On Tuesday (Sept. 27), Racing Secretary Joe Frasure officially invited three-time millionaire Atlanta to compete in the $1 million MGM Yonkers International Trot, slated for Oct. 15 at Yonkers Raceway, as she continues her final year of racing.
“We called trainer Ron Burke today and he accepted our invitation,” said Frasure. “It is an honour to have such an accomplished mare competing at Yonkers Raceway as she winds down what has been a Hall of Fame career.”
Atlanta has earned $3,594,634 during her career while putting together a resume that includes 36 wins and 19 seconds in 74 starts. Most recently, she won the Miss Versatility final at the Delaware County Fairgrounds to pick up the first win of her career on a half-mile track, something the seven-year-old hopes to build on in the International Trot.
“It will be a good opportunity for her,” said Burke, who handles the horse for owners Crawford Farms Racing, Brad Grant and Howard Taylor. “This being one of her last few starts, I can be more aggressive to get her on her tippy toes for the race. I was really thrilled with how she got around Delaware because we’ve never really raced her on a half before.”
Atlanta finished seventh in the 2019 International Trot at Yonkers and Burke feels like he’s learned a lot about her since that race.
“I didn’t realize how much the detention barn would bother her and how dehydrated she would get. Now I know how to fully hydrate her going in. It’s been two years since then and I have figured her out even more,” said Burke. “I believe in her and [driver] Yannick [Gingras]. At her best she can go with anyone and I just have to have her at her best that day.”
Atlanta (United States) joins Ecurie D (Denmark) and Etonnant (France) as starters in the International Trot, and track officials are finalizing details with a number of elite-level European competitors to make the field one of the best in the history of the event.
The International Trot card will also include a pair of $200,000 Invitationals – one for older trotters and one for older pacers – to compliment the main event on Oct. 15. Post time for the rare afternoon card is set for 12:30 p.m. with the International Trot going as race seven at 3 p.m.
(With files from Yonkers Raceway)