ethan T Hanover (Jason Bartlett) winning
1:54.2 mile and likely stamped himself as the favorite for the the photo for third over On A Streak (Bob McClure). The top four
$500,000 July 2 final, the first jewel in trotting’s Triple Crown. finishers return for the final.
Driven by Andrew McCarthy, Ahundreddollarbill floated away Ahundreddollarbill is owned by Crawford Farms Racing and
from the gate at the outset and allowed the Ake Svanstedt- James Crawford IV. He won for the fourth time in 2021 without
trained Mon Amour and Incommunicado to exchange the early defeat and returned $2.50, $2.10, and $2.10 as the prohibitive
lead, with the latter moving to the fore off the opening bend. favorite. Mon Amour returned $3.40 and $2.60, with Ethan T
Once the dust settled up top, McCarthy used the long back- Hanover paying $4.20 to show. The exacta returned $8 and
stretch to send Ahundreddollarbill full tilt to control midway triple paid $4.60.
on the second turn. After an opening quarter in 28.2, the 1-5
Georgia Panagi
Ahundreddollarbill (Andrew McCarthy) won the first of two $40,000 eliminations of the MGM Yonkers Trot on Friday night
(July 25) at Yonkers Raceway in 1:54.2.
Harness Racing Update | Page 8 | June 27, 2021
Harness Racing Update
The second $40,000 elimination turned into a match race fillies, with the top six joining Iteration and Sweeping Rainbow,
between Ake Svanstedt entrymates Johan Palema and who were offered and accepted byes.
Ambassador Hanover, with Johan Palema and driver Yannick Imhatra AM S and driver Brian Sears jetted to the front entering
Gingras getting up for the win in the final strides of a 1:54. mile. the opening bend and parked Mazzarati to mid-backstretch
Ambassador Hanover and Svanstedt left sharply from post two, before yielding control. Mazzarati, a daughter of Cantab Hall
and Johan Palema quickly settled in behind him into the open- sent postward as the second choice, hit the quarter in :28 and
ing bend. Steel, with driver Andy Miller, attempted to sweep by half in :57 before an outer tier flow began.
those pair at the outset but made a miscue midway through Contested Hanover, part of the 4-5 favored entry in the field,
the opening bend and lost all chance. moved for Scott Zeron off the third turn with a measured outside
Once in control, Ambassador Hanover had the pace to his liking, advance, followed by Rebel Girl with Dexter Dunn. Mazzarati never
setting reasonable fractions of :28.1, :57.3, and 1:26.3, with saw those rivals, though, as Tetrick allowed her to pass three-quar-
Arnold N Dicky pulling off the third turn, followed by In Range. ters in 1:26.1 and comfortably head into the homestretch.
Johan Palema moved out of the pocket for Gingras into the Only Imhatra AM S would have a chance at the winner once Contested
final turn, and he and Ambassador Hanover drew off from their Hanover weakened, and Sears let his regally-bred filly trot, but she
five rivals. A son of Bar Hopping, Johan Palema trotted home would inevitably run out of real estate, falling a head short in the
powerfully with a final quarter under :27.3 to gain the decision 1:55.2 mile. Contested Hanover finished third. Also advancing to the
over Ambassador Hanover. In Range came on late for third, with July 2 final will be Rebel Girl, Presto, and Lindys Dollywood.
Arnold N Dicky completing the finalists.
Owned by Mazza Racing Stables LLC. and Stormi And Bruiser
Sent off as the 4-5 favored entry, Johan Palema and Ambassador Stable, Mazzarati returned $5.10, $3.10, and $2.10 across the
Hanover both returned $3.70, $2.70, and $2.10 across the board. board. Imhatra AM S paid $11.20 and $3.50 for place and show,
The exacta with third place finisher In Range was worth $9.20, with Contested Hanover’s show backers getting $2.10. The
while the triple adding Arnold N Dicky paid $13.80. exacta was worth $39.40, and the triple returned $79.50.
Owned by Bender Sweden Inc., Johan Palema was a winner for Lucas Wallin trains Mazzarati, who won for the first time in
the second time in three starts in 2021 after going winless in 2021 in four tries.
six tries as a freshman.
