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1 Weekend THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2018 DRF.COM/HARNESS DRF HARNESS HOME DRF BETS HARNESS PPS DIGITAL HARNESS EYE ENTRIES NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE 300% DEPOSIT MATCH BONUS JOIN NOW Donovan, Cleary teaming up with Irish imports Owner Bill Donovan has been supporting racing in Ireland and recently brought back some of those horses to the United States JAYWALKING By Jay Top Links & What s Inside Get Analysis International Moni to stand at Hanover Shoe Farms READ MORE Marks: Volomite pacing line continues to prosper, Page 4 Giwner: Wagering changes coming to Meadowlands in 2019, Page 5 Darlinonthebeach nearing switch to the breeding shed, Page 5 On The Backstretch: Looking back at the Best of 2018, Page 6 Aaron Merriman voted Driver of the Year for 2018, Page 8 Crawford, Cotolo & Gooden to receive awards from USHWA, Page 8 Handicapper s Corner: Best bets and video analysis, Page 8 Foiled Again, Burke, Weaver Last weekend marked a first at The Meadowlands. Typically late into December the track is an outlet for horsemen who compete regularly in Pennsylvania and New York that find themselves with fewer racing options. The influx of shippers is a blessing to those accustomed to watching races that look eerily the same from week to week. While the rush from shuttered Yonkers, Saratoga, Harrah s Philadelphia and The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono was predictable, the arrival of three particular pacers was not. That s because at no time in the long history of the East Rutherford, New Jersey mile track has there ever been three horses on the scene that had raced in Ireland in the same calendar year and competed here. Mr (Bill) Donovan had gone back to Ireland and discovered his ancestry, said Robert Cleary, one of his trainers. He decided to buy a couple of yearlings a few years ago and send them over there to race as 2 and 3-year-olds. Rebel Rouser, a son of Rock N Roll Heaven, will make his second Meadowlands start on Saturday after scoring his first victory in North America last Saturday night. I was a little disappointed with him to be honest, said Cleary of Rebel Rouser s dry Dave Briggs Bill Donovan has owned many top horses including Maven and Youaremycandygirl. spell. When we qualified him, he came a last quarter in :27 2/5. He had a spell of three or four races where things didn t work out for him. The first time the track was deep and loose and he didn t get over it. Then he broke a hopple. Rebel Rouser, a 4-year-old gelding co-owned by Donovan with Donal Murphy, his trainerdriver in Ireland, did not race as a 2-year-old then won three of his four races in Ireland in For the Irish native Cleary, who now trains 11-head at White Birch Farm, Rebel Rouser represents the lower third of expectations from the recent imports. A lot more was expected from Reclamation and Robyn Camden, Cleary said. Robyn Camden had Bruscemi to be honored, Page 9 CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 Happy New Year from the Ohio Sires Stakes Daily Racing Form, LLC rd Ave, 12th Floor, NY, NY 10017

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3 CONTINUED from page 1 won all of her races until the other night. Donovan co-owns Reclamation, a 4-year-old by A Rocknroll Dance that finally got the measure of her rival Robyn Camden in last Friday s $12,000 conditioned event, yet in the end lost a neck decision in a 1:51 2/5 mile, the fastest she d ever been. Donovan s experiment, if you will, appears to have worked with these two as both have come back to their roots and raced credibly, but Cleary isn t ready to consider the move a can t-miss by any means. I think it s the same as bringing over horses from Australia or New Zealand. Some of them will just not acclimate to the change in racing style and some will, Cleary said. Unlike the two Donovan-owned shippers, Robyn Camden has plenty of American blood but was a product of breeding in Great Britain. Her sire Art Professor is an exported son of Art Major, with the dam Keystone Havoc suddenly returning to glory after having produced the $1.5 million winning Keystone Horatio back in 2005 and the dam of $1 million winner Bedroomconfessions just three years later. For Cleary, the road has been nearly just as long from the time he arrived in Canada in 2005 to work for Tony O Sullivan until In those first few years for Tony I would work for him during the winter and travel home to race in Ireland during the summers, Cleary said. In 2011 Cleary came to the States to care for O Sullivan s horses here. In 2013 he began a stint with trainer Tony Alagna that came to and end in April of this year when he elected to go out on his own. While working for Alagna, Cleary was able to build a solid reputation by caring most ably for just one horse. That one horse was Rodeo Rock, who has put in two solid seasons under Cleary. He s just a solid horse, said Cleary. Don Swick did a great job with him when he was younger and he s like a lot of the Rock N Roll Heavens in that he s gotten better as he s gotten older. Rodeo Rock closed out his 2018 season at Yonkers by capturing the $44,000 Open Handicap on December 1 in a 1:52 4/5 mile. He s the kind of horse that when he s close enough he ll give you everything he has, said Cleary. Rodeo Rock has won 16 races in the last two years under Cleary s guidance and will take a short break now, perhaps with an eye on the Levy series. I m not sure how well he ll fit in the Levy, said Cleary quite openly. We tried him in it this year and it didn t work out. Rodeo Rock raced twice in the 2018 Levy series at Yonkers with two fourth-place finishes. Of course if he continues to improve the next step up may actually be in reach. He s got a pretty nice pedigree as well on his dams side, said Cleary of Rodeo Rock, who hails from the immediate family of successful sires Artiscape and Western Terror. Cleary will send out three of his 11 horses this Saturday night at The Meadowlands with another son of Rock N Roll Heaven named Lisburn up against it from the 10-hole in the fourth race. The sophomore gelding has come on strongly in December following two close second-place finishes, with a victory at Harrah s Philadelphia on December 16. Lisburn is out of a sister to $2.1 million winner Lis Mara. The O Sullivan-owned Aslan drew post four in a competitive non-winners of $15,000 conditioned event Saturday carded as race seven. The rest of Cleary s stable is mostly green 3-year-olds, but he is training one baby. I ve got a Captaintreacherous filly I m training for Deo Volente, said Cleary. Whether trying to reach the top in training or racing, it takes time to develop. For Robert Cleary that means time well spent behind some great trainers. On the horse front Ireland has been a solid building block for a few recent imports. Maybe Mr. Donovan s ancestors know something about the aging process and can apply it to standardbreds. DRF Harness Weekend 3 December 27, 2018

