Favorites victorious in Weiss Series at Pocono
The favorites used different methods in the two $15,000 divisions of the first round of the Bobby Weiss Series for trotting females on Wednesday night (March 25) at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, but both ended up in the desired positions -- home first, and then in the winner's circle. Classic Belisima headed right to the front in her division and was never headed, winning by almost sev...
Mandatory Jackpot Hi-5 payout date is April 4
Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG) today announced that the mandatory payout for the Standardbred Jackpot Hi-5 is set for Saturday, April 4, the second-to-last card of the Woodbine meet. Harness racing moves to Mohawk for 118 dates, beginning Thursday, April 9. In preparation for the event, the final opportunity to wager on the Jackpot Hi-5 before the mandatory payout date will be Mo...
The Meadows adds additional $4 million in improvements
The Meadows Racetrack & Casino announced today it has invested an additional $4 million to the backstretch operations of the facility's racetrack. Investments in the improvements to the barns, infrastructure and environment have exceeded $10 million to date. The Meadows replaced many of the older barns which house the 825 horse population. Other improvements include new stalls...
RMTC recommends cobalt threshold of 25 ppb
The board of directors of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) announced Thursday (March 26) that a uniform threshold for cobalt regulation in the United States was approved at its regularly scheduled meeting held on March 24 at Gulfstream Park racetrack in Hallandale, Fla. The cobalt threshold, which was developed and unanimously recommended by the RMTC's Scie...
Holloway talks Bettor Be Steppin, Divine Caroline
Trainer Joe Holloway is uncertain where many of the top 3-year-old female pacers might race to start this season, but he is pretty sure that no matter where he sends Bettor Be Steppin and Divine Caroline, it's not going to be easy. Bettor Be Steppin and Divine Caroline -- who finished third and fourth, respectively, in November's Breeders Crown for 2-year-old female pacers -- are among the hor...
Meadows hosting College Games on Friday
The Meadows Standardbred Owners Association is set to host a big night of racing this Friday, March 27, at The Meadows Racetrack & Casino. Featured will be the 2nd Annual College Games, which will bring dozens of local college students to the track to enjoy a night of harness racing and compete for various local charities in events such as bowling, cornhole, and harness handicapping. First...
New FREE Weekend Preview now available!
It's early in the George Morton Levy Memorial and Blue Chip Matchmaker series at Yonkers, and In the new and free HarnessRacing Weekend Preview we've got some insights into a couple of contenders new to the series this year: in the Levy, Capital Account, and in the Matchmaker, Coffee Addict. Also in the latest edition is the news that the first foal from the top pacing f...
Morgan within 3 of 15,000 wins; DSBF prelims
Political Foe, a six-figure winner and Go Byem, a maiden, won 1:57.4 victories in two $20,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund (DSBF) Three-Year-Old Male trot preliminaries on Tuesday (March 24) at Dover Downs.. Tony Morgan won two races to move with three of 15,000 lifetime wins. Trainer-driver Eddie Dennis bided his time racing second before moving quickly to take the lead on...
Walk The Walk takes new 1:55.1 mark
Trotting males and pacing females were featured in first leg action of their divisions of the Bobby Weiss Series Tuesday night at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, with two $15,000 sections for each group contested. In the first trotting cut Two Hip Dip set the pace, then blasted home in 1:55.4 – 56.2 – 27.1 for driver David Miller and trainer/owner Nick Salenetri. The son of G...
Horseman Harry Pownall Jr. dies at 88
Horseman Harry Eugene Pownall Jr., 88, of Pinehurst, N.C., died Sunday March 22, at his home. Mr. Pownall was born Oct. 09, 1926, in Mineola, N.Y., to the late Harry and Beatrice Pownall. He served in the United States Navy during World War II and later followed in the footsteps of his Hall of Fame father, who trained such notables as Titan Hanover for Arden Homestead Stable. As a trai...
