Vivid Wise As, the 2023 MGM Yonkers International Trot winner and first horse to receive an invitation to the exclusive $1 million USD event at Yonkers Raceway, will not be able to defend his title and will be replaced by fellow Italian representative Capital Mail.
It was announced on Tuesday, Aug. 13 that Vivid Wise As is sick and had lost weight, making it impossible for trainer Alessandro Gocciadoro to prepare the 10-year-old for the upcoming trip across the Atlantic Ocean for the Sept. 7 race.
While the absence of Vivid Wise As is not ideal, Capital Mail was quick to scoop up his invitation. The six-year-old has an impressive résumé of his own, with just shy of one million Euros earned in his career and 16 wins from 49 starts. In early May, the son of Nad Al Sheba won Italy’s most prestigious international race – the Gran Premio Lotteria at Agnano in Naples – and followed that up with a second-place finish in the Elitloppet eliminations before finishing sixth in the final.
Capital Mail, who is trained by Gennaro Casillo for owner Saverio Cortese, joins Hail Mary in the field for the 2024 MGM Yonkers International Trot. More invitations are expected to be handed out in the coming days and will be announced shortly.
The MGM Yonkers International Trot will be the centerpiece of a spectacular afternoon card (12:15 p.m. EDT post time) 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)