4 Downbytheseaside, Huntsville and Fear The Derick Giwner Volomite pacing line thriving through an unlikely source on the mark By Bob New Image Media Somebeachsomewhere has carried the Volomite line to a new level via his son Captaintreacherous and others. If someone said the once proud Volomite pacing line would be alive and flourishing into the 21st century through Sampson Hanover, they would have been dismissed as having diminished resources. But yet the number one pacing sire of this the 21st century has been the prematurely deceased Somebeachsomewhere and judging from the exploits of his first crop son Captaintreacherous, it appears that dominance is being extended. Sampson Hanover, a foal of 1947 by Volomite from the Dillon Axworthy mare Irene Hanover, was bred to trot but like many Volomite sons paced eventually, time trialing in 1:56 4/5, respectable for that era. Like other Volomite sons, he was a double-gaited sire, although he produced more pacers than trotters, the fastest of which was his son Sampson Direct from the Billy Direct mare Dottie Rosecroft. Sampson Direct, a foal of 1957, took a mark of 1:56 in a time trial at age 4 and became a moderate at best sire of pacers. Sampson Direct eventually sired Direct Scooter from the Noble Victory mare Noble Claire, which conceivably could have produced a trotter given the maternal heritage, even though Noble Claire took her mark on the pace. Direct Scooter proved an excellent pacer, earning some $800,451 and a best time of 1:54 and became a member of the then fledgling New Jersey Sires Stakes brigade. Direct Scooter was a good but not great sire, though he did throw a world champion son in Matt s Scooter from the Meadow Skipper mare Ellens Glory, who extended the line to a degree. He also threw In The Pocket, who didn t make much impact here but emerged as a significant sire Down Under, accounting for Christian Cullen, who has been one of the top homegrown sires in the Southern hemisphere. Christian Cullen did stand in North America for a brief period in 2009, but at age 15 was probably past his peak at that time. Still that year, he sired a Grand Circuit colt in Good Day Mate (1:49 3/5, $57,041) from Stienams Place. A couple of his imports have become millionaires while in North America. Matt s Scooter himself was a good though not necessarily great sire with sons like Mach Three, Royal Mattjesty, His Mattjesty and others who received siring opportunities. Of those, Mach Three emerged as Matt s Scooter s best siring son despite looking much more like his Abercrombie dam than his Direct Scooter sire. Mach Three, like his sire Matt s Scooter, was considered a good though not necessarily outstanding sire until a horse named Somebeachsomewhere happened along. Somebeachsomewhere (Mach Three-Where s The Beach-Beach Towel) was a revelation from the get-go, standing near 17 hands with immense power, speed and gait. Where it all came from is open to opinion, speculation and/or pure awe, but he proved himself among the all-time greats and arguably the best pacer of the 21st century. The question then became, how would he sire? In this business we ve seen super racing stars like Adios Butler, Speedy Scot, Overtrick, Bret Hanover, Romeo Hanover, Nevele Pride, Niatross, Nihilator, Mack Lobell, Self Possessed and others who were not nearly as proficient in stud as they were on the racetrack. The same applies to thoroughbreds as the likes of Secretariat, Affirmed, Spectacular Bid, Citation, etc. all came up short in the siring department although Seattle Slew did prove an exception. Interestingly enough one modern day superstar, Muscle Hill, has proven as proficient in the stud barn as he was on the racetrack, but he was the third link of a great sire line via Valley Victory and Muscles Yankee which may have aided his cause. Somebeachsomewhere proved an instant success with a sensational first crop featuring Captaintreacherous, Sunshine Beach and Somewherovrarainbow, and was the dominant pacing sire of this last decade until expiring in early Thus far, his number one son Captaintreacherous has proven a similar revelation getting such brilliant 2-year-olds as Captain Crunch, Tall Drink Hanover, De Los Cielos Deo and Captain Ahab in a sensational opening crop suggesting that he too, like dad, will be a milestone type stallion. Captaintreacherous, however, is from an outstanding maternal line whereas Somebeachsomewhere s was far more modest. Prior to The Captain s initial crop hitting the races, Somebeachsomewhere sons So Surreal and Net Tem Eom indicated they could sire respectable regional performers in New York and Indiana, which if nothing else paved the way for The Captain. Sunshine Beach has proven solid in Canada, though we ll look to see if his 3-year-olds improve as sophomores as he did. Then there s Downbytheseaside, last year s 3-year-old pacing champion who seems poised to carry on his father s line in Ohio. Suddenly that once proud Volomite pacing line which barely hung on by the proverbial thread is alive and flourishing in this the 21st century. Advertise your stallion with THURSDAY, JUNE 8, 2017 Weekend DRF HARNESS HOME DRF BETS HARNESS PPS DIGITAL HARNESS EYE ENTRIES NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE Meadowlands (FRI) Mohawk (FRI) Hawthorne (SAT) Meadowlands (SAT) Mohawk (SAT) Scioto (SAT) Featured Tracks Get FREE Analysis PPS Sophomores gather for North America Cup Huntsville, Downbytheseaside & Fear The Dragon lead elims By Derick Giwner The fastest and richest 3-year-old pacers of 2017 will all gather at Mohawk Racetrack on Saturday (6/10) night to vie for one of 10 spots on the starting gate in the C$1,000,000 North America Cup Final the following week. Three C$50,000 eliminations led by Multiple placement discounts For more information or to place an ad, contact Derick Giwner at dgiwner@drf.com or Get Analysis Top Links & What s Inside Antonacci excited about his Goodtimes prospects READ MORE Dan Patch Awards heading back to Orlando in 2018 READ MORE Jay Bergman: Final times need perspective, Page 4 Darin Zoccali: