Bobby Quillen Memorial highlights Monday card at Harrington
While many harness racing fans in the Mid-Atlantic Region have relatively few chances to see many of the sport's best older pacers compete first-hand, those local fans will be eagerly awaiting this Monday's $150,000 Bobby Quillen Memorial at Harrington Raceway.
Although several of the sport's top stars, including Delaware-based Shartin N and Lather Up, are not heading to the Quillen, the race attracted a solid group of eight older pacers from numerous racing jurisdictions. In fact, it seems highly unlikely that any of the starters will go postward below 5-2, especially since the two best horses in the field drew posts seven and eight, respectively.
Maryland-bred Courtly Choice (James MacDonald) won the $525,000 Canadian Pacing Derby two starts back and was second in the $440,000 Jim Ewart Memorial at Scioto Downs last weekend and he would have been the solid choice except for drawing post seven here. The Blake Macintosh trainee has won four of 13 starts this year and 16 of 41 career tries and boasts several Grade I victories, including both the Meadowlands Pace and Little Brown Jug last season at age three en route to being Maryand-bred harness horse of the year.
Backstreet Shadow (Tim Tetrick) has emerged as a budding star and was second as the odds-on choice in the $100,000 Great Northeast Open Series final last Monday at Pocono Downs. The Ron Burke trainee has won 10 of 21 starts this year for trainer Ron Burke, but he drew the dreaded eight hole and could end up being the fourth choice.
Speaking of the Great Northeast Series Open, final hero None Bettor A (Jason Bartlett) will seek his second straight six-figure score in the Quillen and lines up just outside American History (Joe Bongiorno), another talented four-year-old who finished second from post eight as the odds-on choice in the 4YO Open at Yonkers last weekend after posting emphatic 1:50.1 and 1:50 victories over the New York half-mile oval. Either None Bettor A or American History could emerge as the tepid post time choice in here.
Perhaps no horse in recent years has enjoyed a fondness for the local oval like Slick Tony (Russell Foster), another talented four-year-old home bred owned and trained by George "Ronnie" Leager. Slick Tony has won the two mo0st recent editions of the $20,000 Open over the Harrington Raceway oval and boasts previous tallies in the $100,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund finals at ages two and three. He will get some backing from post six, but his support will be largely sentimental.
Several horses along the inside merit respect, although both will be 8-1 or higher. Prairie Panther (Tyler Buter) drew the rail and owns 10 wins from 21 starts this year for trainer Micheal Deters, while Sectionline Bigry (Tyler Smith) makes the quantum leap from Ohio Sire Stakes company at Scioto Downs to the Free-For-All ranks and gets the ultimate acid test here off a sharp 1:49.2 score.
The Quillen is the centerpiece of a stellar card that also includes a $20,000 Open for older pacers featuring Q's Cruise (Tetrick) and Ideal Kiss (Tony Morgan) and Rebellious and the main event is also sandwiched by a pair of $20,000 DSBF elims for two-year-old pacing colts. American Nitro and Apple Valley Hat loom the ones to beat in the first split, while Pacquiao and Leonard's Legacy (Jonathan Roberts) will be tough to beat in the second split.
Although several of the sport's top stars, including Delaware-based Shartin N and Lather Up, are not heading to the Quillen, the race attracted a solid group of eight older pacers from numerous racing jurisdictions. In fact, it seems highly unlikely that any of the starters will go postward below 5-2, especially since the two best horses in the field drew posts seven and eight, respectively.
Maryland-bred Courtly Choice (James MacDonald) won the $525,000 Canadian Pacing Derby two starts back and was second in the $440,000 Jim Ewart Memorial at Scioto Downs last weekend and he would have been the solid choice except for drawing post seven here. The Blake Macintosh trainee has won four of 13 starts this year and 16 of 41 career tries and boasts several Grade I victories, including both the Meadowlands Pace and Little Brown Jug last season at age three en route to being Maryand-bred harness horse of the year.
Backstreet Shadow (Tim Tetrick) has emerged as a budding star and was second as the odds-on choice in the $100,000 Great Northeast Open Series final last Monday at Pocono Downs. The Ron Burke trainee has won 10 of 21 starts this year for trainer Ron Burke, but he drew the dreaded eight hole and could end up being the fourth choice.
Speaking of the Great Northeast Series Open, final hero None Bettor A (Jason Bartlett) will seek his second straight six-figure score in the Quillen and lines up just outside American History (Joe Bongiorno), another talented four-year-old who finished second from post eight as the odds-on choice in the 4YO Open at Yonkers last weekend after posting emphatic 1:50.1 and 1:50 victories over the New York half-mile oval. Either None Bettor A or American History could emerge as the tepid post time choice in here.
Perhaps no horse in recent years has enjoyed a fondness for the local oval like Slick Tony (Russell Foster), another talented four-year-old home bred owned and trained by George "Ronnie" Leager. Slick Tony has won the two mo0st recent editions of the $20,000 Open over the Harrington Raceway oval and boasts previous tallies in the $100,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund finals at ages two and three. He will get some backing from post six, but his support will be largely sentimental.
Several horses along the inside merit respect, although both will be 8-1 or higher. Prairie Panther (Tyler Buter) drew the rail and owns 10 wins from 21 starts this year for trainer Micheal Deters, while Sectionline Bigry (Tyler Smith) makes the quantum leap from Ohio Sire Stakes company at Scioto Downs to the Free-For-All ranks and gets the ultimate acid test here off a sharp 1:49.2 score.
The Quillen is the centerpiece of a stellar card that also includes a $20,000 Open for older pacers featuring Q's Cruise (Tetrick) and Ideal Kiss (Tony Morgan) and Rebellious and the main event is also sandwiched by a pair of $20,000 DSBF elims for two-year-old pacing colts. American Nitro and Apple Valley Hat loom the ones to beat in the first split, while Pacquiao and Leonard's Legacy (Jonathan Roberts) will be tough to beat in the second split.
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