The draws for the finals of these two races, in addition to the
In the $25,000 sole elimination for the $150,000 New York New MGM Grand Messenger and Park MGM Pace, will take place on
York Mile, Mazzarati and driver Tim Tetrick took control before Monday evening (June 28).
the quarter pole and wired the field of eight 3-year-old trotting
Harness Racing Update | Page 9 | June 27, 2021
Harness Racing Update
steady first-over gains. Abuckabett Hanover did try to get out
on the final bend again, but McCarthy managed to keep his
charge fairly straight, and then in the lane the others were no
Georgia Panagi
match, as Abuckabett Hanover sailed by I’ll Drink To That while
American Courage (Matt Kakaley) just missed the track record in-hand, tallying by a length and a quarter in 1:51.3. I’ll Drink
by a fifth of a second with a 1:50.4 mile in his elimination To That held second over Highlandbeachsbest (Zeron), with
Friday (June 27) for the MGM Grand Messenger Stakes. Mysweetboymax (Jason Bartlett) fourth.
Tony Alagna trains Abuckabett Hanover, a Hanover Shoe Farms-
Favorites score in MGM bred Betting Line colt, for the partnership of Crawford Farms
Grand Messenger and Racing, Alagna Racing LLC., Jablonsky Held Stable, and Barbara
N. Wienick Stable. Now four-for-four as a sophomore, Abuckabett
Park MGM Pace elims Hanover is an eight-time winner overall, and he has put away
$255,021. He returned $2.20 to win and led a $2.10 exacta and
an $8.10 trifecta.
American Courage, Abuckabett Hanover score There were no surprises in the companion $25,000 Park MGM
in Messenger elims; Heart Of Mine, Test Of Pace eliminations for fillies either as Heart Of Mine and Test Of
Faith came in undefeated in 2021 and left with that status intact.
Faith win Park MGM Pace tests. Heart Of Mine, piloted by Scott Zeron, looped Darby Hanover
(Andy Miller) to take the lead past the :28.2 opening quarter in
by Yonkers Raceway the first elimination, then backed down the middle-half fractions
to :58.2 and 1:27.1 with no outside pressure. Zeron let Heart Of
American Courage just missed the track record by a fifth of Mine sprint in the final quarter, and she responded with a :27.1
a second and Abuckabett Hanover overcame troubles on the kicker to prevail by a length over Darby Hanover in 1:54.2. Shania
turns to win the two $40,000 MGM Grand Messenger Stakes Blue Chip (Andrew McCarthy) and Lyons Softasssilk (Tim Tetrick)
eliminations for 3-year-old colt and gelding pacers on Friday stuck to the cones and got the other spots in next Friday’s final.
night (June 27) at Yonkers Raceway.
Trained by Linda Toscano, Heart Of Mine is a Roll With Joe
Driver Matt Kakaley had American Courage on the engine at the filly owned by The Bay’s Stable LLC., Radio Racing Stable, Fred
:27.4 opening quarter in the first elimination, and after taking Wallace, and Camelot Stable Inc. Heart Of Mine, who was bred
command, he went on to the half in 56 seconds. It was at that by Brittany Farms and is six-for-six in the win column this year,
point that Heart Of Chewbacca (Dan Noble) made a first-over has a record of 7-5-1 from 17 career starts, and she has banked
move out of last, and that bid would carry him into second before $217,131. Heart Of Mine paid $2.90 to win as the heavy favorite
the 1:23.4 three-quarters. However, his bid stalled on the final turn and was atop a $3.10 exacta and an $8.10 trifecta.
as American Courage kicked on and came home in 27 seconds to
win by a length and a quarter in 1:50.4. Charlie May (Brett Miller) As for Test Of Faith, she bided her time in the fourth position
tucked into third from post seven, rode the rail, and rallied to while first Marsala Hanover (Zeron) and then Classicist (Todd
finish a good second, with Chase H Hanover (Brian Sears) third and McCarthy) showed the way through a :27.3 opening quarter and
a 56 second half in the other elimination. David Miller brought
Simon Says Hanover (Scott Zeron) getting the last spot in the final.
