EDITOR S EYE. By Derick

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1 Weekend THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2019 DRF.COM/HARNESS DRF HARNESS HOME DEPOSIT $50 BET WITH GET YOUR BONUS READY. SET. BET. $200! Top Links & What s Inside Get Analysis Bergman: Hudson taking Down Under route to rejuvenate his career, Page 4 Gisser: Time to create a spectacle for our major races, Page 5 Cushing/Gibbs having success on the NY/NJ circuit, Page 6 On The Backstretch: Profile of driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr, Page 7 Handicapper s Corner: Best bets and video analysis, Page 9 Industry Headlines: Meadowlands cancels then reinstates Governor s Cup, Three Diamonds, Page 10 Questions? Comments? Have something to say? Editor Derick Giwner DGiwner@DRF.com DRF BETS HARNESS PPS DIGITAL HARNESS EYE ENTRIES NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE Rolling Harness Racing into the future The sport of bowling has embraced technology and greatly enhanced its telecast. Now is the time for Harness Racing to follow suit. EDITOR S EYE By Derick It seems like only yesterday that I posted this piece on the declining relationship between bowling and harness racing. Nearly five years has passed and it seems that at least one of the two sports has found new life. In 2018, the Professional Bowlers Association signed a deal with Fox Sports to televise 30 events in 2019, with the majority broadcast live and many in prime time. Perhaps more importantly, bowling will return to network television, where it was a mainstay from 1962 until the late 1990s on ABC. FOX is scheduled to air four events in 2019 with three of them live. Prior to this new deal, bowling was edging close to the gutter, with live telecasts banished to the online streaming ESPN 3 network on many occasions and down to just 17 total broadcasts in The exposure certainly increases now with FS1 available in over 80 million households according to Wikipedia. Some will argue that being in front of millions of eyes alone is a plus for bowling and maybe they are right. For me, it comes down to whether the product is engaging. As a fan and participant in bowling since my early teens, there was a time when I wouldn t miss the weekly telecast of the sport. I bowled dozens of games a week and enjoyed watching the sport played at the ultimate level on TV. But my interest waned over time, partially because I wasn t bowling as much and due to the lack of innovation in the broadcasts. Bowling tried to innovate with background music and making the sport more hip to no avail throughout much of the last 10 years. It was the same ol thing with loud music. While the equipment in bowling, like harness racing, has seen major advancements in the last 20 years, technology in the broadcasts was left behind (though at least it was being shown in HD, unlike many Standardbred races). That is where the PBA has rolled a 300 game in this new relationship with Fox Sports. It s called Specto StrikeTrack technology according to this release from Fox Sports and it provides viewers with detailed data on how each bowler is attacking the lanes. You get everything from ball speed and revolutions per minute to a traced path of each ball down the lane. This information was especially enlightening on the January 27 broadcast when each of the two lanes used had different oil patterns, which resulted in the bowlers using completely different approaches to success. With the higher visibility and new bells and whistles bowling instantly went from a sport I haven t watched regularly in decades to something I already set my DVR to record in case I m not around for the next live event. CONTINUED ON PAGE Ohio Sires Stakes 2 & 3-Year-Old Nominations due March 15, 2019 schedule & nomination forms available at Kimberly Rinker OSDF Administrator kim.rinker@racing.ohio.gov 2019 Daily Racing Form, LLC rd Ave, 12th Floor, NY, NY 10017

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3 The TV screen can almost look video game-like during current bowling telecasts. CONTINUED from page 1 It s amazing what can be accomplished when you work harder to engage your customers. What the PBA has achieved in terms of exposure and advancement is something that harness racing can certainly learn from. We have but one national telecast in the U.S. (the Hambletonian) and virtually no technology to entice viewers to pay attention. We ve discussed ad nauseam the merits of harness racing being on TV. Meadowlands Chairman Jeff Gural is a staunch supporter of the sport being on TV while others feel that we have little to gain by exposing the sport to a wider audience without a clear plan in place. For my