Brower & Prewitt appeal to bettors, Page 5 Obrigado makes his 2017 debut in Scioto s $200K Charlie Hill, Page 5 Ducharme trio looks to make noise in Vernon s EBC eliminations, Page 6 Ryan Macedonio: Harness Racing needs FUN!, Page 6 Hambletonian trail heats up + Tioga hosts Graduate, Page 7 Weekend stakes schedule Dragon featuring a total of 25 horses should provide some early season clarity in the race for supremacy among the sophomore elite. While the point can be argued, the road to the winner s circle in the Final still goes through Huntsville. The Dan Patch 2-yearold champion from 2016 drew post two in the second elimination (race 8) with regular driver Tim Tetrick slated to drive. Trained by Ray Schnittker, Huntsville opened up his year with a 10 length Pennsylvania Sire Stakes win at The Meadows in the slop that opened some eyes, but was soundly defeated in his next PASS start at Pocono by Fear The Dragon. That loss had some secondguessing the possible dominance of the son of Somebeachsomewhere-Wild West Show for a brief moment. All doubters were put back in line in his third start of 2017 when he left hard from post seven at Harrah s Philadelphia and marched down the road despite hot fractions (26 3/5, 54 2/5 & 1:21 4/5) to demolish his PASS foes on that afternoon by more than seven lengths in a career best-equaling 1:49. He was very good the other night, said Schnittker on th Huntsville was the 2016 Dan Patch award winner as top 2-year-old pacing colt. you for speed, but I thought he looked really good. While the trainer feels his horse is ready for the test at hand, he stopped short of making any bold predictions. I think he is ready to peak. He s had three starts now, but I guess we ll find out for sure up in Canada, said Schnittker. Huntsville is joined in his elimination by newcomer to the Grand Circuit scene Beckhams Z Tam, an Indiana bred who has won each of his four s DRF Harness Weekend 4 December 27, 2018

5 EDITOR S EYE By Derick End of the line coming for Darlin By Jay Bergman Wagering changes coming to Meadowlands In order to improve business you must make changes. Many tracks simply don t understand this concept or don t care enough to put in the effort to see it through. One track that is willing to try new things is The Meadowlands. When 2019 rolls around, the track will be taking steps to improve its handle by altering its wagering menu. It s no secret that handle has been down at the New Jersey track as field size and product quality have taken a toll. Live, export and import handle has declined year over year from 2017 and Meadowlands General Manager and COO Jason Settlemoir is doing what he can to combat the disturbing trend. I m always looking at ways to do things differently so we can create more excitement and raise the handle as well, said Settlemoir. The changes affect the majority of multi-race wagers regularly offered by the track. The Pick 5, which has rotated between races two and three throughout much of 2018, will now have a permanent home in race one where it excelled in years past. The wager was eventually removed from the opening race on the card to avoid conflict with the Survivor Pick 10 bet that debuted in November That overlap has been solved by backing up the Survivor wager to race three, thus potentially making it a Pick 7 on nights with just nine races or remaining a Pick 10 when the track has at least 12 races on the program. The change in starting position for the Pick 5 is a great move as it provides smaller players who like these multi-race wagers a reason to bet from the start of the card. The Survivor Pick 10 simply isn t conducive to a guy who may show up at the track with a $100 to $200 bankroll because it ties up their money for all or most of the card and produces very few winners. Interestingly, on cards with just nine or 10 races, players with smaller wallets may be able to now try the Survivor bet because it will include just seven or eight races, respectively. Perhaps the biggest change on the new wagering menu is the removal of most Pick 3 wagers for Daily Doubles. All cards will now only feature one Pick 3 bet, which will cover the final three races on the card. Doubles will start in every race that doesn t already contain a multi-race or Jackpot Hi-5 wager (race one is an exception with both a Pick 5 and double). We had a few of our larger customers who had mentioned it, so we looked at our Pick 3 numbers and thought it was worth taking a chance to see how it performed, said Settlemoir. The addition of more double wagers is interesting because they are clearly easier to hit than a Pick 3 and could lead to increased churn, which in theory will result in more money for wagers on future races. Even though I ve always enjoyed Pick 3s, I applaud the change and look forward to seeing if it produces strong results. The tracks most popular bet, the nightly guaranteed Pick 4, remains on the program each night but continues to rotate depending on the number of races. With at least 11 races, the wager starts in race eight. With fewer than 11 races, it will occupy the final four races on the card. The rotating of the Pick 4 is something I ll never understand. Consistency of wagering menu is very important and moving around a pool that is one of your highest only confuses those looking to wager. Personally, I would place it in race seven every night (unless there is a nine-race card) and leave it there. That said, there is some value to placing it in race eight because you keep players interested for an additional race. Ideally, The Meadowlands will get the purse subsidy they have been seeking from the state and 13-race cards with larger purses and full fields will become the norm, meaning the Pick 4 will always start in race eight anyway. One line item staying static for 2019 is takeout rates. The track will continue to offer a low of 15% on the Pick 4, Pick 5, Jackpot Hi-5 and Survivor wagers. Win Place and Show check in at 17%, Exactas and Doubles at 19%, Pick 3s and Superfectas at 20% and Trifectas at 25%. Despite the decline in handle and other challenges that Settlemoir has had to deal with, he remains optimistic that better days are ahead. I m cautiously optimistic about what 2019 will bring with sports betting and the potential purse supplement, said Settlemoir. We just have to keep our heads up and keep moving along. Things haven t quite worked out as planned this year for the $1 million winner Darlinonthebeach. The 5-year-old mare with an unmatched pedigree fell victim to a nagging suspensory injury earlier