Normally, Captain Albano finishing off a three-for-three run through the MGM Grand Prix Pacing Series prelims would be the top story, but instead it was the tandem of leading driver Jason Bartlett and trainer Per Engblom who went up on the marquee, as they won three of the four $69,444 divisions on Monday, Dec. 8 at MGM Yonkers Raceway with Coaches Corner, Redwood Hanover and Huntinthelastdolar.
Coaches Corner won the second section in 1:52. After a battle with Soho Firestone A (Todd McCarthy) to the :27.3 quarter, Coaches Corner established command and kept it through middle-half stations of :56.1 and 1:24.3. Soho Firestone A tried to go after Coaches Corner from the pocket in the lane, but it was to no avail as Coaches Corner downed him by 2-1/4 lengths. Blazing Home N (Jordan Stratton), Tip Top Cat (Yannick Gingras) and Verdun (Pat Lachance) completed the order.
Trained by Engblom, Coaches Corner is a five-year-old gelded son of Always A Virgin-Carobbean Pacetry owned by Jeff Fought Racing of East Bernstadt, Kentucky and Brian Carsey of Cambridge City, Indiana. Coaches Corner made his 34th trip to the winner's circle in his 91st effort and he has now pocketed $1,826,556.
He returned $2.68 to win as the 1-5 choice and was atop a $3.14 exacta and an $8.16 trifecta.
Redwood Hanover was a 1:52.3 victor for Bartlett and Engblom in the next split. Redwood Hanover put up fractions of :28, :56.3 and 1:24.3, then held off a rally from pocket-sitter Catalpa Rescue A (Todd McCarthy) by a head. Mossdale Ben N (Stratton) was third from first-over, followed by Nandolo N (Lauren Tritton) and Hemsworth N (Austin Siegelman).
A five-year-old Stay Hungry-Rockingcam Park stallion, Redwood Hanover is owned by Evans Nation of Seaford, New York with Engblom Stable of Wrightstown, New Jersey and Hickory Hollow Stables of Spencerville, Indiana. He has a lifetime summary of 16-6-13 from 65 appearances and has banked $639,407.
Redwood Hanover paid $2.20 to win as the 1-9 favourite and led a $33 exacta and a $71.20 trifecta.
Huntinthelastdolar (pictured above) completed the Bartlett/Engblom hat trick with a 1:53.4 tally in the final flight. He was in front of his five foes at the :27.4 quarter, :57.2 half and 1:25.3 three-quarters, and a :28.1 final kicker got him to the wire 1-3/4 lengths ahead of a first-over Spring Inhis Step A (Todd McCarthy). Rounding out the top five were Sherlock N (Jim Marohn Jr.), Jamaican Rock A (Matt Kakaley) and Always A Thrill (Colin Kelly).
Engblom sent out Huntinthelastdolar, a five-year-old gelded son of Huntsville-Eighthunrdolarbill, for owners John Fielding of Scarborough, Ont., and E Five Racing of Boca Raton, Florida. Huntinthelastdolar is a 23-time career winner from 70 trips behind the gate and has put away $1,393,308.
He returned $2.32 to win as the 1-9 favourite and headed an exacta worth $3.90 while the trifecta kicked back $11.38.
As for Captain Albano, he prevailed in 1:52.3 back in the night's opening test. With Todd McCarthy in the bike, he was positioned third as Calicojack Hanover (Dan Dube) cut opening-half panels of 27 seconds and :56.1. McCarthy wheeled Captain Albano out first-over going to the 1:24.2 three-quarters and Captain Albano wore down and went by Calicojack Hanover on the last turn. From there, it was all Captain Albano as he pulled away to a 5-3/4-length win over a tiring Calicojack Hanover, with Captain Moore A (Kelly) up for third. Endofstory (Bartlett) was fourth and The Greek Freak (Kakaley) took fifth.
Noel Daley trains Captain Albano, a four-year-old son of Captaintreacherous-Angelou, for owners Patricia Stable of Massapequa, New York, L A Express And Sjoblom Inc. of Chesterfield, New Jersey, Sjoblom Racing Inc. of Delray Beach, Florida and Michael Dolan of Sarasota, Florida. A Dan Patch Award winner in 2023 and 2024, Captain Albano now has 26 victories from 44 starts and has earned $2,733,306.
The favourite returned $2.26 to win and keyed a $12 exacta and a $51.02 trifecta.
Unofficially, the 10 horses who advanced to the $250,000 USD MGM Grand Prix Series final, which will be conducted at the distance of a mile and a quarter on Friday, Dec. 19 are as follows:
- Captain Albano (150 points)
- Coaches Corner (125 points)
- Huntinthelastdolar (125 points)
- Redwood Hanover (112 points)
- Soho Firestone A (100 points)
- Spring Inhis Step A (83 points)
- Mossdale Ben N (62 points)
- Calicojack Hanover (50 points)
- Catalpa Rescue A (35 points)
- Always A Thrill (32 points)
Points for the series were earned on a 50-25-12-8-5 scale (winner gets 50 points, runner-up gets 25, etc.), and a horse had to race in all three legs to be eligible for the final and the $75,000 USD consolation, which will also take place on that Dec. 19 program. These same conditions apply to the companion MGM Grand Prix Trotting Series.
The final leg of the MGM Grand Prix Trotting Series will take place on Friday, Dec. 12 at Yonkers with a trio of $50,000 USD divisions slated to take place in races four, six and seven on the 11-race program.
Yonkers is in the final two weeks of the 2025 meet, and outside of the program on Friday, Dec. 19, which is now scheduled to begin at 2:15 p.m., post time for the remainder of the Monday through Friday action has first-race post time at 6:45 p.m.
(With files from Yonkers Raceway)