money, while it can t hurt to be in front of more eyes, are we really displaying the best of our sport by simply doing the same thing we ve been doing for years? Yes, a purist will say the race itself along with a feature on one of the participants should be enough, but it simply is not. This is where we need to get on board with incorporating more technology. Perhaps that is the missing piece to the puzzle to making harness racing more appealing to a general audience. Just off the top of my head... 1) Wireless cameras and mics on all drivers in the televised races with the ability to switch to those feeds at the director s will. 2) Use of animation. Check out this great replay of the 2019 Prix d Amerique as part of PMU Tracking. 3) Interviews with all trainers pre-race and all drivers post-race so people feel like they are behind the scenes. 4) On-screen graphics to provide a clear picture of where all horses are during the race and how the race is progressing. This makes the viewing experience easier for the novice. I m sure there are many other options available to better display harness racing to both newbies and veteran players. With $429 million in purse money distributed in 2018 at U.S. tracks, certainly there are funds available to invest in the technology that could bring our sport to a new level in terms of visibility. One final area where bowling is doing a great job is sending a singular message to the public that the sport is fun and participation is easy. They created GoBowling.com where anyone can instantly find a bowling alley in their neighborhood. The site reminds me of the Harness Racing Fan Zone, except that GoBowling was clearly better funded and the goals are more focused Go bowling and here is how to do it. It makes you wonder if the Fan Zone could ve reached the same level if the industry continued to provide funding. It would be nice if anyone in the country could plug in their zip code and find the nearest racetrack along with getting a free $2 betting voucher or a program. It is possible to move the sport forward, but only if we innovate and work together. Nominations for the $1,750,000 (Est.) George Morton Levy Memorial and $1,000,000 (Est.) Blue Chip Matchmaker close February 15, 2019 Yonkers Raceway DRF Harness Weekend 3 February 7, 2019

4 Hudson taking the Down Under route to rejuvenate his career Betterb Chevron N has won all three of her starts since coming to the United States. Mike Lizzi jaywalking By Jay Bergman BergmanJay Training a small or large stable of horses has its challenges. For Lance Hudson, who sent 368 horses to post in 2010, the years that followed proved to be his most difficult. I was burned out and really didn t have that many horses, Hudson said, recalling what would be a low point in the 48-year-old s career. Fast forward to January of 2019 and the same Hudson appears more than full of life as he has just completed the best month of his entire career, winning nearly half of his starts and showcasing horses at the top level at Yonkers Raceway. I d say it has a lot to do with the type of horses I ve gotten to train, said Hudson about his latest collection, primarily imported and dominated by a single owner, William Hartt. I ve known Bill since I was 16 years old, said Hudson, who along with the owner is a native of Maine. He s always had horses. More recently he s been focused on buying the best horses he can find. For the most part that challenge has led to the Southern Hemisphere where Hudson and some rather sharp agents have come up with quality in quantity for the pair to share and prosper with. I get to see a lot of the races myself, said Hudson, I have some people down there who train the horses for me. I m looking for horses that can pace a quarter in 27 seconds and aren t running out. I also want horses with predominantly American bloodlines. January has seen Hudson as a dominant force with high-level pacers of both sexes racing and winning at an elite level. On the mare side, it s Bettorb Chevron N going undefeated in three starts while working her way up the class ladder. The daughter of Bettor s Delight flashed that 27-second kicker Hudson was looking for in her second victory and then got the trainer off to a fast start in February capturing the $44,000 Open this past Friday. In another era horses coming over from the Southern Hemisphere generally took time to acclimate but Hudson has been more fortunate with some. Bettorb Chevron N was ready just seven days after she arrived, said Hudson of the pacing mare purchased for $110,000. In just three starts Bettorb Chevron N has returned $48,000 of the investment and the trainer is hopeful this is just the start of good