Frank Milby drives 2,000th career winner
Maryland native Frank Milby guided Beammeupscottie to victory in the ninth race on Tuesday night (March 24) at Rosecroft Raceway, giving the defending Rosecroft dash champion win number 2,000 in his career. Milby left from post five and stretched out Casimir Lawman (Roger Plante), who led through the third quarter in 1:24.3 while under pressure from Lone Raider (Brandon Henley). M...
Brett Risi, 21, qualifies for WHHC
When Brett Risi started tagging along with his dad and older brother to the horse races at Vernon Downs at age 12, he never thought it would lead to the opportunity of a lifetime. After winning a qualifying tournament at Vernon Downs last month, Risi, now 21, will compete against 100 of North America's best horseplayers for a $50,000 prize pool in the World Harness Handicapping Champion...
PHHA's Battoni announces semi-retirement
Ron Battoni today notified the board of the directors of the Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen's Association (PHHA) that he plans to semi-retire from the position of executive director on December 31, 2015. However, he will not be leaving the organization entirely, and will continue in a reduced capacity for a period of three to five years. Battoni joined the PHHA in 1987. Since the...
Tony Morgan nears 15,000-win milestone
Tony Morgan's drive to keep working hard has resulted in a whole lot of winning drives. Morgan entered Wednesday on the verge of joining Dave Palone and Herve Filion as the only drivers in North American harness racing history with at least 15,000 career victories. The 56-year-old Morgan came into the day needing three wins to reach the milestone and has eight drives this evening at Dov...
Atta Boy Dan scores in Meadows feature
Atta Boy Dan was indomitable on the front end, thwarting a strong challenge from Hillbilly Hanover to capture Wednesday's $18,000 Winners Over $10,000 Life/Preferred Handicap Pace at The Meadows. Atta Boy Dan covered the front half in a reasonable 56 before confronting the first-over Hillbilly Hanover. The 6-year-old Western Terror-Dropitlikeitshot gelding found another gear for Dave Pa...
Purrfect Bags, Totally Rusty, Gigi Deo win DSBF
Three resounding victories, by Purrfect Bags, Totally Rusty and Gigi Deo, highlighted $20,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund (DSBF) Three-Year-Old Filly Pace preliminaries on Wednesday, March 25 at Dover Downs.. Tony Morgan now two only wins from $15,000 lifetime. Purrfect Bags led off the DSBF action scoring a convincing 1:52.3 victory in the first $20,000 prelim finishing off...
Just A Bee extends winning streak to 5
Just A Bee extended her winning streak to five in the $12,000 Open Pace for mares on Monday (March 23) as the 7-year-old daughter of Mr Feelgood wore down a very game and stubborn Godiva Seelster to score a measured neck victory in 1:51.1. Driven by trainer Mike Micallef for owners Anita Micallef, John Mc Goff and Greg Heath, Just A Bee won for the seventh time in nine starts this ...
Woodbine Jackpot Hi-5 pool at $726,120
Saving her best performance for last, Her Name Is Lola was flawless in capturing the $44,440 final of the Lifetime Dream Trotting Series on Monday night at Woodbine Racetrack. Driver Jack Moiseyev settled the public's second choice into fifth in the early going on the back of favored Seawind Pascale (Rick Zeron). Samira Hanover (Paul MacDonell) charged out from the outside of the gat...
Caviart Luca among finalists in Saturday's Hirt
Caviart Luca is not a horse who wins many races, but he also rarely embarrasses himself. The 4-year-old pacer, who on Saturday competes in the $59,000 final of the Clyde Hirt Series at the Meadowlands, has three victories in 30 lifetime races, but has earned a check in 20 of his most recent 21 starts, a span that dates back to October 2013. So far this year, Caviart Luca has one w...
Memorial fund for Taylor Vit benefits SRF
Taylor Vit, son of Kathie and Bill Vit of Cool Cat Racing, formerly Bowl Stables, was involved in a fatal automobile accident in October 2010 in Lexington, KY, at the young age of 22. Taylor was an accomplished young man, the Assistant Captain of the University of Kentucky's Ice Hockey Team, a senior majoring in economics who had a love for Standardbred Race horses. He worked during the summer...