Offspring of Huntsville took top honours in three of the five $28,571 New York Excelsior Series events for three-year-old pacers on Saturday, July 4 at Goshen Historic Track.
Among them was Knoxville, whose 1:54 mile in the first split for males took the overall speed badge on the 10-race card before a packed grandstand.
In line to trainer/driver Ray Schnittker, Knoxville controlled splits of :28.1, :57 and 1:25.2 before using a :28.3 final quarter to evade pocket rival Cooperstown Boy (Colin Kelly) by two lengths. Killing Joke (Leon Bailey) was third. Knoxville, out of Lets Fall In Love, has now won five races and banked $318,813 from 17 starts for Schnittker and co-owners Milton Leeman, Louis Palumbo and Ted Gewertz.
The other two Excelsior winners by Huntsville were gelding Johnny Wiggles and Savage Cindy.
Jason Bartlett had Johnny Wiggles on top through :28.3, :57.2 and 1:25.4 fractions en route to a 4-1/4-length, 1:54.3 victory in the third colt division for trainer Jared Bako and owners Doug McNair and John Stamatis. Magic Journey (Jay Randall) finished second, well clear of Choice Is Mine (Jim Marohn Jr.), who closed for third. Johnny Wiggles, out of Wiggle Delight, is three-for-16 lifetime with $69,303 in earnings.
Savage Cindy, a Scarlett Stables LLC homebred out of Naughty Cindy, took the second of two filly splits. After fractions of :29.1, :58.1 and 1:26.2, Jordan Stratton rallied her from the pocket to a half-length, 1:54.4 score over pacesetter American Cheese (Jason Bartlett) for trainer Cory Stratton. Taladega Express (Leon Bailey) was home third. The winner took her fourth tally from 11 career outings and raised her bankroll to $236,915.
Rounding out the quintet of Excelsior divisional winners were Shes In The Juice (1:55.4, Mike Merton), a daughter of In The Arsenal-Juice Hanover, in the first filly contest, and Unmatched Wisdom (1:54.4, Leon Bailey), a gelded son of American Ideal-Above Average, in the second contest for the boys.
Trainer Jacob Kiefer Jr. harnessed his first career winner on Saturday as Foreign Xchange took the opener with a pacesetting effort in 1:57.3 with Jason Bartlett aboard. The three-year-old son of Six Pack-Romana S, now two-for-19 lifetime, is owned by Kiefer Elite Bloodstock LLC and Jaime Martin. Kiefer made his training debut in May with Jakey Jumpup at The Meadowlands, finishing third. The Boonton, N.J. resident now has a record of 11-1-0-3.
Trotters take centre stage on Sunday at Historic Track, with three New York Excelsior Series events for three-year-olds headlining the eight-race card along with the annual Hall of Fame Invitational Trot. Four Landmark Stakes events for two-year-olds of both gaits round out the program, which will begin at 1 p.m.
(With files from Goshen Historic Track; photo of Knoxville winning on June 3)