Test Of Faith to the outside on the way to the 1:24 three-quar-
Sired by American Ideal, American Courage is trained by Travis ters, moved up into second to the outside of Classicist on the
Alexander for owner/breeder Fiddler’s Creek Stables LLC. far turn, and then went by in the lane while in-hand, prevailing
American Courage made his 10th stop in the winner’s circle by a measured three-parts of a length in 1:52.1. Classicist was
from 11 trips behind the gate, and he has pocketed $218,633. a good second at 21-1, with Marsala Hanover third and So
The even-money favorite, American Courage paid $4.00 to win Irresistible (Andrew McCarthy) fourth.
and keyed a $13.50 exacta and an $87.75 trifecta. A daughter of Art Major, Test Of Faith is trained by Brett Pelling
Abuckabett Hanover (Andrew McCarthy) was the headliner of a 1-9 for owners Mel Segal, Kentuckiana Racing Stable, and Eddie
entry in the second elimination, but his chances didn’t look very good Gran. Test Of Faith has 11 wins and a second from 12 lifetime
on the first turn as he veered to the right and lugged out several tries, and she has now earned $562,700. She was the 1-9 choice
paths. Fortunately, there was nobody alongside him and McCarthy and returned $2.10 across the board. The exacta was worth
was able to bring him down to the rail in fourth as I’ll Drink To That $9.20 and the trifecta kicked back $29.50.
(Dexter Dunn) led the group to the :28.1 opening quarter. The draws for the finals of these two events, along with the
I’ll Drink To That stayed in charge to the :56.2 half and the MGM Yonkers Trot and New York New York Mile, will take place
1:24.1 three-quarters, but Abuckabett Hanover was making on Monday (June 28).
Harness Racing Update | Page 10 | June 27, 2021Harness Racing Update
Milligan’s School’s time is now
Midsummer in Sweden means traditionally Breeders Crown races in
small town of Rättvik and in connection to four divisions of Breeders
Crown, an open trot for older horses is offered at the track. Even
with a relatively small purse in the $23,500 Midsommarloppet,
the race became spectacular with an outstanding performance
from American-bred Milligan’s School, trained by Stefan Melander.
Driven by Ulf Eriksson, Milligan’s School got parked outside of
leader Nadal Broline and the pace was set high throughout the
race. When the field reached the first kilometer (5/8ths of a mile),
the clock showed a mile rate time of 1:53.2. One lap, one kilometer
Face Time Bourbon ready remained at that point and outside trotter Milligan’s School just
danced away and cruised to the lead in the last turn. With several
for summer races lengths advantage at the top of the stretch, Eriksson noted that he
and his horse had everything under control and when the duo hit
by Thomas Hedlund the wire in a mile rate of 1:53.3, it was clear that Milligan’s School
had, probably, made the best performance of his life (replay here).
Double Prix d’Amérique winner Face Time Bourbon (Ready Cash) The purse was pretty low, but races can still be something extra
hasn’t been seen in the race programs since March 6, when he to watch, which definitely was the case on Saturday afternoon
won $235,000 Prix de Selection at Vincennes, but today (June in Rättvik. Milligan’s School claimed his third consecutive win in
Midsommarloppet and it’s obvious that the 8-year-old Yankee
27), the 6-year-old superstar makes his comeback in $203,000
Glide son loves Midsummer holiday and Rättvik.
Prix Rene Balliere over 1.3 miles at Vincennes.
Winners in the four $26,000 Breeders Crown divisions were:
And it seems like European harness racing fans will get
Winner (Pedigree) - mile rate over 1.3 miles
opportunities to see Sébastien Guarato’s top trotter in several
races during this summer. The horse’s owner Antonio Somma 3-year-old colts and geldings:
announced on Friday afternoon (June 27) that Face Time Highway To Hill (Muscle Hill-Beatgoeson Hanover) - 1:59.2
Bourbon will travel to Finland and $160,000 St-Michel-ajo in 3-year-old fillies:
Mikkeli on July 18. Breeze (Broad Bahn-East Zenda) - 1:59
Vincennes’ race card today is sharp with several high staked races where 4-year-old colts and geldings:
Chiru (Muscle Hill-Pantholops) - 1:55.4
Prix Rene Balliere is the highlight from the sport’s eyes point of view.
4-year-old mares:
Beside Prix Rene Balliere, the 3-year-old monté trotters will Global Brilliance (S.J.’s Caviar - Pledge Allegiance) - 1:57.4
fight in $203,000 Prix d’Essai, the 4-year-old monté horses meet
in $235,000 Prix President Republique and the 3-year-olds will
face a battle in $203,000 Prix Albert Viel.
