The rivalry between Winning Shadow and Smoking Jet in the $18,000 Open Trot at MGM Northfield Park wrote another chapter on Sunday (June 5).
Last week, Smoking Jet (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) defeated local favourite Winning Shadow (Chris Lems) by a 1-3/4 lengths in a world-record tying 1:52.3 for an older trotting gelding on a half-mile track. This week, Winning Shadow would upend the Ron Burke trainee, also equalling Stormy Kromer's 1:52.3 record performance at Yonkers Raceway in 2020.
Lems wasted no time this week sending Winning Shadow to the lead, with Big Bad Caviar (Billy Davis Jr.) in tow at the quarter in :27.2. Lems got the breather he wanted, able to back the pace down to a :29 half, still leading by 1-1/4 lengths.
Heading to the three-quarter pole in 1:24.2, Wrenn began to attack with Smoking Jet. The two Open trotters battled through the stretch, with Winning Shadow winning by a half-length.
Winning Shadow now has 49 career victories in 129 starts and has amassed $709,401 in earnings. He is owned by Racing To Win Stable of Chittenango, New York and trained by Jordan Hope.
Racing at MGM Northfield Park resumes on Monday (June 6) with the first post of 6 p.m. The night features a pair of low 14 per cent takeout guaranteed pools, including the $10,000 Late Pick-4 (Race 11) and $10,000 Super Hi-5 (Race 13).
Harmon Wins GLADA Trot
For the third time this season, Lauren Harmon beat the boys in the GLADA trotting series at Northfield Park when she guided Emerald Chip to a 1:57.2 victory over seven others on Sunday night.
When the starter turned the field loose, four horses went for the lead, but it was Steve Oldford who took command with Sumbodygetdisfool and he led his competition by the quarter in :28.2. There were four in and four out as they proceeded forward. At this point, Emerald Chip was second-over and moving forward with the flow.
With Oldford's charge solid on the lead, the trailers scrambled for position as they trotted by the half in :57.4. Up the backside, Harmon moved Emerald Chip three-deep and they trotted around Fultons Fury and toward Sumbodygetdisfool, who was still in command at three-quarters in 1:28.1.
Around the final turn, Emerald Chip had a length lead and in the lane he was the strong horse and went on to a 1-1/2 length win in 1:57.2. Odds-on favourite Tootie, who was stuck in traffic, shook free but couldn't catch the leader and finished second. Sumbodygetdisfool hung on for the show dough.
Emerald Chip, a nine-year-old Chip Chip Hooray gelding, is owned and trained by Harmon. He paid $11.60 for the win.
(With files from Northfield Park and GLADA)