this year that thwarted her progress. I was trying to get her back for the Breeders Crown, said Richard Nifty Norman, her trainer. But those injuries linger and it just didn t happen. Then when Darlinonthebeach did get back she was too late to earn points to qualify for the TVG Final, leaving Norman with few other options. When she didn t make the TVG we decided to race her in Canada, said Norman. With the knowledge that a race wouldn t fill this week, Norman brought Darlinonthebeach back to The Meadowlands where she ll race in Friday s $20,000 Preferred Handicap. She s been very good, said Norman, who confided that only a few more starts remain in her racing career with Darlinonthebeach becoming a broodmare in Norman was concerned that Darlinonthebeach might get shut out of a race at The Meadowlands as well this week if enough horses didn t enter. That s why I put Delightfulmemphisn in, Norman said. The entry appears formidable though the past performances for Delightfulmemephisn appear sketchy. She s had some tough trips at Yonkers. A couple of times she was sitting behind horses that stopped on her, Norman said of the 5-year-old Bettor s Delight-sired mare that has had a solid season since arriving in North America. She s all right on any sized track, said Norman, But I d prefer to keep her on a big track and hopefully there will be more money to race for. The Friday feature finds Delightfulmemphisn starting from post six with Darlinonthebeach on the far outside from post nine. Joining Norman in sending out a pair for the event is trainer Jeff Cullipher, who has sent a significant amount of class horses from Indiana to the Meadowlands. Kak s Shark Attack (post 4) put in a solid effort from post nine two weeks back and will be stepping up in class following the 1:51 4/5 victory. Stylish Beachwhere, a 5-year-old by Somebeachsomewhere, gets her first good draw since arriving (post 1) on the East Coast but will also be stepping up a rung. The 4-year-old Brazuca appears to have turned the corner in the right direction for trainer Tom Cancelliere. With consecutive impressive local victories, Brazuca has shown the speed and grit she had displayed during her first two years on the racetrack. Brazuca landed post five. Jewel Lehigh A has been razor sharp for trainer Andrew Harris and returns to the Metro area following a pair of solid miles at Dover Downs. The 7-year-old import is a model of consistency as her eerily identical past performance stats would indicate. Coming into Friday s final start of 2018, Jewel Lehigh A has started 33 times and won on six occasions, identical to her 2017 statistical line. Norman has another filly to race on Friday with a future in the breeding shed as Pandora s Box closes out her racing career shortly. With Ross (former trainer, Croghan) heading to Florida they wanted to keep racing her until she s bred, said Norman. Pandora s Box started for the first time for Norman last week finishing eighth. I can tell you one thing, she doesn t like racing on the front end, Norman said. Pandora s Box drew the rail but Norman thinks the daughter of Cantab Hall may have gotten up a little too high in class. I think she can get a piece in there, Norman said. Norman closes out the night and the season with the Irish import Robyn Camden (post 2) in the nightcap race 14 on the card. I know she came in with 11 straight wins in Ireland but that doesn t mean much here, said Norman. I thought she raced well in her first start. Indeed the daughter of Art Professor had arrived unbeaten but her new trainer was hardly impressed prepping her for local action. She really didn t train down that well but they told me she d be better in the races, Norman said. I think she got away a little too far back and that first-over trip didn t work out. Norman expects Robyn Camden to give a better account if she s closer to the action on Friday night. Post time for The Meadowlands 14-race Friday program is 7:15 p.m. DRF Harness Weekend 5 December 27, 2018

6 Dave Palone - I think I was racing at The Meadowlands once and I thought I was going to be a genius and fly into LaGuardia. The delay was three hours and I ended up missing the race. It was the eliminations for the Peter Haughton and I never got there. A year ago Derick Giwner started asking drivers and trainers random questions to get some behind the scenes information and break down the barrier between the grandstand and backstretch. Below are some of his favorite responses throughout Best of 2018 What kind of car do you drive? Marcus Miller - Toyota Corolla to the races. It gets good mileage. I ve done 200,000 miles in four years. For fun I have a Jeep Wrangler. Mark MacDonald - Chevy Impala and BMW 7 Series. I tend to go too fast when I drive the BMW. Casie Coleman - Maserati. Montrell Teague - I have three. A diesel truck and trailer, an old Cadillac to get around because it gets good mileage and a Camaro that I barely drive. It only really comes out on Sundays. Favorite dinner meal? Snack? Jordan Stratton - If it was a good night of racing, Pizza. If it was a bad night, Pizza. George Napolitano Jr - Manicotti, Devil Dogs. What is your favorite track to race at? Yannick Gingras - Meadowlands. When you win a race there it just feels a little bit different than anywhere else. Bob McIntosh - It used to be Windsor Raceway before they shut it down. I like anywhere that I do well, but between Delaware and Lexington, it is pretty special. When you leave the track, are the races still on your mind? Andrew Harris - Absolutely. I take even a bad beat in a cheap class poorly; I can t shake it. It is hard for me to accept any loss when it is something I think I could have done better or even if a driver made a mistake. It is one thing if you get beat by better horses, but if it is something you did wrong or didn t have just right, like if the horse was sick and I missed it, that s on me and I can t shake it. Brian Brown - No doubt. I don t know if it is the race as much as it is the horse. I m usually trying to figure out what went wrong or if things went well, what s our next move. Guys like Ronnie Burke might be different but if I don t eat, drink and sleep this, I m not very good at it. To me, to be great at something you have to do it all the time. Ron Burke - The races are always in my mind. It s a lifestyle. What is the longest time you ve sat in traffic trying to get to a track? Nancy Johansson - Going home was Yonkers; 13 hours. The guy exploded under the bridge and they shut the Turnpike off and I had to go west to take the