The work of international recruiter Klaus Koch is now complete as Betting Pacer is officially the final horse from Europe that will compete in the MGM Yonkers International Trot on Saturday, Sept. 12. The nine-year-old, with the odd name for a trotter due to a pacing pedigree a few generations back, will make her U.S. debut in the Grade 1 event with a $1-million USD purse.
Betting Pacer is coming off a victory in the Grade I European Championship for Mares at Solvalla on August 19. The win was her fourth in 12 starts this year for trainer/driver Björn Goop.
“I think she’s at the peak of her career at the moment,” said Goop, who added that the return to racing barefoot has made a big difference. “She raced barefoot as a four-year-old but she couldn’t do it anymore. This year she started racing barefoot again.”
Owned by Mbg I Sydost AB, Betting Pacer has won 20 of 88 lifetime starts. The nine-year-old daughter of Maharajah has competed mostly at shorter distances and should be well-suited for the Yonkers surface.
“She took a world record in a long-distance race on a half-mile track a couple of years ago. She gets along very well on the half-mile tracks and handles the turns very well,” said Goop.
Goop is no stranger to the MGM Yonkers International Trot, having competed in the race several times, including finishing second in 2015 edition with Timoko. He is excited about returning to the U.S. to take part in the race.
“It would mean a lot [to win]. It is always a dream come true to come to the States to race, especially with one of the horses I train. It is also a dream come true for my owner. Directly after the last race they were talking about it,” said Goop.
Seven horses have now officially accepted invitations to the MGM Yonkers International Trot. They include (in alphabetical order with expected driver, and country of origin in parenthesis):
- Betting Pacer – Björn Goop (Sweden)
- Bourbonista S – Dexter Dunn (Sweden)
- Diva Ek – Alessandro Gocciadoro (Italy)
- Gio Cash – TBD (Germany)
- Hooker Berry – Antoine Lhéreté (France)
- Mellby Jinx – Daniel Wäjersten (Sweden)
- Powwow – Ake Svanstedt (Norway)
An earlier release said the MGM Yonkers International Trot field would swell to 11, but those plans have been scrapped due to one of the invitees — Daim Brodda — having to pull out. A trio of horses based in the U.S. and Canada will be released early next week.
The million-dollar race will be the focal point of a stellar card on Saturday, Sept. 12 that starts at 11:50 a.m. (EDT) and includes the $2.4 million USD New York Sire Stakes finals for two- and three-year-olds, as well as a pair of $200,000 USD Invitationals - the Bob Miecuna Trot and Aria Pace.
(Yonkers Raceway)