Read The Room and Chapter Geo J both turned in matching 1:55.1 miles in New York Sire Stakes action on Monday, Aug. 24 for a share of the track record for three-year-old male trotters at Monticello Raceway.
Read The Room dominated the first $77,945 division for trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt, with Twin B Seven Sins (Jason Bartlett) the only other rival nearby in a field of four after following one length behind. The gelded son of Chapter Seven-Debra Hall is now a four-time Sire Stakes winner this season. He is owned by Ake Svanstedt Inc., Little E LLC, B Nasstrom Holding Inc., and Nils Munkhaugen.
In the second $79,452 division, Chapter Geo J and Jason Bartlett took the lead in the opening panel and went on to win by 2-1/4 lengths with Seven Grand (Ake Svanstedt) second and Highway Six (Jeff Gregory) third in the five-horse field. Noel Daley trains the Chapter Seven-Miss Vet Hanover colt, who earned his second Sire Stakes victory, for owner Ken Jacobs.
Trainer John Grasso's Lou Johns Action and driver Jeff Gregory prevailed by a head over Chapter Of Life (Matt Kakaley) in 1:59.1 in the $27,397 Excelsior Series event.
(Standardbred Canada with files from Monticello Raceway; photo of Read The Room from a previous win)