Prix Rene Balliere 2021
2.100 meters (Autostart, car)
PP. Horse - Driver
1. Dreammoko - Antoine Lherete
2. Violetto Jet - Franck Nivard
3. Detroit Castelets - David Thomain
4. Express Jet - Adrien Lamy
5. Face Time Bourbon - Eric Raffin
6. Chica de Joudes - Alain Laurent
7. Davidson du Pont - Jean-Michel Bazire
8. Valokaja Hindö - Nicolas Bazire
ALN
9. Etonnant - Anthony Barrier
Milligan’s School and driver Ulf Eriksson in Stefan
10. Go On Boy - Romain Derieux Melander’s owner’s colors.
Harness Racing Update | Page 11 | June 27, 2021Harness Racing Update
to care for them almost indefinitely. That does not only relate
to our stars, but also to the ones which may not have achieved
that status.
“I believe our horses talk to us. We need to listen. All of them do
not adapt easily to the life of retirement. Some of them will tell
me that they miss the competition of the racetrack. In some of
those instances, provided they are physically up to the task and
competitive, we will abide by their wishes and bring them back
to training. One thing we will never do is race one of ours in
claimers. Others may believe in claiming races. I am not one of
them. We tried that when we were racing some thoroughbreds,
but it just didn’t sit well with me.
“We do re-home and re-purpose some of them, but we are very
Labor of love: Michelle careful about whose hands we place them in.
Crawford on her massive “Last year, we purchased or gave homes to 25 young mares who
had no or very little commercial value. We are using them as
commitment and investment recipient mares. It was a win-win situation for us and the mares.
We were able to undoubtedly save the lives of these mares and
in effect give them a reason to live.”
by Murray Brown
You are a breeder and with your partners, next year you are Crawford Farms has both a breeding and racing oper-
expecting a Muscle Hill foal out of Atlanta ($2,659,653), and
a Tall Dark Stranger out of Stonebridge Soul ($729,939);
ation. Let’s talk about each.
also a solely Crawford Farms owned Captaintreacherous out
of Hen Party ($592,733); those in addition to almost a hun- Breeding
dred other foals, mostly standardbreds, but also a dozen or so “We presently have 111 standardbred broodmares and 11 thor-
thoroughbreds.
oughbred ones. Almost all of the thoroughbred mares will be
How can that be, one might ask? All three of those mares are still bred to our stallion Shancelot This past foaling season we had
racing. Michelle Crawford, the CEO and guiding force, together 67 babies. We have 57 standardbred yearlings which will be
with her husband Al of Crawford Farms answers.
offered at Lexington this fall. The breeding operation is under
“I suppose we wanted to have our cake and eat it as well. All the direction of Heather Marshall who has been with us for
three of them, in addition to Warrawee Ubeaut ($1,794,933), 12 years. They say no one is irreplaceable, but Heather is the
were sound and racing quite well. We decided to try embryo
exception to that rule. She works eight days a week, foals every
transfers on all of them. The only one with which we weren’t
successful was Warrawee Ubeaut.” baby and has a relationship with every horse on the farm. Her
husband, Chad, is also an integral part of the staff. He does a
The old saying is “tall oaks grow from little acorns.” Such was
great job in maintaining the property. We also have between
the case with Crawford Farms.
18 and 20 employees here. We are in the midst of consolidating
Al’s dad, Jim, was one of the leading forces in the creation the entire operation. We have 1,000 acres in Casanovia which
and growth of the New York Sires Stakes (NYSS) program. Jim
Crawford and his wife Pat’s horse holdings were never as large
as his effect on the NYSS program. Chances are they never raised
as many as 10 yearlings in a given season.
That was not to be the case with Al and Michelle. Their horse
holdings now number in the area of 400, which includes a
hundred or so retirees.
Michelle, let’s start with the retirees. You have about
a hundred or so of them.
“As anybody who knows me knows, I am a great animal lover.
When we allow them to enter our lives, I believe that we also
assume an obligation to care and provide for them in a humane
way. There may be some, emphasis on the word ‘may’ who care Dave Landry
for their horses as well as we do, but there are none who care for
Al and Michelle Crawford at the Lexington Selected Yearling
them better than us. It’s with this belief that we feel that once
Sale in 2019.
their racing or breeding careers are over, we become obligated
Harness Racing Update | Page 12 | June 27, 2021Harness Racing Update
Courtesy Michelle Crawford
The retiree paddock at Crawford Farms is currently home to Homicide Hunter, Royal Shyster, Classic Conway, Flyhawk Jester ,
Raps Big Boy, Maxie Man and Don Grigio.
will serve as our base of operations. We also have a farm in How did you become involved in the business?
