After back-to-back sub-1:50 trotting miles at Woodbine Mohawk Park, Super Chapter showed his stellar form once again with a powerful 2:22.3 performance in the 1-1/4 mile Grade 1 $1.38 million MGM Yonkers International Trot on Saturday, Sept. 12 at Yonkers Raceway.
Driven by Dexter Dunn, Super Chapter floated away from post five and then drove forward to take the lead away from fellow Marcus Melander trainee Bourbonista S (Scott Zeron) beyond the :27.1 quarter. After he took charge, Super Chapter didn't face an outside threat through the :55.3 half as a two-wide tier comprised of Mellby Jinx S (Daniel Wajersten), Gio Cash De (Robin Bakker), Hooker Berry Fr (Antoine Lherete) and Diva Ek It (Alessandro Gocciadoro) tried to make forward progress before Lherete sent Hooker Berry Fr three-wide prior to the 1:25.2 three-quarters and would be joined in that flow by Diva Ek It as the field raced in the backstretch for the final time.
Hooker Berry Fr was able to pass several horses and slid down into a loose pocket as Super Chapter opened up coming to the 1:54.2 mile marker, while Diva Ek It tracked Hooker Berry Fr's bid and then took up the first-over position on the final bend. Meanwhile, Super Chapter had fled the scene, and although Diva Ek It did gain in the lane to get within a length and a quarter of Super Chapter, it was well after the race had been decided and Dunn had been celebrating. Hooker Berry Fr held third, followed by Betting Pacer S (Bjorn Goop) and Powwow No (Ake Svanstedt).
"I didn't really know obviously what was going to be happening out of the gate, so we had options completely open," stated Dunn. "Scotty drawing inside me with Bourbonista S left the gate so good, I basically just followed her across and once [Super Chapter] got to the front, he was traveling incredibly good the whole way.
"All credit to the horse, he makes my job so easy. I can drive him any way and he never seems to get tired. He's so light on his feet and quick at the same time. It's a true pleasure to sit behind him."
A four-year-old son of Chapter Seven bred by co-owner Hanover Shoe Farms of Hanover, Pa., Super Chapter is trained by Melander and co-owned by Jeff Snyder of New York, N.Y. and Arthur Pronti of Jersey City, N.J. Super Chapter sports a summary of 20-8-2 from 33 starts, has earned $3,918,287 and paid $3.36 to win as the favourite. He keyed a $23.02 exacta and a $577.74 trifecta.
"He was fantastic today," said Melander. "It was three weeks in a row here. He went two 49 miles up in Canada, but he's so good to take care of himself between races. He doesn't need much work at all, so that helps a lot obviously."
For the second straight year in the MGM Yonkers International Trot, Diva Ek It finished in the runner-up position from post eight and Gocciadoro was very pleased with her effort.
"She is amazing. She was better than last year, I think. With this (post), I think we took the maximum result today," Gocciadoro said. "If we change the post, it's a very interesting race. I want to change the post next year."
Fragment, AI, Sharp Seven Repeat In NYSS Finals
Three-year-old colt Fragment became a two-time New York Sire Stakes champion and stallion Huntsville sired three of the four winners of the $416,667 finals for male and female pacers.
Joining Fragment in earning NYSS pacing crowns were three-year-old filly Savage Cindy, two-year-old colt Bastonata Bluechip and two-year-old filly Huntsvilles Honey.
Fragment won the final for three-year-old male pacers by 1-1/2 lengths over Hunting Glory in 1:54.2. Fearless Partners was third.
Fragment reached the opening quarter in :27.1 and set all the remaining fractions, hitting the half in 56 seconds and three-quarters in 1:24 while opening up a five-length advantage heading to the stretch. Hunting Glory (Ridge Warren) and Fearless Partners (Jordan Stratton) fanned out wide from mid-pack on the final turn to give chase, but Fragment held on for his second NYSS title.
"He got the victory just because he's a good horse, but he's not at all close to being what we think he is," said Bartlett, who drove Fragment for trainer Petter Engblom. "We're going to have to try to figure it out because he's a lot better horse than that. He toughed it out despite not being on his game today.
