Harrington Raceway’s 76th season of live harness racing opens Monday (April 11) with a 4:30 p.m. post time.
A Monday through Wednesday schedule will cover most of the season, save for a few two-day weeks in the summer. Free daily racing programs will be available online courtesy of the Delaware Standardbred Owners Association via the Harrington Raceway website.
A 13-race card will start the 65-day schedule on opening day. Full fields await racing and wagering fans. A 50-cent based Pick 5 wager will begin in race two, and as has been customary, the last four races will feature a 50-cent based Pick 4. New this season, will be pending changes to the carryover structure for those popular wagers as well as for superfecta bets. If no one correctly selects all winners in the Pick 4, Pick 5 or top 4 finishers in the superfecta, 100 percent of the net pool will go towards the carryover. The changes will enable a faster build-up for carryovers.
The opening day feature race is the $20,000 Open in Race 7, which boasts an accomplished group of pacers with career earnings near $2 million. Co-owner/trainer Dylan Davis will send the likely post time favourite Shoobee Doo A (5/2, Corey Callahan) to post from the rail after facing stiff competition at Yonkers in the MGM Borgata series. The seven-year-old Shoobees Place gelding is coming off a season in which he earned nearly $200,000. Co-owner/trainer Gary Ewing’s McBoogity (4/1, Tony Morgan) will start from post two riding a two-race win streak. His driver, Morgan, is just 11 wins from 17,000 all-time, second most of any driver, trailing only Dave Palone who is approaching 20,000. Driver Mike Cole is also approaching a milestone, as he is 11 wins shy of 2,000.
Alton Lynch Jr’s Sweet Sun Daze (5/1, Lynch Jr.), George and Tina Dennis and Curtis Larrimore’s Balder Son (4/1, Cole), Vincent Ferriero’s Grand Cayman (7/1, Ross Wolfenden), Edwin Gannon Jr.’s Sprocket (6/1, Pat Berry) and Mark Salerno’s Seventh Secret (6/1, Allan Davis) will complete the field.
Last year’s leading driver, Davis and leading trainer Chuck Crissman Jr., who also won the title at the recently completed meet at Dover Downs, are among a deep group of drivers and trainers competing at the meet.
Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund (DSBF) stakes action for three-year-olds will start June 13. The $100,000 DSBF finals will take place on the annual July 28 Governor’s Day program during the Delaware State Fair. DSBF stakes for two-year-olds kickoff September 26 with finals on October 10-12.
(Harrington)