Kentucky which was previously William Shatner’s place for his
show horses. We originally intended it to be the base of a thor- “It’s all Al. Horses were in his genes and throughout his upbring-
oughbred operation. However, since the growth of the Kentucky ing. It’s through him that I became involved. I was raised on
homegrown and residency program, we now utilize it to take Panebianco potato farm in the small village of Chittenago, New
advantage of the residency requirements which will result in York. I met Al and through him and his family I became addicted
most of our yearlings having dual eligibility insofar as sires to these glorious creatures. Al is a natural horseman and a
stakes programs. brilliant businessman. He developed and grew Bankers Health
“We have our thoroughbred stallion Shancelot standing at Buck Group into a giant in its industry. That takes up most of his time,
Pond Farm in Kentucky. We presently have 11 thoroughbred but he is still quite involved in most of our equine ventures.
mares, all of which had foals this year.” He has great knowledge of horses and is also an excellent
handicapper. We love to attend the races, especially when our
Training and racing
horses are racing. We do that as often as we can. When we do,
“We presently have 67 horses which we own fully or in partner- we also help the handle somewhat.”
ship in training. We have them with several different trainers,
the majority of them are in Tony Alagna’s stable. In addition we
Tell us about the makeup of your broodmare band.
have others with Gates Brunet, Jenn Bongiorno, Ronnie Burke,
Chris Ryder and Nancy Takter. I’ve probably forgotten one or
“I probably sound as though I am bragging, but I believe that on
two. Please forgive me if I have.
a mare for mare basis we might have the very best broodmare
band for a large operation as exists in all of harness racing. We
are especially strong on the trotting end. There is no doubt in
my mind that we have as many, if not more ‘Blue Ribbon’ type
trotting broodmares as exists in the sport.”
As far as the stallions to which you breed your mares
to, how do you go about doing that?
“It is mostly based on Al’s knowledge of horses and in his being a
great student of pedigrees. I am glad to share the responsibility
with him. We are highly invested in New York and to stallions
standing in the Empire State to which we breed most of our
mares. Then we almost end up ‘double dipping’ by shipping
Harness Racing Update | Page 13 | June 27, 2021Harness Racing Update
them to our Kentucky farm to take advantage of the Kentucky at Harrisburg. It’s certainly not because one or the other has
as well as the New York programs. Presently, we are entitled the better horses. Its rather because a big factor in determining
to breed 16 mares annually to Huntsville, 12 to Chapter Seven, how much money we might have to spend is dependent on how
our yearlings have sold.
several to American Ideal as well as our own stallion Crazy
Wow. If Crazy’s foals race the way they look, he will become a “We believe in and love the business. Everything we earn in it
terrific stallion. We also regularly breed to horses like Muscle and more will be reinvested in it.”
Hill, Captaintreacherous and Walner. We own a significant piece
of Tall Dark Stranger who in my and the opinion of many others
What remains for Michelle and Al Crawford and
Crawford Farms?
is a ‘can’t miss’ stallion. We will know very quickly about him. The
book of mares he received in his first season at stud is likely the “Hopefully, a whole lot. We love owning and buying horses. I’m sure
finest group ever assembled being bred to one pacing stallion there’s a whole lot yet to do, some of it probably unthought of at this
in a given season.” point. As far as races go, if I had to pick one to win, I’d want to win
the Little Brown Jug and also have the Crawford Farms imprint on
Who is your favorite horse with which you’ve been all of the major events in the sport. But there are and will be others.
associated? “We have been a major race sponsor of events in the sport for
almost as long as we have been involved in harness racing. We
sponsored The Meadowlands Pace for five years and Grand Circuit
“When you’ve had two Hambletonian winners that would have events at Lexington just about every year. This year we will also be
to be a pretty difficult choice. I love both Atlanta and Ramona sponsoring every leg of the Kindergarten Series for 2-year-olds.
Hill. However the difference would have to be in that we raised
Ramona Hill and have been invested in her all her life and “We also have been and will continue to be active in various
we bought into Atlanta. They are both great and it has been a fund raising events in the sport.”
privilege being involved with each of them.” Have a question or comment for The Curmudgeon?
Reach him by email at: hofmurray@aol.com
As a market breeder do you have any problem choos-
ing between that and racing your own horses?