"I knew going to the half he was really on the bit, and when he's like that, he's not at his best. I knew he was taking a little bit out of himself going to the half, and I was a little worried about that. It kind of showed in the lane. The last quarter was only :30.2; I knew we weren't coming fast. I was just trying to get as much clearance as I could because I felt him getting tired."
Fragment, who in June captured the Grade 2 MGM Grand Messenger Stakes at Yonkers, won for the fifth time in eight races this year and 14th time in 24 career starts. The triumph pushed the colt's lifetime earnings over $1.5 million. The son of Huntsville-The Show Returns is owned by Engblom Farm LLC of Wrightstown, N.J., Douglas Sipple of Georgetown, De. and Peaceful Acre Farm of York, Pa.
Sent off as the 1-5 favourite, Fragment paid $2.54 to win. The exacta returned $29.64 and the trifecta returned $308.40.
Leon Bailey came away with a NYSS champion in the final for three-year-old female pacers, guiding a dominant performance by Savage Cindy in a 1:52.4 triumph. Ideal Beauty Queen (Scott Zeron) finished second, eight lengths back, while Saulsbrook Rolo (Tyler Buter) was third.
Savage Cindy, the 7-5 favourite, went straight to the front and never looked back through fractions of :27, :54.4 and 1:22, and led by 13 lengths in the stretch.
"I picked her up (two starts ago) and she's just been so good on the front end. There's no end to her," Bailey said. "I got the front pretty easy today, and when I did, we were taking no prisoners. Surreal Spirit came at me at the half, and it was a tough decision, but I already had (Savage Cindy) rolling and decided to just keep rolling. She does it so easy. She's just an incredible filly and Cory has done a great job with her."
Savage Cindy is trained by Cory Stratton for breeder-owner Scarlett Stables LLC of Katonah, N.Y. The daughter of Huntsville-Naughty Cindy won for the third consecutive start and fifth time in 10 races this season. For her career, she has won seven of 17 races and earned $633,893.
She paid $4.80 to win. The exacta returned $45.46 and the trifecta returned $1,737.28.
In the final for two-year-old female pacers, Huntsvilles Honey swooped the field from sixth place on the final turn to post a 1:55.2 victory for driver Matt Kakaley and trainer George Ducharme. Phast Phyllis (Braxten Boyd) finished second, 2-3/4 lengths back, and Maxina (Bartlett) came home third.
Favoured Cowboy Candy, with Bartlett in the sulky, worked her way to the lead from post eight just prior to reaching the opening quarter in :27.1. She remained on top to the :56.2 half and 1:25.1 three-quarters while fending off first-over pressure from 8-5 second choice Annie O (Bailey) but was unable to maintain her advantage in the stretch before fading to fourth. Huntsvilles Honey, who had to return to the paddock for a shoe repair that delayed the start of the race for several minutes, stormed through the lane to complete a :29.2 last quarter that was nearly a second faster than any of her competitors.
"The race set up perfect for her, and she got the job done," Kakaley said. "I was really disappointed with her at Saratoga in her last start (finishing third in a race won by Annie O). I talked to George about it because we expected her to be a little better finishing. She gave me the punch that I needed today."
Huntsvilles Honey is owned by breeder Joseph Trice of Hampden, Me. The daughter of Huntsville-Thats Incredible has won three of seven races this season and earned $295,119.
"I just think the way the pace set up for her, she was able to get a better trip, and (the others) didn't close as hard as they have been," Ducharme said. "We just needed to get a break in the flow of the race, and it worked out in our favor today."
He added about the filly's return to the paddock, "She had a shoe come off, and we had to get it put back on. I didn't know if (the delay) was going to be good or bad for her, but we got through it, so all good."
Sent off at 9-1, Huntsvilles Honey paid $21.54 to win. The exacta with Phast Phyllis (25-1) returned $416.96 and the trifecta with Maxina (23-1) returned $8,753.46.
