Scorpion Moon will try to become the first back-to-back winner of the $30,000 Joseph Carney Memorial Trot as Rockingham Park wraps up the 2009 live harness meet on Sunday, but Slim Down and five other tough trotters also have designs on the trophy
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In his first outing over the Rockingham Park racing strip since he won the Carney a year ago, Scorpion Moon and driver Richard Wojcio made light work of one of the two eliminations last Sunday and thus deserve the 5-2 favouritism in the morning line. While Slim Down and driver, trainer, and owner Jim Hardy found themselves in a tougher fight to win the other elimination last week, the horse did set a track, New England, and world record here two summers ago and he has raced superbly at The Rock this season.
"Scorpion Moon is tough competition," said Hardy. "I think that horse can trot in [1:54] any time he wants to. But does my horse have the home field advantage? I like to think so."
Slim Down, a seven-year-old gelded son of Yankee Glide also owned by Eugene Hickey and Barry Caruso, has made 11 starts at Rockingham during the meet and after recovering from an illness that compromised his first three trips over the track, he won six of eight races and finished second in the other two. The very game Slim Down is clearly a sentimental favourite of the crowd and figures to get plenty of support in the cheering section and at the windows even though he will start from the number seven post in the field of seven.
The entire field for the Carney, which is held each year in honour of Rockingham's late president and owner, with driver and early odds and from the rail out is: Andiver America, Bruce Ranger, 9-2; Eralivic, David Ingraham, 5-1; Annual Dues, Brad Irvine, 8-1; Scorpion Moon, Richard Wojcio, 5-2; Foreign Authority, Paul Battis, 12-1; Proud Moment, Alessandro Spano, 10-1; and Slim Down, James Hardy, 7-2.
Also on closing day, Rockingham will hold the second $3,500 leg of the Battle of New England Trotting Division Series and the final will be waged on September 7 at Plainridge Race Course.
Everyone coming to the races is eligible to win a $50 gas card from Klemm's Mobile on the Run in Windham, New Hampshire and post time is 1:05 p.m. for the 11-race card.
(Rockingham Park)