things to come. We ll be nominating her for the Blue Chip Matchmaker, said Hudson. Another fast learner and quick earner has been Don Domingo N. This son of American Ideal has strung together four victories without defeat in the new year for the Hartt-Hudson team, including a win last Saturday night at a level below Open company. Though happy with the progress, Hudson was pretty straightforward assessing Don Domingo N, He s not my best one, Hudson said. Before being asked the obvious, Hudson moved quickly on to Micky Gee N, a now 6-year-old son of Bettor s Delight. He got sick with a few others and I stopped with him, Hudson said of Micky Gee N, a sixtime winner in nine North American starts, all at Yonkers last year. He s been training back super and he ll qualify this Friday. Purchased for $88,000 last year, Micky Gee N had the luxury of racing in the non-winners classes for a good amount of time earning himself out of the class in October and moving into the Preferred level for just one start. Hudson is clearly enamored with the horse but even more with sire Bettor s Delight. I love the Bettor s Delights. They have some issues with their feet, Hudson said. But if you take care of that they are all racehorse. Micky Gee N earned $66,000 before getting a rest and Hudson sees him as the likely leader in what could be a large number of Levy nominations. We could put as many as six horses into the Levy, said Hudson, who saw his stable go over the $1 million mark in earnings last year and appears on target to well exceed that number in Making the most of their investments, one would have to consider Military Master A the best return on purchase price to date as the $52,000 purchase more than doubled that number in just 11 starts last year for Hudson. Also by Bettor s Delight, the now 8-year-old won two Open events at Yonkers last fall before a bout with sickness ended his season. Even though the horses we re bringing over are older horses, most of them haven t had that many starts, said Hudson. Military Master A had just 42 lifetime starts racing nearly five years Down Under before making his North American debut. As big a fan of Bettor s Delight as Hudson has become, he did point out a recent affinity for the late Somebeachsomewhere. Perhaps the reason for that is the success he s already had with two recent arrivals by that great stallion. Owner Hartt picked up Fashionbythebeach at the end of 2018 and the 6-year-old has won two of his three starts at Yonkers this season. The owner and trainer were at The Meadowlands for the January Mixed Sale and Hudson had a bit of apprehension when Captain Deo, a 4-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere was in the ring. We had talked about bidding up to $100,000 for the horse, said Hudson of his pre-game plan. But like I said, Bill wanted the horse and he went to $115,000 to get him. After a nondescript first outing for Hudson at Yonkers, Captain Deo returned on Monday night over that same oval and made a blistering last-to-first rally to capture a $20,000 non-winners of 6 pari-mutuel event. I was a little worried when we got him but I feel better now, said Hudson following the victory. Far from burned out now, Hudson and his stable of 20 are gearing up for action at Golden Shoe Training Center in Middletown, New York and if early 2019 returns are any indication, it will be a stable well worth following. DRF Harness Weekend 4 February 7, 2019

5 Time to create a grand spectacle for our major races CONFESSIONS By Keith Gisser The French have given us plenty of great things over the years: Champagne; French Fries; French Toast; The Coneheads. Okay, french fries are from Belgium; french toast is from the ancient Roman empire and the Coneheads are from planet Remulak. At least Champagne is really French, and a lot of the bubbly was being popped January 27 when Belina Josselyn became the first mare to win the Prix d Amerique in 20 years while in line to Jean-Michel Bazire. It was his fourth win in the race, the first coming with the magnificent Moni Maker, the last mare to take the title (in 1999). The 1999 race was the first Prix d Amerique I watched. Mostly, I wanted to see Moni Maker race against the European stars. But as I watched, I became absolutely captivated by the event. Its majesty, pomp and grandeur made it far more than a horse race to those attending or watching via simulcast. The Prix d Amerique immediately moved ahead of the Elitlopp in Sweden as my favorite foreign race. I vowed to attend one live, and perhaps someday I will. But for now, I watch every year on television or computer, always making a wager, sometimes small, sometimes larger, and usually failing to