Northeast extension on the PA Turnpike to go home. It should have taken 1 1/2 hours. I almost had a panic attack. I called Marcus (husband) and said, I m never getting home. Do you study the past performances before showing up at the track? Jordan Stratton - DRF Harness Eye, every day. If you are going to grab a drink after the races, which horseperson would you want to hang out with? Scott Zeron - Jason Bartlett, because he doesn t drink. What is your favorite thing to do when you are not racing? George Napolitano Jr - I have two favorites and I have to flip a coin between them because that s how obsessive I am with them, One is Motocross and the other is fishing. I have my fishing poles right in my car and I took off tomorrow to go fishing. Monday we are off at Pocono and I m going to go Motocrossing. Vincent Ginsburg - Play Fortnite and video games. I used to workout a lot, too, but I ve been slacking on the gym. What is your favorite sport? Team? Yannick Gingras - Hockey - Montreal Canadians. My second favorite sport is hockey and my third favorite sport is hockey. What is one thing about you most fans/bettors don t know? Joe Holloway - That I m fat and old? No, they know that already. Marcus Miller - I Google everything. I can t let anything sit and not be answered. And I try to remember it all. One day I m going to put all of that useless information to use. Casie Coleman - I gave up a scholarship to be a professional chef and decided to train horses instead. It was a $10,000 grant to go on to college and my parents weren t happy when I said no. Tony Alagna - I used to sing in school. What is one word that describes harness racing for you? Scott Zeron & Yannick Gingras - Adrenaline. Jeff Gural - Challenging. Ron Pierce - Money. Dave Palone - Magical. Rick Zeron - Heaven. Do you have a driving/training style? Aaron Merriman - Uber aggressive. Trond Smedshammer - Definitely. It is to be unique and not just go with one thing. You need creativity and individual treament. It s not a factory. Some trainers just run everything the same and horses either do or don t fit into their system. I try to treat each horse individually. Simon Allard - People say I m aggressive, but I think I m versatile. I like to be like a poker player who never plays the same. My goal is to be out there and nobody knows what I m going to do. CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 DRF Harness Weekend 6 December 27, 2018

7 Wally Hennesey - Anything to do with Moni Maker. Years later people are still talking about her and I was part of it. And that s all I was, part of it. I was just a piece of the puzzle. If you had the power to change one thing in the sport, what would it be? CONTINUED from page 6 If you weren t a driver or trainer, what would you be doing? Tim Tetrick - Working at Wawa. Jason Bartlett - Wiring houses. The funny thing is when I look at a tool I draw blood, so I d have to have a lot of first-aid kits with me. What is the best advice you ve ever received about harness racing? Eric Abbatiello - My father told me plenty. Two were Don t fall off the bike and rip your colors and Know the tendancies of all the other drivers. Vic Kirby - Don t do it. Mark MacDonald - I ve been around a lot of good people, mentors. Mike MacDonald (family friend) was probably the biggest for me. He would say to me, always stay positive and never show it when things are going bad. Sometimes you have to put a big smile and act like it is where you want to be. It is so true in our game and it helps you roll with the punches much better. Brian Brown - My dad told me one time that you never get anything worth having without working for it. In other words, if you get your ass out of bed in the morning and go to work, things will work out. Linda Toscano - Buddy Regan told me many years ago, you just have to be smarter than the horse. The second one, and I use it all the time, the difference between a good horseman and a bad horseman is common sense. Bob McIntosh - Probably my dad told me don t be a gambler because you ll end up losing all of the money in your front pocket. So I never bet. What has been your best moment in harness racing? Andrew Harris - To this day it was being in the Hambletonian; finishing third in the elimnination from way back and having a shot in the final. It was pure ecstasy; I thought I was in a third dimension. Yannick Gingras - I ve had a lot of good moments. My favorite would be Foiled Again winning the Breeders Crown at Pocono. That race really made me happy. Tony Alagna - A level playing field. That all trainers are treated and held to the same standards. Dave Palone - To not drag the races the way we do. I understand that we ve got to do what we can to promote the handle, but I just don t think that you are tricking the fans anymore. The longer you draw out gambling the less interest you are going to get. People want fast action. Trond Smedshammer - Right now what sticks out to me and I can t get a grip on is why track management would even think that dragging the races is a good idea. It is beyond any common sense to me. I get the argument that if they go over post time the handle increases for that race, but I don t believe it will increase the whole handle if bettors knew from the start that the races would go off on time. To me it is insanity. We are losing people s interest already and to keep it at minutes between races without any entertainment is mindboggling to me. Jim Marohn Jr - Maybe we can get more young people involved when mobile betting goes onto Fanduel. Perhaps they can do some contests that incorporate harness racing in it. With DFS being popular and the gambling being legal, it is very attractive to the younger generation. If they can get people to cross over it would be great. Bob McIntosh - Get rid of the cheaters and the druggists. We need better drug testing. It s got to be stopped or it is going to ruin our business. Simon Allard - I would change everything. I don t think we do enough to improve the sport. We need to adjust time between races, post parades, allow small share ownership on claimers, and promotion. We should have video profiles on each driver so the public knows who they are. What is one race you wish you would ve won? Wally Hennessey - You hear everyone always saying the Jug or the Hambo and if you had to ask me 20 years ago, that is probably what I would ve said. Probably the one I m proudest of winning is the Gold Cup & Saucer in Charlottetown. George Napolitano Jr - I don t live my life for that anymore. I go to work and I m very thankful that I have a great job. and great people that love me. I m just a normal racetrack guy. I m not looking to win the Hambletonian or other big races. That s not my thing. I don t follow those horses around. 300% DEPOSIT MATCH BONUS DEPOSIT $50, BET WITH $200 JOIN NOW DRF Harness Weekend 7 December 27, 2018

