Ohio-sired Charlie May crossed the wire an impressive winner in Saturday’s (Aug. 14) $300,000 Carl Milstein Memorial, a Grand Circuit event, against some of the best sophomore pacers in North America, at MGM Northfield Park.
Charlie May started from post 7 and sat fifth through the opening :26 quarter. He then was in the flow, third over, but still in fifth position at the :53.2 half-mile mark. Miller called upon Charlie May in the third quarter, tipping three-wide and accelerating at an amazing speed, arriving in the lead at the three-quarter pole in 1:20.4. He continued to pull away from the others, winning by 4-3/4 lengths in 1:48.4. The clocking was a track and world record for sophomore pacing geldings.
“We got a little bit lucky in the first turn to find a seat,” driver Brett Miller said after the race. Once he made the front he kind of let up. He would have gone faster if he had someone to pass.”
Charlie May (McArdle-Stipple Hanover-Western Hanover) is owned by Don Tiger of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. Steve Carter trains him at his farm track in Londonderry, Ohio.
“It is very sweet to win this race here in Ohio,” Carter said. “This horse shows up every week and always does his work.”
Saturday’s victory is the 12th score for Charlie May. The win pushes his earnings to $728,477.
Following in succession after Charlie May were Mysweetboymax, Water Sports Teen, Rockin On Venus, Bettor Sun, Chase H Hanover, Heart Of Chewbacca, Bayfield Beach and Alilthundadownunda.
Charlie May returned $4.60 to win.
The race is named in honour of Carl Milstein, who owned and operated Northfield Park from 1984 until his death in 1999. It is the richest invitational event in harness racing for pacers.
The impressive clocking was the third world record scored on the night. In the two races prior to the main event, Weslynn Quest and Ocean Rock captured the $100,000 Tom Aldrich President’s Trot and $100,000 Myron Charna President’s Pace. The races are for veteran Ohio-sired horses, by invitation only.
Weslynn Quest won the Aldrich by leading gate-to-wire from the rail, winning by three-quarter lengths in 1:50.4. The speedy clocking is the fastest mile in history trotted on a half-mile track. Joe Bongiorno drove the five-year-old mare for trainer Per Englom.
Ocean Rock, winner of the Charna, set his second world record on the Flying Turns. Saturday’s 1:48.1 clocking is the fastest mile ever paced by a four-year-old gelding on a half-mile track. In 2019, he set a world record for freshman pacing geldings at Northfield in 1:51.1. Dan Noble drove the pacer for his wife Christi Noble, the horse’s trainer.
(Northfield Park)
1:48.4 on a half-mile track
1:48.4 on a half-mile track is pretty impressive. If his DQ in The Meadowlands Pace is overturned, I think we can consider Charlie May to be the best 3yopc in North America in 2021.