Sophomore pacers Twisted Destiny and Odds On No Limit won a pair of $33,784 eliminations for the MGM Grand Messenger Stakes at MGM Yonkers Raceway on Friday, June 20.
Twisted Destiny and driver Dexter Dunn made good on a second-over trip to capture the first of two eliminations. Trained by Chris Ryder, the Bettors Wish-Tug River Princess colt was a winner for the fourth time in five starts as a sophomore this year, pacing a 1:53 mile.
The action was fast and furious on the opening bend as just four of the eight horses would reach the final, and longshot Snack Attack and driver Joe Bongiorno raced three-wide to secure the lead coming off that turn. Scott Zeron, driving Manolete, allowed Bongiorno to clear and then marched up to gain control before the :27.3 opening quarter was reached.
Jordan Stratton also left the gate with purpose with Fast Choice, the 9-5 favourite, and waited for the smoke to clear before taking over the top spot into the second turn. Stratton applied the brakes with Fast Choice and the recent third-place finisher in the North America Cup waltzed to the half in 57 seconds flat but gained company when Yannick Gingras pulled Jon I Love Dat to the outside and made a bold move to engage the leader.
Dunn had Twisted Destiny on the move as well and he reached cover moving on the third turn while tracked intently by Dandy Ideal with Jason Bartlett in the bike. Fast Choice and Jon I Love Dat were on even terms while sprinting through three-quarters in 1:24.4, but Dunn was comfortable in second-over position with Twisted Destiny on the bit and ready to go. Dunn called on his charge and got an instant response, moving past the leaders in early stretch and safely holding Dandy Ideal at bay under mild encouragement. Manolete found clearance to the inside and paced strongly to finish third with Fast Choice fading to fourth but reaching the final.
Twisted Destiny is owned by Let It Ride Stables Inc. of Boca Raton, Florida, Alberg Racing of Washington, New Jersey and Enviro Stables of Aventura, Florida. Let It Ride Stables bred the winner of eight races and $187,906 in a dozen starts with Docs Farm and Dana Parham.
Twisted Destiny returned $6.40 to win and keyed a $33.60 exacta and a $120.50 trifecta.
Odds On No Limit, driven by Matt Kakaley, and Papis Rocket, with Gingras in the sulky, blasted out of the gate from posts six and eight, respectively, with the latter hitting the front and the former landing in the pocket in the second elimination. Behind that pair, Dunn took World Of Wishes to the pylons and settled in third, ahead of 2-5 favourite Thirsty Thursday and Tyler Buter.
Papis Rocket cut fractions of :28.2 and :56.4 before seeing much competition. Buter moved Thirsty Thursday out at the half with Holt Hanover and Dan Dube on his back and Meltdown Monte third-over for Pat Lachance. Papis Rocket kept up the hot clip, pacing a 28-second flat third quarter and easily keeping the favourite at a distance.
On the final turn, the top two separated from the rest of the field, with Odds On No Limit, a 6-1 shot, and Kakaley proving the best in 1:52.4. Papis Rocket was well clear in second, with World Of Wishes winning the photo for third as Banderas and Stratton weaved through traffic and crossed the wire with crisp pace.
Odds On No Limit is trained by Travis Alexander, who has sent out three of the last four winners of this event, with Sweet Beach Life winning last year's edition. Kakaley won the Messenger in 2021 and 2022 with the Alexander trainees American Courage and Pleaseletmeknow, respectively.
Odds On No Limit, a son of Sweet Lou out of Odds On Clearwater, was bred by Odds On Nourrir and is owned by Odds On Racing and UFO 2 of Boca Raton, Florida. He sports a career record reading 4-6-1 from 14 starts with $125,132 in purse earnings.
Odds On No Limit returned $15.40 to win and keyed a $100.50 exacta and a $800 trifecta.
The $200,000 USD MGM Grand Messenger Stakes (Grade 2), the $300,000 USD MGM Yonkers Trot (Grade 2) and their companion filly races -- the Park MGM Pace (Grade 3) and New York New York Mile Grade 3 -- are scheduled to take place on Friday, June 27. No eliminations were required for the MGM Yonkers Trot as the five entrants -- Chat Room, Happy Jack B, Hard Seven, Super Chapter and Variegated -- advanced straight to the final.
The Pick 5 was not hit on Friday's program, triggering a $6,193.75 carryover and a guaranteed pool of $20,000 in the sequence on the Saturday, June 21 card. The guarantee in the Pick 5 is being offered as part of the United States Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering Program. Free past performances for the Pick 5, courtesy of TrackMaster, will be available at handicapping.ustrotting.com. The Pick 5, which begins in race five and has a $1 minimum, has a takeout rate of 20 per cent.
Yonkers is currently operating on a Monday/Tuesday and Thursday through Saturday live racing schedule with post time each night at 6:45 p.m.
(With files from Yonkers Raceway; photo of Odds On No Limit winning on June 20)