cash, but it doesn t matter. The event, featuring 18 of the top trotters in the world, was started in 1920 to pay tribute to the Americans for helping the French in World War I. A total of 40,000 people (an actual ticketed number, not a made up county fair attendance) converge on the Vincennes Hippodrome de Paris each January to witness the race, which features a purse of 900,000 euros or about $1.035 million. Many of these spectators take advantage of free bus or metro shuttles to get them there! That s right, public transit subsidizing horse race attendance. There s an idea we need to try on our side of the pond. The casinos do it all the time, why don t the racetracks? There is a lot more we can take from the Paris race to draw new fans into the sport on these shores. First and foremost, the Europeans go all out to put on an entertaining event. As Dean Hoffman, the former editor of Hoof Beats magazine, was there this year and explained, The French really do know how to put on the show. This is a very special race and they give it a real American feel in many ways, with motorcycles and Wild West track riders this year. I love this pageantry, but I also recognize that it takes a lot of planning and preparation because it has so many moving parts. And surely the cost is enormous. We really don t have anything like that here. Freehold has its Open Space Pace, but not a notable race to go with the celebration of racing. The Meadowlands has offered various fan fest and carnival type activities to promote the Hambletonan. Years ago Steve Wolf s protégé Vince Silvestro appeared at a number of tracks including Northfield and Pompano, offering a fireworks display from the back of his jog cart. And other tracks have brought in bands and food trucks, but not to the celebratory level we see in France. Hoffman added, One thing that didn t cost too much was pairing each of the drivers in the big race with a young boy or girl as they were introduced. I am sure it was a thrill for the kids and it really gave it a heartfelt touch. This is not a new idea. We see it in every professional soccer match from the minor league USL2 here in the States to the Premiership in England to the World Cup. And while it wouldn t be feasible at every track, depending on paddock location, imagine that we combine the soccer/prix d Amerique concept with a little bit of World Wrestling Entertainment. Before the big race (not every race), the horse is walked to the winner s circle or some other public area and as we hear the track announcer say, And now let s meet ABC Hanover s driver, John Campbell! Campbell comes out to the track from a private area, theme music playing, fans on either side high-fiving him, with a youngster carrying his helmet. He gets to the horse, gets his helmet from the kid and mounts up. A bit dramatic, but it sure would make for a good visual. And I guarantee that kid will become a fan for life. This is just one small, easy thing we can take from Paris. I realize that adding these theatrics will not add a dollar to anyone s DRF Harness Weekend 5 February 7, 2019 LeTrot A large crowd watched Belina Josselyn s Prix d Amerique win. wagering pocket, but they may get a local news station out to cover the big race. They will help us find some causal racegoers to check it out and maybe they will turn into longtime fans and bettors. It is something we generally take for granted here in the United States. With the possible exception of the Hambletonian, The Little Brown Jug and perhaps the Breeders Crown (different situation since it is a series of races), we often tend to ignore the show and worry solely about the bettors. As Hoffman concluded in his note to me, I remember going many years ago to a big race in New York and the horses paraded without any fanfare at all. I had traveled a long way to see this race and thought it was something special. Apparently the track did not. The only way you could tell the difference between this big race and the one before or the one after was by looking at the purse. There was absolutely no pageantry or buildup. That was very disappointing to me. It s a small thing, but it is a thing we have to fix. If the grandeur of Paris can get me up early on a Sunday morning to watch the best trotters in the world, certainly the local track can put something together to motivate you. Now go cash. Perhaps on Belina Josselyn in her next start. And if not, we ll always have Paris. See you next month Stakes Payments for February are due: they must be postmarked by February 18! Click here for forms, or visit ONE CHECK (US Funds) PAYABLE TO AND MAILED TO: The Hambletonian Society, Inc. 109 South Main Street, Suite 18 Cranbury, NJ Tel (609) I Fax (609) or davidjanes@hambletonian.org website: Supporting and encouraging the breeding of Standardbred horses for more than 95 years