“Not really. Our philosophy is to offer all of our yearlings at
public auction with the possible exception of a few fillies we
might keep to further the makeup of our broodmare band.
People know that we would generally not be adverse to becom-
ing partners on some that we might be offering. Of course, we
have to be careful about who we join up with, both from the
standpoint of wanting them to get into good hands and insofar
as dealing with people of good reputation.”
You mentioned philosophy. In our conversation I found
yours with regard to your customers to be somewhat
unique.
“In short, we believe that the customer is always right. Even if
he is wrong, he is still right. The words ‘buyer beware’ do not
exist in our vocabulary. We try to be totally above board with
all of our yearlings. X-rays are always available. Anything that
we might be aware of that could be judged as detrimental is
always disclosed. Even with those safeguards, if a customer
becomes aware of something that displeases him, if he makes
us aware of any pre-existing condition with any of our horses,
we will discuss it and our goal will be to have a conclusion that
is satisfactory to all parties.”
You told us how you sell your yearlings. How do you
go about determining how and what you buy?
“Unless I am able to sneak away at the Kentucky Sale without Al
knowing about it, almost all of our yearling buying takes place
Harness Racing Update | Page 14 | June 27, 2021Harness Racing Update
I should also mention that this same smart question was also
raised by Ivar Hyngstrom in a letter to HRU on June 13 (2021-
06-13 Feedback). Obviously Mr. Hyngstrom really knows his stuff
when it comes to equine reproduction. I hope he’ll continue to
comment on my writing.
Joel Kravet, who is my most frequent correspondent, had
some questions about horses that were mean and dangerous.
Obviously, any horse can be ruined by bad, rough handling,
but this kid likes to think that rarely happens in today’s world.
That said, regardless of how carefully and kindly a horse has
been raised and handled, a certain percentage of intact males
Some questions, some will become dangerous as they start to mature, beginning at
answers the age of 2.
We have a mare from whom we retained two foals, both colts,
by Alan Leavitt to train and race. They were by two different stallions. They each
went to a top trainer, Randy Jerrell, in the fall of their yearling
Several interesting questions to be answered this week. Robert years. By January of their 2-year-old year, each one of them had
Lindstrom, one of the smartest men in the horse biz both in become dangerous, striking, kicking, and savaging with their
Sweden and everywhere else, as well, was concerned about mouths. The only solution was castration, which immediately
the loss of the natural selection process of the sperm cell in solved all their manner problems, and both of them are suc-
ICSI’s. As he said, in the natural reproductive process, of all the cessfully racing today.
millions of sperm cells ejaculated by the covering stallion, only
Joel also asked about breeding stallions, and any good horseman
one cell is strong enough to make the long journey to the egg,
knows never to trust one. In my own experience, there have
or oocyte, and affect conception.
been horses like Speedy Crown and Garland Lobell, who were
So, I referred the question to Dr. Rob Foss, who operates the always perfectly gentle and never a threat in any way. At the
Equine Medical Services Clinic, in Columbia, MO, where all the other end of the scale was Speedy Somolli, who was best led
Walnut Hall Ltd. ICSI’s are done. His answer was that he closely to his paddock and back to his stall by a man on either side,
examines all the sperm cells that are delivered for each indi- each with a lead shank hooked to his halter. Speedy Somolli was
vidual procedure, and he selects the one that shows the most not only vicious, he was smart about it, and just when he had
speed and activity. lulled you into thinking everything was okay, he would strike;
Perhaps because I’ve been watching the track and swimming which didn’t stop him from being a truly great sire, with three
trials for the Olympics, in my mind I see Dr. Foss with a start- Hambletonian winners among his many sire credits.
er’s pistol in his hand, about to send on their way a huge field Regarding fillies and mares, there have been a tiny handful
of sperm cells, each one vying to be the winner who gets to down through the years who were truly vicious, and they were
fertilize the oocyte. On your mark! Get set!! Go!!! born that way. We had a couple at Lana Lobell, and thinking I
Harness Racing Update | Page 15 | June 27, 2021Harness Racing Update
was smarter than everybody, I bought one here at Walnut Hall. Every geneticist knows that lowered fertility in stallions is inher-
itable, so the problem is self sustaining. As it happens, there are
The one I bought had actually been trained and raced by Neil
now at least three 3-year-old trotting contenders with “outcross
Shapiro, which contributed to my thinking that she really
pedigrees”. An outcross, as you’ll recall, is a pedigree in which
couldn’t be all that bad. I was wrong. She was that bad. Neil,
no name occurs more than once in the first four generations.
who was a long-time friend, did his own shoeing while he was
Jim Harrison, the smartest man who ever worked with standard-
training. He told me that, on one occasion, this filly had lost
breds, taught me that nature will never breed itself into a corner.
one hind shoe. After almost getting killed trying to replace it,
Which means that there’s a trotter on the way who will open
he took the only option available, and she raced with one hind
up a whole new trotting line, and solve our fertility problems.
foot barefoot until, after seven weeks, the other shoe fell off.