In the final for two-year-old male pacers, Bastonata Bluechip and driver Dexter Dunn took the lead from 1-5 favourite Rose Run Cowboy (Yannick Gingras) at three-quarters, then fought through the stretch as Rose Run Cowboy rallied back, to hold on for a nose victory in 1:54.4. Free Agent (Boyd) finished a fast-closing third, just a half-length back.
In a field reduced to five horses by two scratches, Man On A Hunt (Andy McCarthy) went to the lead off the gate before Bastonata Bluechip and Dunn moved to the point exiting the first turn. That advantage would be short-lived as Rose Run Cowboy came calling and was a parked-out leader at the quarter, reached in :27.3.
From there, Rose Run Cowboy remained on top to the :56.3 half, but Bastonata Bluechip made his move on the backstretch and was a parked-out leader as they got to three-quarters in 1:25.2, setting up the stretch showdown.
"I wasn't worried about mine," winning trainer Travis Alexander said. "Mine was a little green when he made the front. I knew that once (Free Agent) came and he could sense him, he would go again. And that's what he did.
"The colt's been good all summer; it just finally worked out. And having Dex never hurts, he's the best in the game right now. The big thing for us is it's the first crop of American Courage. He only has five babies racing, and one won a sire stakes final."
Bastonata Bluechip is a son of American Courage-Ascending owned by Joe P Racing LLC of Delray Beach, Fiddlers Creek Stables of Naples and Alexander Racing Stable of Delray Beach, Fl. For the season, Bastonata Bluechip has won two of eight races and earned $328,151. Sent off as the 7-2 second choice, he paid $9.12. The exacta returned $17.66 and the trifecta returned $55.42.
Uncle Rob, AI, Kountry Plunge and Sharp Seven were victorious in their respective $416,667 New York Sire Stakes finals for trotters.
The day kicked off with a 1:56.2 track record performance by gelding Uncle Rob in the final for two-year-old males.
Driven by owner Andy Miller (as Andy Miller Stable Inc. of Cream Ridge, N.J.), Uncle Rob led through fractions of :29, :58.4 and 1:27.3 and held sway by a length over Gios Hope (Dexter Dunn), who went three-wide from mid-pack before three-quarters to take up the chase from first-over. T Money (Yannick Gingras) was third from the pocket.
"I owe it all to Andy and his groom. After his last start at Yonkers when he made that miscue, we added the hobbles to the bike," said winning trainer Julie Miller. "We thought that might steady him versus the hobbles that go underneath their belly. I don't know if that change helped or not; I haven't talked to Andy, but obviously the results are pretty fantastic for us today. I was really happy how the race obviously unfolded. Andy did great fractions and he showed up in the end.
"It's a great program. We love the New York Sire Stakes program. We definitely have the Big Apple (elims on Oct. 2 and final on Oct. 9 at Vernon) in our future. Besides that, he'll be shut down and wait until next year."
A son of Mets Hall-Jesses Con, Uncle Rob has four wins and three runner-up finishes from nine outings with $451,062 in earnings. He paid $14 to win as a 6-1 offering, leading a $45.26 exacta and a $133.10 trifecta.
AI (Gingras) defended his sire stakes title from 2025 by taking the final for three-year-old colts and geldings in 1:55.4.
Read The Room (Ake Svanstedt) got away well from post eight and was able to clear to the top in a :28.3 quarter, but Gingras swung AI to the outside from the pocket and took control beyond that marker. From there, AI hit the half in :58 and the three-quarters in 1:27 while second choice Chapter Geo J (Jason Bartlett) made a break while trying to advance first-over. It was all AI in he final panel off the well-rated tempo and with Chapter Geo J out of contention, he sprinted home in :28.4 to defeat Read The Room by three lengths. Highway Six (Jeff Gregory) collected third.
"Last week we knew he was coming around. He got knocked down in the first turn and still came back and only got beat a length (in the sire stakes at Batavia)," remarked winning trainer Ron Burke, who said AI has the Breeders Crown on his future schedule. "Once he made the front here, and the colt of Jason's ran, that gave him another breather in the second and third quarter. I knew he could hold them off from there."
