The last time Manchego and Atlanta met on the racetrack was in October 2017, when Manchego capped a perfect 12-for-12 two-year-old campaign with a 4-1/2 length victory in the $600,000 Breeders Crown for two-year-old trotting fillies at Hoosier Park.
Their meeting in Friday's (Aug. 24) $136,000 Casual Breeze at Woodbine Mohawk Park carries a decidedly different dynamic following Atlanta's historic 1:50.4 win in the $1 million Hambletonian and Manchego's 1:50 triumph in the Hambletonian Oaks earlier in the month.
Since finishing fourth behind Manchego in last year's Breeders Crown, Atlanta has blossomed into a trotting dynamo, with her only defeat in seven starts this season coming in her Hambletonian elimination, where she was narrowly upended by Crystal Fashion. The daughter of Chapter Seven and usual driver Scott Zeron have drawn post 3 in the Casual Breeze for trainer Rick Zeron, who co-owns with Crawford Farms, the Holland Racing Stable, Howard Taylor and Brad Grant.
“She came out of the Hambletonian really good,” Rick Zeron said earlier this week. “She dove right into her feed box the night we brought her back home from The Meadowlands. She’s Atlanta, she just does her own thing, and we just jogged her up for a week and gave her a little down time.”
Manchego, who has only finished worse than second on one occasion in her 20 career starts, narrowly missed Mets Hall in the Dr. Harry M Zweig Memorial at Vernon Downs last week. Yannick Gingras, who has driven the daughter of Muscle Hill in every start save for her very first qualifier, will be at the lines from post 8 for trainer Jimmy Takter and owners Black Horse Racing, John Fielding and Herb Liverman.
The $136,000 Casual Breeze, restricted to three-year-old trotting fillies, is carded as the seventh race at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The entrants are as follows (with drivers and morning line odds):
1. Sorceress Seelster (Scott Wray, 12)
2. Illusioneesta (Chris Christoforou, 20)
3. Atlanta (Scott Zeron, 6-5)
4. Apprentice M (James MacDonald, 20)
5. Magical Lady (Paul MacDonell, 20)
6. Smoke And Mirrors (Trevor Henry, 15)
7. Blonde Magic (Sylvain Filion, 10)
8. Manchego (Yannick Gingras, 7-5)
9. Ex Hanover (Bob McClure, 10)
10. Sneeker Hanover (Jody Jamieson, 15)
First post for the 12-race card at Woodbine Mohawk Park is 7:10 p.m.
• To view Friday's entries, click the following link: Friday Entries – Woodbine Mohawk Park.
• For program pages (courtesy TrackIT), click the following link: Friday Program – Woodbine Mohawk Park.