I have an idea who it will be, but I’m not telling.
After that she raced barefoot behind.
The only saving grace, if there is one, is that these killer mares
are reasonably safe and manageable when they’re in season.
But if you happen to breed one and let her carry the foal, you
better give the foal his enema and all his shots before his
mother decides to stand up.
There was also an interesting message from a smart horseman
in New Zealand. Apropos of my piece on OCDs, he said that he
had a mare who had five foals by Bettor’s Delight, and every
one of them scanned perfectly clean in all four legs and stifles.
Then he switched to two other high-profile sires, got a foal by
each of them, and both had OCDs. (You’ll remember, an OCD is
a bone lesion, fixable, but the bane of market breeders.)
This touches directly on the study of epigenetics, which involves her-
itable changes to the phenotype, or physical horse. It may well be that
if different stallion crosses with the same mare will produce OCDs,
while another cross doesn’t, that may rightfully be a genetic issue.
Certainly there has been no research linking the occurrence of
OCDs to the genetics of the two horses involved. It would be a
subject well worth knowing about, and I’d be happy to hear any
anecdotal information anyone might have. OCDs have been a
plague for as long as this kid has been breeding horses, and no
one has yet come up with a way to eliminate them, although
there have been plenty of attempts through research on feeding,
exercise, climate, and various other things.
Finally, the 2-year-old racing season is now hitting its full stride,
and there’s one curious thing to note when looking at the sire
statistics. Every stallion standing in the United States is limited
to a book of 140 mares by the USTA. Standardbred Canada,
however, has a book limited to 250, and the registration of
every foal with Standardbred Canada is recognized by the USTA.
That clearly gives a popular Canadian sire an edge over his
competition in the states, for the obvious reason the more foals,
the more winners.
I have no pat answer to this conundrum. From personal experi-
ence, there’s still a loss of heterozygosity or the variability factor,
in the American trotter. That is manifested by a decline in the
fertility of American trotting stallions, and without naming names,
we have that problem with some of our best trotting sires today.
Harness Racing Update | Page 16 | June 27, 2021Harness Racing Update
aged 2. That colt would record the single most magnificent
freshman trotting season of all time going 26-for-29-and was
aptly named HOY. He repeated in 1968 and 1969.
Brian Sears was 39 in 2007 when he won 2/3rds of the Triple
Crown for pacers with Always A Virgin —the Cane and the
Messenger. That colt went on to sire HOY Always B Miki.
Thank you, Anne Doolin
The sport of horse racing — and the world — lost one of its
treasures recently with the passing of Anne Doolin. She worked
with standardbreds, thoroughbreds, rescue outfits, with the less
Summer of 39 fortunate. Anne was front and center. Anne's breezy and wel-
coming presence were always on display. You might not have
seen her come into the room, but you absolutely felt better
by Bob Heyden knowing she was there.
Tim Tetrick is about to officially enter into the Hall Of Fame I knew Anne well over 30 years. I am 99 per cent sure that she
next Sunday at age 39. Here's a look at many others and what was simply incapable of raising her voice. Her quiet demeanor
they did the year they were 39. WAS her insistence — one of getting things done — very often
for those in need of a helping hand.
In 1956, Joe O'Brien was campaigning the magnificent Scott
Frost to his second straight HOY season. Coming off the very Anne worked at the Meadowlands from 1989-1996 doing
first ever Triple Crown season the very year the Yonkers Trot was stories, interviews, backstretch meet and greets. She left for
introduced. Joe-then 39, lived until Sept. 29, 1984. Kentucky, Scioto, thoroughbreds, all the time being one of us.
Geography was of no concern to her mission.
In 1987, Hall of Famer Ted Wing got his biggest ever purse
check at 39 — finishing second. In the 1987 Woodrow Wilson Teaching and giving were a natural extension of who she was.
