Mark Wasserman is usually one to buy pacers, but one of his earliest yearling purchases when he returned to owning horses in the mid-2000s was trotter Stonebridge Idol at the Forest City Sale. And Stonebridge Idol, now a nine-year-old, is still on the track and still picking up paycheques.
The winner of 19 of 134 career races and $205,837 in purses, Stonebridge Idol is in Thursday’s eighth race at The Meadowlands, a Dash for the “G” Notes event for trotters.
Stonebridge Idol, trained by Travis Alexander, is 4-1 on the morning line with Marcus Miller driving. Detroit Rapper, from the stable of Patti and Rob Harmon, is the 9-5 choice.
“He’s meant a lot to us,” said Wasserman, who races as Fiddler’s Creek Stables. “He’s been a nice honest horse, and he’s pretty good right now.”
Stonebridge Idol reached the invitational level in 2013 at Hoosier Park, where he finished a dead-heat third behind Fusion Man and Appomattox.
Wasserman was looking at pacers when Alexander spotted Stonebridge Idol at the Forest City Sale. Wasserman, who was involved in harness racing in the late 1970s before taking time away from the sport, thinks Stonebridge Idol is one of only three or four trotters he’s ever owned.
“I’m mostly a pacer guy, but sometimes you get attached to horses,” Wasserman said. “I’d say he’s one of those horses.”
May Day will be looking for his first career win at The Meadowlands, but co-owner/trainer Randy Ingrassia thinks the seven-year-old gelding is in good form heading into his start in Thursday’s ninth race at the Big M. May Day, with Drew Monti in the bike, competes in the third of three Dash for the “G” Notes Series races for $7,500 claiming pacers.
The race’s morning line favourite is Alexandra Howard’s I Do Hanover, at 4-5. May Day is 9-1.
“We’ve had our ups and downs with him, but right now he’s pretty good,” said Ingrassia, who owns May Day with Dan Gagliardi and Stuart Feintuck. “I like him. I think he’s in a class where he could be good. We’ll just hope for the best.”
May Day has won 24 of 118 career races and earned $244,660. He is 0-for-8 lifetime at the Meadowlands, but as a three-year-old was timed in 1:50 there in a race won by stakes winner Dovuto Hanover. May Day has won four of his last six starts dating back to November and heads to the Big M off a victory on January 10 at Monticello.
“He’s a tough horse,” Ingrassia said. “He’s all heart and he tries every race.”
May Day was trained previously by Ingrassia’s father, Ron, who passed away in August. May Day provided Ron with his final win two days earlier. Randy spends time with the stable’s three horses in the mornings and evenings while maintaining a fulltime job in New York City with the iron-workers union.
“It’s more of a hobby now,” Ingrassia said about harness racing. “I’m just trying to keep it going.”
This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.