AI is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC of Fredericktown, Pa., Hatfield Stables of Columbus, Oh. Knox Services Inc. of Mt. Vernon, Oh. and Weaver Bruscemi LLC of Canonsburg, Pa. The Chapter Seven-Image Of Bee colt has a summary of 7-3-5 from 26 efforts, has pocketed $979,033 and returned $4.68 to win as the favourite. He keyed a $14.30 exacta and a $45.42 trifecta.
Kountry Plunge (Svanstedt) improved to five-for-five in her career with a 1:57 triumph in the final for two-year-old fillies.
Starting from post one, Kountry Plunge fired out and then gave a parking ticket to Seveallisto (Leon Bailey) to the 27-second quarter and the 57-second half. Kountry Plunge had dispatched of Seveallisto before three-quarters went on the board in 1:26.3, and a second-over Secret Lover (Jason Bartlett) couldn't make any headway after going three-wide from second-over, which left Kountry Plunge and pocket-sittter Jula Florence (Tyler Miller) to decide it.
Miller tipped Jula Florence to the outside and did cut into Kountry Plunge's margin, but it wasn't enough, as Kountry Plunge hit the wire half a length ahead of Jula Florence. Anabella (Brett Beckwith) rallied from seventh to third in the final quarter.
"It was a longshot that wanted to come past me. Then I would have had to have gone out again, so I decided to park him," trainer-driver Svanstedt said about his strategy. "She was a little tired today. It was the first time I felt her tired, but the track is not fast. She's a top horse. She can compete on the mile track also."
Svanstedt added that Kountry Plunge will now switch to facing Grand Circuit competition.
A Chapter Seven filly, Kountry Plunge is owned by Obm Stable of Delray Beach, Fl., Svanstedt And Midnight Sun of Wrightstown, N.J., Bender Sweden Inc. of Vero Beach, Fl. and Ecurie Diocles Ab of Sigtuna, Sweden. Kountry Plunge, whose dam Plunge Blue Chip was also a New York Sire Stakes champion, has earned $385,541 to go with her perfect record and returned $2.22 to win as the 1-9 favourite. The exacta was worth $6.48 and the trifecta kicked back $75.84.
As AI did in the race for sophomore colts and geldings, three-year-old filly Sharp Seven (Bartlett) backed up her sire stakes title from a year ago by winning the final for that division in 1:55.1.
Sharp Seven was parked past the :28.1 quarter to wrangle the top spot away from Storybook Love (Todd Ratchford) and would continue to show the way through middle-half panels of :58 and 1:26.4. Who Dares Wins (Gingras) tipped out from third before three-quarters, advanced into second and challenged Sharp Seven on the final bend, but then made a break before they turned for home. With that foe out of the picture, Sharp Seven just had to stave off Storybook Love, which she did by a length. Jula Hot To Chill (Matt Kakaley) grabbed third.
"She just hasn't been handling the tracks right (in a couple of recent races where she broke). I made a couple of shoeing adjustments this week and trained her pretty good. It really all worked out today finally," said victorious trainer George Ducharme, who also won a pacing final earlier on the card. "This is the first time in four starts (at Yonkers) she ever trotted the whole mile, so I was holding my breath a little. She's just been a great filly, a great surprise for all of us.
"She might have a couple of Grand Circuit races. We're going to look at that, but other than that she's overachieved for what we wanted so far. I'll look at, if she comes out of this good, going to Canada for the Elegantimage, and then she has the Breeders Crown if we choose."
By Chapter Seven and bred by Fred Hertrich III, Sharp Seven is trained by Ducharme for owner Purple Haze Stables LLC of Fairport, N.Y. She is a 10-time winner from 23 tries, has put away $987,278 and returned $5.04 to win as the favourite. She was atop a $16.72 exacta and a $110.08 trifecta.
Best Chip, Up Your Deo Solid In Invitationals
Best Chip and driver-trainer Joe Bongiorno followed up an impressive victory in the Canadian Pacing Derby a week earlier with an inspiring front-end performance, holding on gamely to capture the $277,778 Grade 2 Aria Invitational as part of Saturday's International Trot Day program at MGM Yonkers Raceway, pacing to a 2:20.4 clocking in the 1-1/4 mile contest.
