Staffan Lind thinks filly trotter Celebrity Athena can get around a half-mile track as well as any horse he has trained. On Saturday, he will find out
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Celebrity Athena is the sole filly among 14 entrants for Saturday’s Yonkers Trot $40,000 elimination races. She drew Post 6 in a field of seven, with Mike Lachance listed to drive for Lind and owner Celebrity Farm of Goshen, New York. Earlier this year, Celebrity Athena won a division of the Zweig Memorial Filly Trot at Tioga Downs and was runner-up in a division of the Delvin Miller Memorial at the Meadowlands.
The $670,774 Yonkers Trot final, as well as the $327,985 Hudson Filly Trot, will be August 29 at Yonkers Raceway.
Lind thinks Celebrity Athena, who has won five of 20 career races and $165,315, will comport herself well with the colts. Rapid Rail, in 2003, was the last filly to enter the Yonkers Trot. She finished eighth in her elimination. Continentalvictory, in 1996, is the last filly to win the event; one year after filly CR Kay Suzie captured the race.
“She possesses a lot of speed, that filly,” Lind said. “I’ve never trained a horse that can get around a half like she does. Compared to other horses I think it (the half-mile track) helps her.”
Celebrity Athena has never raced on a half-mile oval, but spent her entire life training on one at Celebrity Farm. She has won races on five-eighths, seven-eighths, and mile tracks.
“We have a half at the farm and coming up to this race, I trained her down at Goshen [Historic] Track and she actually went faster than the track record (1:58 by Goalfish) in a training mile,” Lind said. “She’s fast behind the gate, but now she’s drawn the six hole. We’ll have to see what happens. She actually is one of the few horses that has speed at both ends (of the mile) so she can leave and she can finish a race.”
Lind also trains Celebrity Juliet (7-3-1-0, $150,247, 1:55.4 this year), who is entered in the Hudson Filly Trot, the companion event to the Yonkers Trot.
“I have two really good fillies and I didn’t see any reason to race them against each other,” he said.
Hambletonian finalists Judge Joe and The Chancellor were made the morning line favourites in the Yonkers Trot elims. Judge Joe, who was seventh in the Hambletonian, will start from post No. 1 in the first elim. Earlier this season, the colt won a division of the Zweig and multiple legs of the New York Sire Stakes. He is trained by Doug Ackerman and driven by D.R. Ackerman.
The Chancellor, who was fourth in the Hambletonian, will start from Post 2 in the second elim. Driven by Andy Miller for his wife, trainer Julie Miller, The Chancellor is coming off a second-place finish behind Explosive Matter’s world-record 1:53 mile in The Colonial at Harrah’s Chester Casino and Racetrack last weekend.
Calchips Brute, who was third in both the Hambletonian and The Colonial, will start from Post 7 in the second elim.
Here is a look at the fields for the Yonkers Trot eliminations in post position order with driver and morning line odds:
Yonkers Trot - 1st elim
1. Judge Joe, D.R. Ackerman, 7-5
2. Neighsay Hanover, Trond Smedshammer, 8-1
3. Copy Catch, Jason Bartlett, 6-1
4. Select Yankee, Stephane Bouchard, 8-1
5. Keystone Activator, Cat Manzi, 10-1
6. Celebrity Athena, Mike Lachance, 5-1
7. Salutation Hanover, Greg Grismore, 10-1
Yonkers Trot – 2nd elim
1. Road Rash, Marcus Johansson, 12-1
2. The Chancellor, Andy Miller, 8-5
3. Broadway Bistro, Jason Bartlett, 10-1
4. Vesuvio AS, Stephane Bouchard, 6-1
5. Citation Lindy, Ray Schnittker, 8-1
6. Truth In Action, Mike Lachance, 8-1
7. Calchips Brute, Trond Smedshammer, 4-1
(Harness Racing Communications)