6 Cushing/Gibbs having success on the New York/New Jersey circuit Discover By Jay Bergman Trainer Heidi Gibbs and her fiancé Ron Cushing spend their summers racing in Maine and at Plainridge. While they have been doing so successfully for years, the couple is most unconventional in that they look to capitalize in the metropolitan New York area during the winter and early spring. I m from Michigan and have raced winters in Ontario and Detroit, said Cushing. I think it s the best time for us to race here with a lot of the stables resting. The strategy has paid nicely for the pair and on Saturday they ll send out three at The Meadowlands with perhaps some of their better stock on the sidelines preparing for future action. Actually I just bought another one, said Cushing of Mach Doro A, the most recent addition to their stable that just arrived from the Southern Hemisphere. I have a very good friend named Frank Ranaldi who has been finding horses for me for more than 20 years, Cushing said. This horse raced five weeks ago in the Inter Dominion. Rinaldi also sent Cushing Bettors Fire N last year and after some bouts with sickness, Cushing has been on a roll with the 11-year-old son of Bettor s Delight. I haven t driven a lot of great horses like some catch drivers, Cushing said, But Bettors Fire N is definitely the best horse I ve ever driven. Last week we were in an impossible spot and he flew home. If the race was another 50 yards he would have won. That was in Open company at Yonkers from post eight and Cushing hopes that his veteran, along with his most recent acquisition, will be able to make a splash in the Levy Series in March. He s an older horse and I think this is the last window for him to take a shot at the Levy, said Cushing. I m not so sure that the six straight weeks is something that will be good for him but hopefully if we can get a few wins and he ll be able to take a week off. Frank (Ranaldi) was racing him at a high level but it got kind of tough doing that. He had just one horse for the class and there are other trainers down there like Burke up here that have three horses in each race, Cushing said. He (Ranaldi) just thought this would be a good time to test Bettors Fire N in North America. Cushing will be in the bike on Saturday at The Meadowlands in race 12 behind Delightful Offer N from post six. Originally his son Mitchell, who has been doing quite well catch-driving this winter at The Meadowlands, was listed to drive but he got a call from trainer Jeff Cullipher to guide Incredible Shark in the same event. Mitchell was working for me a few days but he was making much more money catch-driving, said Cushing. He wasn t going to make that kind of money working for me. Cushing is happy with Delightful Offer N, as the 8-year-old has earned about $70K since arriving on these shores. He fits well with that field, Cushing said. Mitchell will drive Kenrick N for the stable in the evening s eighth race and Cushing is hopeful that the 7-year-old will return to winning form. I ve been a little disappointed in him, said Cushing. When he got here he paced in (1) :50 and :49 and change and was very good. But he got sick on me and since he s come back he hasn t raced close to where he started out. Kenrick N drew post eight. Show Me Up drew outside as well on Saturday with the 12-yearold compromised some by post 10. He s a horse we picked up for $7,500 in December, Cushing said. He s raced well for us with a win and a third. Show Me Up is entered in a $12,500 claiming event with son Mitchell in the bike. Heidi Gibbs has 16 horses stabled with Cushing at Mark Ford s training center with four of those 2-year-olds. The couple also has four head back in Maine. The Meadowlands has a 13-race program slated for Saturday night with first post listed at 7:15 p.m. Find your favorite tracks, PPs, wagering, and everything you need to win, faster than ever before. Easily find your next bet with the upcoming race ticker Read highlights of the most important headlines & races Quickly access the latest videos & analysis Finding your favorite track is a breeze with new filters Get instant news updates from a live Twitter feed VISIT DRF HARNESS NOW DRF Harness Weekend 6 February 7, 2019