A four-year-old son of Heston Blue Chip-Place Your Best, Best Chip turned back a solid late rally by Coaches Corner (Bartlett) with Go Go Grasshopper (Gingras) finishing third.
With 10 horses doing battle, Coaches Corner and Sweet Beach Life (Kakaley) stepped out from the outside of the starting gate while Go Go Grasshopper sped out ahead of Best Chip into the opening bend. Go Go Grasshopper cleared the front but ceded control to Coaches Corner before the :27.4 opening fraction. Bongiorno had Best Chip in motion coming off the opening bend and hustled the favourite to control before the field reached the second turn.
Best Chip was in full command with fractions of :56.2 and 1:25.3 for the second and third quarters before Sweet Beach Life made a second and bold move to engage the leader, followed at a distance by Mossdale Ben N (Jim Marohn Jr.). The pace picked up in the fourth quarter, with Best Chip clicking off the mile in 1:52.4 and putting an end to the nine-race winning streak of Sweet Beach Life.
The final turn would set up the confrontation as Coaches Corner and Bartlett looked to come to the outside while Go Go Grasshopper went inside. Bongiorno wasn’t taking chances, as he roused his horse vigorously coming into the stretch, and Best Chip battled gamely, holding off Coaches Corner by a long nose with a :28 final quarter.
El Dorado Stables of Fort Myers, Fl. owns Best Chip, now a winner nine times in 15 starts this year. Lifetime, he's a 14-time winner with $745,175 in earnings.
As the favourite, Best Chip returned $3.10 to win and keyed an $11.90 exacta and a $45.88 trifecta.
"He's just a special horse," said Bongiorno following the victory. "I had a feeling going into the race that the extra quarter mile wouldn't hurt this horse."
Bongiorno added that the Dayton Pacing Derby was next for Best Chip and ultimately a supplemental entry for the Breeders Crown would follow.
It was déjà vu all over again, as Yogi Berra might say, when Up Your Deo and Ake Svanstedt matched almost identically the performance he put on in the 2025 edition of the Robert Miecuna Invitational (Grade 2) with his effort in the $277,778 event on Saturday. Up Your Deo marched to the front, controlled the fractions and covered the mile and a quarter in 2:23.2, the exact time of his conquest a year ago. Southwind Coors and Yannick Gingras tried to track him down in the stretch but fell short while bearing out as My Degenerate (Andy Miller) held third after sitting in that position throughout.
The Miecuna marked the return of Devilish Hill to competitive racing in the United States, and he was sent off as the 6-5 favourite for the dynamic driver-trainer connection of Jason Bartlett and Petter Engblom, but the pair was unable to contend through the :27.2 opening quarter as Up Your Deo marched around him rapidly on the opening bend to secure the lead and Bartlett took a tuck inside. The veteran international performer Aetors Kronos S (Dunn) also pushed out sharply and found a seat early.
Up Your Deo rated the pace kindly, hitting the half in :56.1 and three-quarters in 1:25.1 but increased the pace when Bartlett pulled Devilish Hill first-over prior to the latter marker. In the critical fourth quarter, Svanstedt guided Up Your Deo through a :28.1 quarter and that stalled any progress on the outer tier heading into the final bend.
With just two horses on his back, Svanstedt called on Up Your Deo, and the 6-year-old on of Walner-Grand Stand responded with a 30-second final quarter, holding on to the lead with Southwind Coors gaining but bearing out at the same time.
Bred and co-owned by Deo Volente Farms of Flemington, N.J., Up Your Deo is also co-owned by Ake Svanstedt Inc. of Wrightstown, N.J., Suleyman Yuksel Stables of Delray Beach, Fl. and Van Camp Trotting Corp. of Port Perry, Ont.. The win was the second of the year for Up Your Deo and pushed his career bankroll to $1,624,117. As the second choice in the wagering, Up Your Deo paid $6.20 to win and keyed a $49.24 exacta with Southwind Coors. The trifecta returned $219.22.
"Six was maybe not perfect," said Sarah Svanstedt of the draw. "But he's very fast."
(with files from Yonkers)