One week after defending champion Vivid Wise As accepted the first invitation to the 2024 MGM Yonkers International Trot, Hail Mary has accepted the second invite to the $1 million USD event slated for Sept. 7 at historic Yonkers Raceway.
Despite being a late bloomer who didn’t debut until well into his three-year-old season, Hail Mary has put together an impressive résumé across Europe, winning 28 of 50 career starts and north of $1.6 million USD for owner Mehdi Yazdanpanh under the Stall Mary AB banner. Trained in his early years by Robert Bergh, the now eight-year-old son of Googoo Gaagaa switched to the Daniel Redén barn prior to his six-year-old season where he remains to date.
Hail Mary, who owns a lifetime mark of 1:50.2, has victories in the Swedish Trotting Derby, Breeders Crown, Aby Grand Prix and a number of other Group I races during his time on the track. He made an unsuccessful attempt at the Prix d’Amerique earlier this year, but with regular driver Orjan Kihlstrom, who will make the trip to New York for the MGM Yonkers International Trot, recently won the Group I Jamtland Grand Prix on June 9 for the second consecutive year.
According to Yazdanpanh, Hail Mary will prep for the MGM Yonkers International Trot with races at Årjäng on July 13 and to defend his title in the Hugo Åbergs Memorial on July 30, before making the exciting journey to the United States.
“We have not participated [in the International Trot] before but we are really look forward to racing Hail Mary at Yonkers,” said Yazdanpanh.
The MGM Yonkers International Trot will be the centerpiece of a spectacular 12:15 p.m. card on Sept. 7 that also features a pair of $250,000 USD Invitationals for older horses and the $1.8 million USD finals of the New York Sire Stakes.
(Yonkers Raceway)