7 Did you ever want to know more than just the statistics of your favorite trainers and drivers? Derick Giwner took to the backstretch to ask them some more unorthodox questions. Driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr What kind of car do you drive? Jeep Wrangler Favorite dinner meal? Snack? Steak & Lobster. I have Celiac disease so I can t eat any gluten, which means very few snacks. What is your favorite track to race at? Probably Northfield Park, but I enjoy racing at The Meadows and I like Hoosier Park. With Northfield I have a pretty good relationship with most of the drivers and trainers, so it makes it feel more like home. When you leave the track, are the races still on your mind? No. I m pretty good at shutting it off. I don t usually talk about horses unless I m at the track. What is the longest time you ve sat in traffic trying to get to a track? A couple of years ago I spent two to three hours in traffic in Columbus on my way to Miami Valley. I never made it to the races. Do you study the past performances before showing up at the track? No. A lot of the overnight horses I know pretty well, so I don t even have to look at the program. After I see the draw, I kind of remember who I have in that day, but I don t really look at it until I get to the track. Who is your best friend on the backstretch? So I don t get anyone mad at me, I ll pick my buddy who just got into horses not too long ago Cubbie Van Wagoner. What is your favorite thing to do when you are not racing? Golf or spend time with my family. What is your favorite sport? Team? Football - Cowboys. What is one thing about you most fans/bettors don t know? That I d rather win a (golf) club championship than a big horse race. I say that as a joke somewhat. I do care about the horses, but I m a big family person and I take a lot more days off than some other drivers would, even though I had the second most starts in the country last year. JJ Zamaiko Ronnie Wrenn Jr joined by wife Briana and son Easton after winning his 5,000th race at Northfield Park on Wednesday night. What is one word that describes harness racing for you? Passion. If you don t have passion you can t be in this sport. It is more of a lifestyle. Not everybody is cut out for it. Do you have a driving style? Aggressively conservative. I like to be both. A lot of people probably think I m aggressive, but I like to be conservative. Maybe tactical is the best word. If you weren t a driver, what would you be doing? I don t know if I have the ability but I would ve liked to be a professional golfer. I wish I would ve started playing when I was younger. It s pretty addicting. You watch these guys play every week in 80 and 90 degree weather while we re out racing in 30 and 40 degree weather. I can t help but think, what is wrong with us. How good of a golfer are you? What is your handicap? I only started playing about two years ago. I m a handicap. I just like the game. What is the best advice you ve ever received about harness racing? Take the good days with the bad days. In Harness Racing.300 is a good average for a driver, so that pretty much means you are failing seven times out of 10. CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 DRF Harness Weekend 7 February 7, 2019

8 CONTINUED from page 7 What was your best moment in harness racing? I won 10 races in one night before. I won five big races on Super Night at Scioto Downs a couple of years ago. I think two or three were Ohio Sire Stakes and the rest were like other Grand Circuit races that were in town that night. What is the one race would you d most like to win? Little Brown Jug, now that I m an Ohio guy. Do you recognize yourself as an Ohio guy now? I live in Ohio. I was born and raised in Michigan and I love the Wolverines. Which is the best horse you ve ever driven? Aaron Merriman asked me that the other day and I couldn t come up with an answer. I don t know if he was the best horse I ve ever driven, but Southwind Amazon is like a war horse. I think he had 22 wins last year. Other than that, maybe Up The Credit, who I drove for Carl Jamieson. If you had the power to change one thing in the sport, what would it be? Being a Northfield Park regular, the time between the races and the length of the post parades. Also trying to modernize the sport. The nights when we have overnight races are pretty dead. We need to find a way to provide more entertainment and perhaps do better advertising. Did you always want to be a driver? No. I didn t jog my first horse until I was 20 and drive my first until I was 21 maybe. I was in college for a little bit and I played college baseball. I didn t really have the desire because even though my dad was in the business for a long time, he got out for a little bit when I was in middle school and high school, so I wasn t around it too much. I do remember when I was 19 or 20 and I told my dad I wanted to drive. he looked at me like I was crazy. It was hard in the beginning. I was clueless about everything. I