Even Odds got half of the $1,422,000 purse, but Wing’s Prince She never thought she stood out. When she won the LeAnne
Royce was second in this the last ever Wilson to go for better Pooler Award in 2017 for outstanding service, she was some-
than $1.1 million. what confused. She was only doing what she was meant — and
sent — to do.
Mike Lachance turned 39 in 1989, the same year he dominated
the Jug with Goalie Jeff and also raced the fabulous Matts It was the rare moment when you introduced Anne to someone
Scooter to a Horse of the Year season — the last time a HOY that she didn't already know. Well traveled, well known and very
had 30 starts in a single, award-winning season. well liked. You didn't forget Anne.
Ron Waples was 39 when he won the Triple Crown in 1983 with It was simply never about Anne. Yeah, she wrote that flyer you
Ralph Hanover. Four days before winning the Meadowlands Pace were looking at on the telephone pole, but it was always about
($1,251,000) with Ralph, he won the Sweetheart ($1,062,000) lifting someone else up.
with upsetter Shannon Fancy, making him the only driver to win Anne supplied a lifetime of steady flowing good natured unas-
his first two million-dollar drives, these two just four days apart. suming decency. Did she want you to adopt that dog? For sure.
Ray Schnittker was 39 when he first tested the Hambletonian Could you help her with some background on this horseman?
waters in 1997 with Armbro Plato (third). He was third again Oh yes.
in 2000 with Armbro Trick — also a longshot — before winning If the person behind the spotlight ever shined it Anne's way, it
it all in 2008 with Deweycheatumnhowe. That is just over $1 was quickly adjusted to the real stars of the show. Many, many
million in purse earnings in his first three Hambletonian drives animals are alive today thanks to her efforts. Many of those in
— making him the only driver with this accomplishment. need of a break or a boost benefitted from her forever extended
Jimmy Takter was 39 in 1999 when his prized Moni Maker was hand.
named HOY for the second straight season — the last time any It was not unusual in the past 20 years for me to not see Anne
horse has repeated HOY honors. for 18-24 months at a time, but when you bumped into her at
John Campbell was 39 in 1994 when Cams Card Shark domi- a horse sale or awards dinner — maybe a big race night — you
nated-, setting a new earnings record along the way ($2.2 million just picked right up.
plus). That record lasted six years until Gallo Blue Chip sur- She made everyone’s life a little bit better. No need for a curtain
passed $2.4 million in 2000. call either. Anne, you're still very much with us.
David Miller turned 39 in 2003, the year No Pan Intended won
the pacing Triple Crown. Eighteen years later, no pacer has won
the Triple Crown making it the longest drought in the history
of the pacing Crown.
Stanley Dancer was 39 the first time he won with Nevele Pride,
Harness Racing Update | Page 17 | June 27, 2021Harness Racing Update
Capacity will be limited to 25 per cent of grandstand seating
and the track side apron.
“We are thrilled to be able to open our doors on Canada Day
and welcome back our owners and some spectators to the track
who have been dearly missed,” said Jim Lawson, CEO, Woodbine
Entertainment. “We have been operating live racing for a couple
of weeks now, but it’s just not the same with empty stands.
Spectators welcomed We are thankful to the government for entrusting us to safely
‘back on track’ at welcome back a limited number of spectators.”
Starting next week, a limited number of spectators will be
Woodbine Mohawk Park permitted to reserve their spot at Woodbine Mohawk Park’s
Trackside Apron or Barbeque Patio. As per government guide-
Racetrack to open its doors for live racing on lines, spectators must make a reservation for access to any of the
above areas. Woodbine is developing its reservation system and
Canada Day. will offer guidance how to use and access the system next week.
by Jamie Dykstra / Woodbine communications Here are the details:
Free parking is available in the main parking lot.
Woodbine Entertainment has announced that it is excited to
Spectators must enter via the main grandstand entrance.
welcome back a limited number of spectators, including owners,
to Woodbine Mohawk Park for live standardbred racing as of Wagering terminals will be available.
Thursday, July 1. This marks the first time in 2021 that spectators Spectators will be required to wear a face mask while on prop-
are permitted to attend live racing at Woodbine Mohawk Park. erty (unless eating or drinking).
New Image Media
Some spectators will be allowed to return to Woodbine Mohawk Park beginning July 1.
Harness Racing Update | Page 18 | June 27, 2021You can also read
