Horses trained by Per Engblom or Ron Burke were the winners of all three $41,667 divisions of the final preliminary round of the John Brennan Trotting Series on Wednesday, April 16 at MGM Yonkers Raceway.
Burke’s Antognoni S ($2.10) will look to complete a series sweep after dominating his split in 1:56.1. Positioned third early from post five, the five-year-old Father Patrick-Bouncing Bax gelding moved first-over, took control by the three-quarters in 1:28 and powered away to win by 10 lengths over Lucky Mum N (Brent Holland). Antognoni S is co-owned by Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, Fac Racing and driver Yannick Gingras.
Burke’s other finalist, Busy Making Moni ($3.70), got up just in time after a pocket-sitting trip in rein to Yannick Gingras to defeat Engblom trainee Bellissimo Face S (Jason Bartlett) by a nose in 1:57.2. The win was the second straight in the series for Busy Making Moni ($3.70), a five-year-old gelded son of International Moni-Too Busy To Care, also owned by Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi.
In the first division of the night, Engblom’s Green Pastures ($9.40) and Jason Bartlett got the better of the Burke Brigade. The four-year-old Greenshoe-Southwind Angelica gelding launched from second-over on the final turn and held off Blockchain (Yannick Gingras) by a length in 1:58.1. Green Pastures, a winner in the series' opening leg who took last week off, is owned by VIP Internet Stable, Engblom Stable, R A W Equine Inc., and Marco Greico.
As far as next Wednesday's $100,000 USD (guaranteed) final goes, Engblom and Burke wound up qualifying seven of the eight horses eligible to the event, but by rule in the stakes conditions, they are limited to two starters each. The final will be drawn on Thursday, April 17, providing clarity on which horses they elect to enter in the final and which ones end up in the $50,000 USD (guaranteed) consolation.
The John Brennan Trotting Series is named in honour of the longtime Standardbred Owners Association of New York (SOANY) horsemen's representative who passed away from complications of COVID-19 in March 2020.
*Editor's Note: This story has been updated from a previous version with corrected stakes conditions regarding eligible entrants for the series final.
(With files from Yonkers Raceway; photo of Antognoni S from a previous win)