A Who’s Who of
Harness Racing’s Elite Expected to Compete in 2013
NICHOLS, NY – Tioga Downs and Vernon Downs report increases
in the number of horses made eligible to most of its stakes races after the
April 15 sustaining payments.
Vernon’s premier aged trotting stakes, the Credit Winner
Open Trot and the Muscle Hill Aged Mare Trot, saw slight increases with 33 and
29 nominations respectively.
The Credit Winner eligibles are highlighted by defending
champion Hot Shot Blue Chip plus a host of top four-year-olds including
Hambletonian winner Market Share, Breeders’ Crown winner Intimidate, and the
Jimmy Takter-trained duo of Guccio and Little Brown Fox.
The Credit Winner and Muscle Hill will each be raced on
September 6 at Vernon Downs.
Tioga’s top aged pacing events, the Roll With Joe (formerly the Bettor’s Delight) and the Artiscape saw numbers nearly equal to last year with 28 males in the Roll With Joe and 19 mares in the Artiscape.
The Roll With Joe features all of the aged pacing divisions
superstars entering 2013 including Foiled Again, Golden Receiver and Bettor
Sweet, plus an all-star cast of four-year-olds led by Sweet Lou, Heston Blue
Chip, Bolt The Duer and Pet Rock.
The Roll With Joe and Artiscape kick off Tioga’s open stakes
season on Sunday, June 9.
“We’re very pleased with the horsemen’s continued support of
our stakes program,” said Jason Bluhm, Tioga Downs and Vernon Downs Regional
Director of Racing. “I think I speak for all of the fans when I say I’m really
looking forward to seeing how the group of four-year-olds stacks up against the
aged horses.”
“The past two Horses of the Year, San Pail and Chapter
Seven, have each raced in the Credit Winner and we’re hoping to once again
showcase the sport’s premier trotters to our fans and horseplayers again,” said
Scott Warren, Vernon Downs Director of Racing.
The Kindergarten Classic for two-year-old trotters saw a six
percent increase in nominations with more than 340 colts and fillies paid into
the event. The list of eligibles includes 39 freshmen from the much anticipated
first crop of world champion Muscle Hill. The Kindergarten Classic begins
August 2 at the Meadowlands with the $200,000e final on October 25 at Vernon Downs.