8 Merriman named Driver of Year Aaron Merriman, the first driver to win over 1,000 races in two consecutive years and set to post the second-highest one-season victory total in North American history, has been selected as Driver of the Year in a vote among members of the United States Harness Writers Association (USHWA), harness racing s leading media group. Merriman is only 40 years old, but he is already a veteran of 20+ years of the sulky wars, learning from his father Lanny, mostly at Northfield Park near Cleveland. He had 182 winners in 2,000, his first year of full-time exposure, but he has been gaining with every step, with 10,857 victories in the 21st century and 6,926 visits to Victory Lane in the first nine years of the this decade. Merriman will post the second-highest win total for a driver in harness racing history, behind only Tim Tetrick s standard of 1,189 in 2007; Aaron was at 1,118 after Wednesday s racing. This total eclipses his personal best of 1,093, taken last year, and this year he has reached another important milestone with his mounts earning over $10.3 million his first eight-figure season. And the level of competition Aaron faces at the main terminals of his endless miles on the road is very high at Northfield, he consistently races against Ron Wrenn Jr., who was the last person to dethrone him for the national title (2014, by a count), and at The Meadows near Pittsburgh he competes against Dave Palone, the winningest driver of all-time (18,640 and counting), and the leading pilot at The Meadows since shortly after high-wheeled sulkies went out of fashion, so it seems. Crawford, Cotolo & Gooden to receive USHWA awards Michelle Crawford (Good Guy Award), Ray Cotolo (Breakthrough Award) and Chris Gooden (Unsung Hero Award) will be honored at USHWA s annual Dan Patch Awards Banquet, celebrating the best and brightest of harness racing in the past year. Michelle Crawford is an unbridled enthusiastic voice for harness racing. She is foremost the co-operator with her husband Al of Crawford Farms, a midstate New York breeding facility, and his racing component Crawford Farms Racing, always looking to acquire the next big star and improve the overall quality of horses associated with Crawford. One giant step towards that goal in 2018 found Michelle in the winners circle of the sport s biggest race, the Hambletonian, as a partner on the filly Atlanta, who upended the boys in the classic race for 3-year-old trotters and then went on to a million-dollar season, and now looms as potentially a great broodmare. Crawford Racing also is co-owner of Homicide Hunter, whose 1:48 4/5 mile at Lexington earned him World s Fastest Trotter honors. Michelle is aware of the bigger picture in harness racing, reflected in her serving as vice-president of the Harness Horse Breeders of New York, and especially as a board member of the newly-formed Standardbred Transition Alliance, where she will undoubtedly put into practice on a continental level the well-established programs to take care of former racing and breeding stock that she has established at Crawford. Her knowledge and enthusiasm make her one of the more positive forces a real Good Guy -- for the sport. Two other USHWA honorees serve the sport on a communications level, with one of them involved in the chronicling of the sport half DRF Harness Weekend 8 December 27, 2018 USTA Photo Aaron Merriman has won over 1,100 races in USTA Photo Michelle Crawford. CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 Derick Giwner & Matt Rose discuss Foiled Again s final race & a race from The Meadowlands. RACE 7 (1) CC BIG BOY SAM double bumped up in claiming price last week and couldn t handle the competition. He is back at the level where he won consecutive races and looks tough at short odds. -Derick Giwner RACE 7 (1) TACT TATE N gave it his all and came up second best to one of the better horses currently racing in North America right now. He gets the logical class drop this week away from Preferred company and should shine. -Giwner Meadowlands (THU) Meadowlands (SAT) Thursday, december 27 Saturday, december 29 full card analysis / past performances Analysis Analysis Meadowlands (FRI) DHP PPs harness eye PPs trackmaster PPs Analysis FREE PPS Want full-card analysis? Visit DRF.com/harness

9 Foiled Again/Burke/Weaver Bruscemi to be honored by USHWA Foiled Again, the highest-moneywinning Standardbred racehorse of all-time with $7,634,938 in his bankroll, in the final stages of a whirlwind Foiled Again Farewell Tour as he faces mandatory retirement upon reaching 15 years of age on January 1, has been selected for the Stan Bergstein / Proximity Award, the highest award in the sport Derick Giwner voted on exclusively Trainer Ron Burke taking Foiled Again by the United States out for a spin around the track. Harness Writers Association (USHWA), harness racing s leading media association. Foiled Again is an altered son of Dragon Again out of the Artsplace mare In A Safe Place. He raced for trainer Herman Heitmann at ages 2 and 3, and into his fourth year before being purchased by Sylvia Burke, Weaver Bruscemi LLC (Mark Weaver and Michael Bruscemi), and JJK Stables LLC (the late Joseph Koury Sr. and his sons Joseph Jr. and Kevin). Mickey Burke, Sylvia s husband and Ron s father, was transitioning from raceway activities to overseeing the younger horses, and he handled the conditioning of Foiled Again until Ron took over full-time training responsibility in November Foiled Again reached his full potential under his new connections, staying a vital member of the free-for-all pacing community for halfa-dozen years. He was Older Pacing Horse of the Year in 2011, 2012, and 2013, during each of which he earned over $1 million. Foiled Again took his mark of 1:48 in 2013 at the age of nine, in the elimination race of the Ben Franklin Pace at Pocono, coming back the next week to win the Franklin Final and then later in the year to sweep his Breeders Crown action over the red clay. Fans grew to embrace Foiled Again as he battled on at a high quality of performance over the years; they latched onto this evergreen pacer who they knew would always give them every ounce of his energy. Once he broke the record for earnings ($5.8 million by the trotter Ready Cash), he gained even more cache, and attracted media attention like few other Standardbreds (or any racehorse). As he entered his 14th year, perhaps a step or two off his peak speed but still competitive every time behind the gate, his connections decided to establish a Foiled Again Farewell Tour, matching him against local horses and letting fans around the United States and Canada give one last salute to the gallant pacer. He raced at eighteen different tracks during 2018, in 10 different states and provinces, and seemed very little the worse for wear. When he raced at Harrah s on December 9, he returned to a track where he had first raced 4165 days 11 years, 4 months, and 25 days earlier. Foiled Again s 331st and final start comes on Monday at The Meadows, the home track of the Burkes and Weaver Bruscemi, and as has been noted, it s unlikely there will be a dry eye in the house. (Start 330 came at Mohawk last Saturday, where Foiled Again posted career victory 109.) Foiled Again is only the second horse to win the Bergstein Proximity Award: the other was Rambling Willie, who was honored in 1984 after a career that strikingly parallels Foiled Again s in longevity, earnings recordsetting, competitiveness in the free-for-all ranks for years, and popularity among the racegoing public. In an everchanging world, Foiled Again reaches across 34 years to join another horse who didn t know the meaning of the end of a mile, the end of a career, or making outstanding contributions to harness racing. It seems fitting that as the spotlight finds Foiled Again in his last campaign, it also finds his trainer and his ownership, who have been instrumental in the tremendous success of the horse Ron Burke has been named Trainer of the Year for the third time (2011 and 2013 previously), while the Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC combine will follow their 2013 Owners of the Year prize with another in 2018, in voting conducted by the U.S. Harness Writers Association (USHWA). Burke is Trainer of the Year; Burke/Weaver Bruscemi top owners Ron Burke has been an unstoppable force the last 10 years, achieving success levels unreached in the sport. He will reach 1,000 victories with his far-flung barn in 2018, his third time posting four figures, and his stable will top the $21 million mark in purses won for the sixth year. For his outstanding 2018, Burke got more votes from USHWA than did any other human (one horse did top him, though Foiled Again). And as always, there was quality in with the quality. The stable sent out divisional champions Warrawee Ubeaut (2PF) and Dorsoduro Hanover (3PC and millionaire); these two teamed with Percy Blue Chip (3PF) to give Burke three Breeders Crown Championships during Seasoned pacers Filibuster Hanover and Rockin Ron also earned over $500,000, giving Burke Racing / Weaver Bruscemi five horses who took down over half a million; trainer Burke had a sixth in 3PF Youaremycandygirl. And then there was of course Foiled Again, who kept in good condition to race every year a Standardbred can race 13, from the minimum of age 2 to the maximum of age 14. USTA Photos Mark Weaver (left) and Mike Bruscemi (right) are two of the leading owners in the sport under the Weaver Bruscemi banner. Youaremycandygirl is an exception to the usual makeup of Ron Burke s outfit most of its horses are owned, in whole or in part, by Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. So if trainer Burke has a good year, it s probable that Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC followed along in suit. An important component of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC is the amount that they give back to the sport which has provided them with successes and thrills. The Foiled Again Farewell Tour is a prime example. So too is their policy of usually having partners on most of their stakes horses this is a way to give owners who might have a slight chance (to no chance) to have a Grand Circuit horses be a part of the excitement of campaigning a worldclass competitor against the best in their division throughout the stakes season. Foiled Again and his connections will be honored at USHWA s annual Dan Patch Awards Banquet, celebrating the best and brightest of harness racing in the past year. The banquet honoring the champions of 2018 will be held on Sunday, February 24, 2019 at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando FL, the climax of a weekend that also finds USHWA holding its annual national meetings. Reservations for those attending can be made through USHWA s website, a link to the hotel s computer is on the front page of the website. Those who would like to take out congratulatory ads for awardwinners in the always-popular Dan Patch Awards Journal can do so by contacting Kim Rinker at trotrink@aol.com (the 2018 journal is online at the writers website). Information about purchasing tickets for the dinner will become available and will be posted shortly. -edited release (USHWA) DRF Harness Weekend 9 December 27, 2018

10 NEWS FROM AROUND THE HARNESS INDUSTRY Dayson reaches the million dollar mark Dayson became a millionaire Wednesday at The Meadows when he stalked the leader from the pocket and found the lightning lane just in time to capture the $18,000 Preferred Handicap Trot. Career earnings for the 5-year-old Conway Hall-Nervey s Taurus gelding now stand at $1,001,712. When Classic Banker ranged up first over and was ready to power by the leader True Blue Stride, it appeared the locked-in Dayson would have to wait another day for his milestone. But Classic Banker jumped it off, making the passing lane a viable route for Dayson, who poured through for Dave Palone and triumphed in 1:55. Parkhill Lancelot rallied for show, 1-3/4 lengths back, with PL Icabod third. Ron Burke trains Dayson for Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi LLC and J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby. At 2, Dayson won seven straight New York Sires Stake splits before breaking stride in the $225,000 final at Yonkers. As a sophomore, he won the Matron, among other stakes. It was one of six wins for Palone, including three for Burke. His victory in race 10 gave Burke 1,000 for the year, the third consecutive season he has reached or surpassed that mark. Jim Pantaleano fashioned a triple on the 13-race card. -edited release (Evan Pattak for The Meadows) Woodbine Mohawk Park wraps up 2018 racing The 2018 Woodbine Standardbred season concluded Wednesday afternoon with an 11-race card