Weekly Update
Weekly Stable Update
Peter Petrify
Pete is continuing to settle into his new home in Minnesota in Nick Roland’s barn. We expect him to make his Minnesota debut for the stable very soon.
Beef N Cheddar
Beef joined Jamie Sullivan’s barn this past week and wasted no time settling in, making his Delaware debut a winning one with a very gritty wire-to-wire victory at Harrington Raceway. Driver Montrell Teague did a great job keeping Beef going on the front end and holding off the late challengers as he prevailed in a respectable 1:54 and change over the half-mile track. He is right back in to go in the same class on Tuesday night, where he draws the 6 post and looks to make it two in a row.
Manhattan Artist
Arty made his debut for Denny “Booch” Bucceri’s barn at Batavia Downs this past week. He needed a race, as we figured he might, and we expect him to be better for his next start as he continues to settle in. He is back in to go at Batavia this Saturday night, where he draws the 3 post. We expect a stronger effort from him this time out.
Cruzin America
Cruzin turned in a very impressive effort the other night at Scioto Downs in just his second start for the Alexander barn. Despite drawing the 8 post in a ten-horse field, Cruzin got off the gate nicely and was forwardly positioned in the early going. He found racing room late, angled out, and closed strongly for a very game second-place finish. The mile went in a very fast 1:52 and change, and we were very pleased with Cruzin’s effort. We await the entries for his next start and look for another strong race.
Phantom Tom
Tom was supposed to race on Thursday, but the race was postponed due to inclement weather. He is now back in this coming Monday at the Windsor Fair with David Ingraham in the bike, and we look for another strong effort from Tommy Boy this time out.
Dance Machine
Coming off an impressive second-place finish from the 9 post his last time out, Dance Machine put in another solid effort from the 3 post this past week. He finished 4th and continued his on-the-board streak. He is right back in at Batavia this Saturday, where he draws the 3 post yet again in the same class. We are optimistic for another strong effort this time out.
Wonka Bar
Wonka joined Rob Harmon’s stable and made his debut for the new barn this past Saturday at Vernon Downs a jaw-dropping one. He went off as the 1/9 favorite, and even that seemed like a good price on him after what he did to the competition. He absolutely demolished the field, winning by 15 lengths. Driver Chris Long said he wasn’t even asking him, making it a very impressive way to break his maiden, to say the least. Wonka is back in to go from the 5 post at Tioga Downs this coming Monday, where he will face a bit tougher class in an $8,500 race. We look forward to seeing how he handles the step up coming off his first-ever win.
Yamaka
Yammy was back in action at the Windsor Fair this past week and turned in his best effort of the past month, finishing a respectable 3rd. We were happy to see the old man back on the board after a bit of a cold spell and some bad racing luck. We look for him to build off this start and continue to improve as we await the entries for his next race.
RobinTheCradle
Robin stepped up in class for a $14,000 race and went up against some tough pacers at Northfield Park. Although he wasn’t much of a factor throughout the race, he made a strong move on the outside late, made up some ground, and finished 5th, managing to pick up a check for the stable.
DiscoveringTheHunt
Hunt stepped up in class yet again to a $28,000 race, where she turned in a respectable 5th-place effort from the 6 post, earning another nice check for the stable. She is right back in at Yonkers Friday night in a $23,000 race, where she moves inside to the 3 post and gets driver Steve Smith in the bike. We look for another strong effort from Hunt as she continues to compete in some very high classes.
Besta Blue Chip
Our Chapter Seven yearling, Besta Blue Chip, joined Rob Harmon’s team and made his debut for the barn this past Monday at Yonkers Raceway. He was able to stay flat and earn a 5th-place check in just his fourth lifetime start. With the Sire Stakes winding down for the summer, Rob made the call that he thinks we should give Besta the rest of the year off to finish maturing, geld him, and bring him back fresh for his 3-year-old season.
Top Notch Treasure
Top Notch ran a game second in a $17,328 Sire Stakes race this Friday at the Windsor Fair. Although he did not get the win, he has been very impressive so far and now moves to 4-for-6 early in his 2-year-old career, along with a second and a third. He has still never finished outside of the top three. We await the entries for his next start as he looks to get back into the win column and make it 5-for-7.