had no idea what it was about. With a lot of luck and some faith, it has worked out. What does 5,000 wins mean to you? It is a great accomplishment and very humbling. I never thought in a million years that I d get to 1,000 wins no less 5,000, and to do it at just 32 is incredible. I m just very fortunate to move to Ohio and get the opportunity to drive for some really good trainers with good horses. Things just worked out. You watch Aaron Merriman drive regularly. How is it even possible to start that many times every year? He s like an immortal. There is no one else I ve met in the business like him. He just finds a way to stay motivated every day. I think if you asked anybody in the business, that is probably tough to do with as many ups and downs as there are. He s special, and he s very talented too. Obviously he gets to drive good horses and I m sure that helps too. He s earned everything for sure. I d want to do it. I ve been asked a couple of times in the past and I didn t really want to after moving to Ohio. I found a good spot, I can take some time off here and there to enjoy myself and my family. I just had a little boy and I don t have to be on the road every day. With Ohio getting better, maybe we ll have a couple of horses on the Grand Circuit were I can go over for the big races and come right back. Is your career where you thought it would be at this point? No, but I feel like I m a motivated person and when I decide to do something I go all in and put in a big effort. I feel like that part got me to where I am now. When I first started, I wanted to promote myself, so beng a Michigan kid where racing was dying, I decided to race in overnights in Lexington for little money, or Running Aces and then Buffalo. I drove everywhere to get to know people. That part kind of helped out. I remember racing at Hazel Park and getting done at 11:30 and driving 10 1/2 hours to go to Running Aces for the next day s card, and it wasn t to drive for $100,000. My family also gave me an opportunity to drive. My uncle Pete (Wrenn) helped me out a lot. He was the first guy I worked for in the business. Follow Obviously things are going well in Ohio, but do you have any desire to be more of a Grand Circuit driver? Not really. If the opportunity even presented itself I don t even think DRF Harness Weekend 8 February 7, 2019

9 At DRF Harness we strive to provide the best handicapping information in the sport. Use this information as one of your tools when wagering or simply click on the link above and head to DRF Bets to wager now. Happy Handicapping! RACE 8 Thursday, february 7 Derick Giwner & Matt Rose discuss races from Miami Valley & The Meadowlands for Friday. UPCOMING STAKES SCHEDULE Yonkers - March $50,000 Levy Memorial Legs 1-3 $40,000 Blue Chip Matchmaker Legs 1-3 $50,000 Petticoat Final $50,000 Sagamore Hill Final Miami Valley - March $25,000 Ray Paver Sr. Memorial Final $25,000 Herb Coven Jr. Memorial Final $25,000 George Williams Memorial Final the meadows - March $17,500 Donna Dunn Memorial Final $17,500 Mary Wohlmuth Memorial Final $17,500 Ken Weaver Memorial Final Dover - April $100,000 DSBF Finals 3YO C&F Trot (9) SPORTJET RAY got herself in a traffic jam in the final 1/4 last week and she would have been much closer with a clean trip. I ll stick with her at a price here. -Garnet Barnsdale RACE 13 (1) SPANISH ART sat behind a slow pace and lost any shot last week. He should take care of business here as the chalk. -Derick Giwner RACE 2 (2) MAJOR BUCKS gets major post relief and was Brennan s logical choice; this field didn t come up that strong and the gelding has a big chance. The pick in the second. -Matt Rose RACE 6 (3) MORE DRAGON has been making middle moves in his recent races but coming up well short in the stretch. Ricky Bucci trainee takes another class drop and should come up big. -Giwner Friday, february 8 Saturday, february 9 full card analysis / past performances $100,000 DSBF Finals 3YO C&F Pace Meadowlands (FRI) Analysis Meadowlands (SAT) Analysis Yonkers - April $200,000(Added) Levy Memorial Final + Legs 4-5 $125,000 (Added) Blue Chip Matchmaker Final + Legs 4-5 $55,000 (Added) SOA Bonus Trot Final + Legs 1-3 DRF Harness Weekend 9 February 7, 2019 Mohawk Park (FRI) Analysis Mohawk Park (SAT) Analysis Yonkers (FRI) Analysis Yonkers (SAT) Analysis DHP PPs harness eye PPs trackmaster PPs FREE PPS Want full-card analysis? Visit DRF.com/harness