at Mohawk Park, featuring a pair of series finals for 3-year-old pacers and award presentations to the season s top performers. A field of eight colts and geldings battled in the C$34,400 Valedictory final, while a field of seven fillies clashed in the C$32,600 Niagara final. Phantom Seelster capped off 2018 as the hottest horse at Woodbine Mohawk Park by running his win streak to six in a row with a 1:51 4/5 victory in the Valedictory Series final. Driven by Bob McClure, Phantom Seelster took his time in the beginning and got away fourth. Legal Power and driver Doug McNair wanted control and claimed the top spot to post opening fractions of 27 3/5 and 56 3/5. Phantom Seelster committed first up nearing the half and that gave McNair his cue to try and pace away at the top with Legal Power, who paced a 27 2/5 third quarter to create a few lengths of separation turning for home. In the stretch, Phantom Seelster put his work boots on to track down and charge by Legal Power to win by 2-3/4 lengths in a career-best equaling 1:51 4/5. Legal Power held second, while Larrys Petrock was third and R Bazingga fourth. Trained by Richard Moreau, Phantom Seelster six-race win streak came all in series events by sweeping the Harvest Series in November and the Valedictory in December. The gelded son of Mach Three is now six for 20 this season to bring his career numbers to nine wins and $133,135 for owners Gestion Mastel Inc, Conrad Leber and Marcel Barrieau. The Niagara Series final was filled with drama, as a thrilling stretch battle led to a lengthy inquiry and disqualification of the winner. Odds On Stephanie and driver Doug McNair shot out to the lead and cut the mile, posting fractions of 29 1/5, 59 1/5 and 1:27 3/5. Lyons Hedgeabet and driver Bob McClure came first up from fourth to challenge the leader turning for home. In the stretch, Lyons Hedgeabet pushed forward to take a narrow lead, but Odds On Stephanie wouldn t go away and battled back. The fillies battled side by side to the line with Lyons Hedgeabet winning by a nose. The AGCO Judges posted the inquiry sign and reviewed the stretch battle, determining that Lyons Hedgeabet interfered with Odds On Stephanie at the rail and reversed the top-two finishers. Owned by Odds On Racing, Odds On Stephanie finished fourth in the series second leg after finishing second in round one. The daughter of Somebeachsomewhere picks up her third win 17 starts this season and increases her career earnings to $66,128 after racing just once as a twoyear-old. Woodbine Entertainment took time during Wednesday s card to recognize its top owner, trainer and driver for the 2018 racing season. Brad Grant led all owners during the 2018 season in wins and earnings on the Woodbine Entertainment circuit. The Milton, Ontario resident finished the year with 51 wins and $1.2 million in earnings. Grant s top horses in 2018 included Hambletonian champion Atlanta, Preferred star Easy Lover Hanover and multiple-stakes winner Captain Ahab. Richard Moreau captured his fourth consecutive Woodbine Standardbred training title. The Puslinch, Ontario resident sent out more than 1,200 starters in 2018 and led all conditioners with 208 wins and $3.7 million in earnings. Moreau was recently named a finalist for the O Brien Award as Canada s Trainer of the Year, an award he has won in each of the last five years. Louis Philippe Roy did not compete on Wednesday s program, but the Mont-Joli, Quebec native did claim his first Woodbine Entertainment driving title. Roy made 288 trips to the winner s circle and drove the winners of more than $5.5 million in Roy s big year could lead to another accomplishment, as he was recently named a finalist for the O Brien Award as Canada s Driver of the Year. Live racing at Woodbine Mohawk Park now takes a short break over the holidays before resuming on Saturday, January 5 at 7:10 p.m. The 2019 live racing season will feature 221 race dates. -edited release (Mark McKelvie for Woodbine) CONTINUED from page 8 his life and he s only 19! Ray Cotolo, winner of the Breakthrough Award as an up-and-comer on the non-training-driving side, started accompanying his journalist father Frank to the major races, and swiftly picked up the necessary knowledge to combine with his natural communications skills to become a source of knowledge for the industry and fans in several areas: a podcast called North American Harness Update, a pioneer (2012) project which went on the road for the first time in 2018; freelance work, mainly writing, for such important entities as the Hambletonian Society, The Meadowlands, Standardbred Canada, the Woodbine Entertainment Group, and the Red Mile; and as a budding announcer. Ray is doing all this while enrolled at Elizabethtown (PA) College, as a communications major benefitting from the Harold Snyder Memorial Scholarship Fund of the late on-track television pioneer. Chris Gooden works as the photographer for the racing at The Meadows racetrack, in addition to regular jobs his business picks up in his southwestern Pennsylvania area. But what is Unsung and remarkable about Gooden is the amount of work he does gratis, of his own volition, to keep The Meadows at the forefront of the new forms of social communications media (and beyond). Facebook coverage of live racing? Check. Including live-fromthe-bike camera photography? Double check. Keeping up a high profile on Twitter? Check. And there s one above and beyond the call of duty. When illness hampered a local horseman s finances a few months ago, Gooden posted a Facebook notice that he was selling a special photo of Foiled Again the Bergstein/Proximity winner, and based at Gooden s home track of The Meadows and would donate the money minus shipping to the beleaguered family. And over $1,500 has been raised so far. No fanfare, just results -- that s why Chris Gooden is an Unsung Hero. Merriman, Crawford, Cotolo and Gooden will be honored at USHWA s annual Dan Patch Awards Banquet, celebrating the best and brightest of harness racing in the past year. The banquet honoring the champions of 2018 will be held on Sunday, February 24, 2019 at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando FL, the climax of a weekend that also finds USHWA holding its annual national meetings. Reservations for those attending can be made through USHWA s website, a link to the hotel s computer is on the front page of the website. Congratulatory ads for award winners can be placed by contacting Kim Rinker at trotrink@aol.com. -edited release (USHWA) DRF Harness Weekend 10 December 27, 2018