Harrington Raceway set to host Bobby Quillen Memorial
Very few thoroughbred or standardbred tracks offer their best event of the season on a Monday, but such will be the case next Monday at Harrington Raceway if the southern Delaware half-mile oval is spared the brunt and remnants of Hurricane Florence when it hosts the latest renewal of the $150,000 Bobby Quillen Memorial for free-for-all pacers.
Monday's Quillen is the eighth race on a solid 15-race card at Harrington on Monday as the track offers a pair of Open events and the opening round of the Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund eliminations for two-year-old pacing colts and pacing fillies. The Quillen has become one of the rare fixtures for genuine free-for-allers in the Mid-Atlantic region and the $100,000 Potomac Pace at Rosecroft Raceway is rapidly joining the compact list.
Among the eight starters slated to go postward in the Quillen is defending champion, Bit Of A Legend N (Jordan Stratton), who drew post seven while not participating in last Saturday's $44,000 Open Handicap at Yonkers Raceway. Bit Of A Legend N, who sports a 4-6-2 slate and $460,000 banked this year, had tuned up for last year's Quillen by winning the Open Hcp nine days earlier and he also drew post two in that event for trainer Peter Tritton.
Also joining Bit Of A Legend N in the Quillen are several Open regulars at Yonkers. Somewhere In L A (Jason Bartlett) drew post two for trainer Richard Banca and arrives off a modest fourth-place effort from post seven in the Open. Sunfire Blue Chip (Mark MacDonald) arrives in peak form having won the Open last weekend for trainer Jimmy Takter and gets post five in the Quillen.
Evenin Of Pleasure (Joe Bongiorno), hero of the $260,000 Gerrity Memorial at Saratoga earlier this summer for trainer Jenn Bongiorno, drew post six after finishing third as the choice in the Open last weekend. Scott Rocks won the Open last month for trainer Hunter Oakes. Rockin Ron (Yannick Gingras) drew the rail for trainer Ron Burke and brings a solid 5-5-3 slate and $460,000 banked from 19 starts this year. Endeavor (Trace Tetrick) sports the most wins (10) and fastest mark (1:48.3) this year, while local star Blazing Bobby Sox (Art Staffrd, Jr.), hero of the Governor's Cup here in July, drew the dreaded eight hole against genuine free-for-allers.
Monday's opening race is a competitive $15,000 Open I that includes Dailamara, Safensound Hanover, Q's Cruise, JL Flynn, Slick Tony and Options Areadream. Slick Tony won the $100,000 DSBF final for three-year-old pacing colts on Governor's Day for owner-breeder-trainer George "Ronnie" Leager. Safensound Hanover and Options Areadream enjoyed success at Ocean Downs this summer.
Then two races before the Quillen, Inforce, Special T Rocks, Big Secret, Daiymir, Hi Sir, Proper One and Princeoftheforest will meet in the $11,000 Open II. Inforce and Special T Rocks performed well at Ocean Downs this summer, as did Hi Sir, who appears capable of winning on any size oval for owner-trainer-driver Russell Foster.
Races two, three, four, seven and nine are DSBF eliminations for juvenile pacers. Roddy's At It Again (Stafford), The Lady Sheriff (Montrell Teague), Golden Wigglieit (Bart Dalious), Vistamista (Tim Tetrick) and Son Of A Lynx, a half-brother to Slick Tony, all appear to have potential of winning on Monday and emerging as the best of the group in their respective $100,000 finals next month.
Monday's Quillen is the eighth race on a solid 15-race card at Harrington on Monday as the track offers a pair of Open events and the opening round of the Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund eliminations for two-year-old pacing colts and pacing fillies. The Quillen has become one of the rare fixtures for genuine free-for-allers in the Mid-Atlantic region and the $100,000 Potomac Pace at Rosecroft Raceway is rapidly joining the compact list.
Among the eight starters slated to go postward in the Quillen is defending champion, Bit Of A Legend N (Jordan Stratton), who drew post seven while not participating in last Saturday's $44,000 Open Handicap at Yonkers Raceway. Bit Of A Legend N, who sports a 4-6-2 slate and $460,000 banked this year, had tuned up for last year's Quillen by winning the Open Hcp nine days earlier and he also drew post two in that event for trainer Peter Tritton.
Also joining Bit Of A Legend N in the Quillen are several Open regulars at Yonkers. Somewhere In L A (Jason Bartlett) drew post two for trainer Richard Banca and arrives off a modest fourth-place effort from post seven in the Open. Sunfire Blue Chip (Mark MacDonald) arrives in peak form having won the Open last weekend for trainer Jimmy Takter and gets post five in the Quillen.
Evenin Of Pleasure (Joe Bongiorno), hero of the $260,000 Gerrity Memorial at Saratoga earlier this summer for trainer Jenn Bongiorno, drew post six after finishing third as the choice in the Open last weekend. Scott Rocks won the Open last month for trainer Hunter Oakes. Rockin Ron (Yannick Gingras) drew the rail for trainer Ron Burke and brings a solid 5-5-3 slate and $460,000 banked from 19 starts this year. Endeavor (Trace Tetrick) sports the most wins (10) and fastest mark (1:48.3) this year, while local star Blazing Bobby Sox (Art Staffrd, Jr.), hero of the Governor's Cup here in July, drew the dreaded eight hole against genuine free-for-allers.
Monday's opening race is a competitive $15,000 Open I that includes Dailamara, Safensound Hanover, Q's Cruise, JL Flynn, Slick Tony and Options Areadream. Slick Tony won the $100,000 DSBF final for three-year-old pacing colts on Governor's Day for owner-breeder-trainer George "Ronnie" Leager. Safensound Hanover and Options Areadream enjoyed success at Ocean Downs this summer.
Then two races before the Quillen, Inforce, Special T Rocks, Big Secret, Daiymir, Hi Sir, Proper One and Princeoftheforest will meet in the $11,000 Open II. Inforce and Special T Rocks performed well at Ocean Downs this summer, as did Hi Sir, who appears capable of winning on any size oval for owner-trainer-driver Russell Foster.
Races two, three, four, seven and nine are DSBF eliminations for juvenile pacers. Roddy's At It Again (Stafford), The Lady Sheriff (Montrell Teague), Golden Wigglieit (Bart Dalious), Vistamista (Tim Tetrick) and Son Of A Lynx, a half-brother to Slick Tony, all appear to have potential of winning on Monday and emerging as the best of the group in their respective $100,000 finals next month.
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