10 NEWS FROM AROUND THE HARNESS INDUSTRY Governor s Cup, Three Diamonds back for now In response to Tuesday s announcement regarding the cancellation of the Governor s Cup and Three Diamonds stakes, several of last year s contributing sponsors have indicated that they would renew their support for the 2019 season. As a result and with the February 15 deadline looming, The Meadowlands will accept nomination payments on those stakes while continuing to seek sponsorships. A decision on the fate of the stakes will then be made by early March. The unfortunate truth is that the entire stakes sponsorship program is down significantly from 2018 and the purse supplement granted by the NJ Legislature does not allocate any funds for the Grand Circuit stakes. [EDITOR S NOTE: The minimum $1 million payment for the purse account from sports wagering is not subject to the same restrictions according to the SBOANJ.] Wrenn gets win No. 5,000 on Wednesday Ronnie Wrenn Jr. made his 5,000th trip to the winner s circle after winning with Body Of Work in Northfield Park s 3rd race on Wednesday (Feb. 6). Body Of Work (2:00 1/5) won by a full length and was heavily favored, returning $2.60 to win. It was the 11th career score for the 6-year-old trotter, who now has $133,763 in earnings. The 32-year-old Wrenn began driving in His 5,000 wins have helped him garner almost $31.5 million in purse earnings. Wrenn is consistently among the top drivers in the country. He won the 2013 and 2014 national dash driving titles, finished third in 2015 and 2016, fifth in 2017 and second in Lorentzon, Ultimate Shopper seek success at Miami Valley Anette Lorentzon shares a special connection with Ultimate Shopper, and it goes beyond winning races and money. The 6-year-old mare, who competes Friday in the Howard Beissinger Memorial Medley for trotters at Miami Valley Raceway, was one of two yearlings Lorentzon bought at the 2014 Lexington Selected Sale after being diagnosed with cancer. Lorentzon, who has overcome bone cancer and last year posted career highs for training wins and purses, purchased Ultimate Shopper for $140,000. She was familiar with the horse s family, having conditioned Ultimate Shopper s dam, Adelaide Hall, who finished third behind Possess The Magic and Pampered Princess in the 2006 Breeders Crown for 2-year-old filly trotters. Season fast approaching at The Downs at Pocono The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono is pleased to announce its 2019 racing season schedule. The track in Northeast PA is looking forward to another tremendous season of racing. Opening night has been set for Saturday, March 16, and there will be a limited schedule in the month of March, with racing on Tuesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Starting in April, the track will move to the full schedule of four days a week. Post Time for Saturdays and Sundays throughout the season, with some exceptions, will be 7:00pm, and Mondays and Tuesdays will have a 4:00pm post. During the months of March and April, fans will receive a free live racing program on Mondays and Tuesdays. Stakes action kicks off on opening night with the Secretary s Series for 4 and older, and the finals for the series starts Sunday, April 19th. In addition, the Bobby Weiss Series returns Monday, April 1st, and continues throughout the spring. Finals for the Bobby Weiss begin on Monday, April 29th. Other stakes action in the spring and summer includes the PA All-Stars beginning on Saturday, May 11th; the PA Stallion Series starting May 19th; and the PA Sire Stakes kicking off on May 19th as well. Burke reflects on big weekend at The Meadowlands Yannick Gingras, Ron Burke and big action highlighted a huge weekend of racing at the Meadowlands last Friday and Saturday (Feb. 1-2). Formal records aren t available, but when it comes to what Burke and Gingras combined to do last week, they likely aren t necessary. Since the inception of the Big M racing primarily twice a week in 2013, it s hard to imagine any trainer-driver team winning 11 times (in only 13 starts) over the course of a weekend, as Burke and Gingras did a week ago, combining to win five times Friday before taking a halfdozen winner s circle trips Saturday. Yannick thought we had won six in a night once before, said Burke, but to go back-to-back like we did is really hard to do. Haveoneforme looking to make up for lost time Richard Nifty Norman is looking forward to watching his 3-yearold female trotters this season and is getting an early look at one of them that he didn t get to see in action on the racetrack last year. Haveoneforme was unraced at age 2 because of soundness issues. She made her career debut Jan. 25 and defeated a field of mostly older horses, both male and female, in a conditioned class at the Meadowlands. She returns to the same class Friday and is the 9-5 morningline favorite from post eight with Dexter Dunn in the sulky. DRF Harness Weekend 10 February 7, 2019