Following cancellation last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the $200,000 Battle Of Lake Erie Invitational returns to Northfield Park with a stacked field of nine on Saturday (June 5).
Entering from a second-place finish in the Commodore Barry Invitational, This Is The Plan starts from post 3 as the 2-1 morning line favourite for trainer Ron Burke and driver Yannick Gingras. The six-year-old Somebeachsomewhere gelding has banked over $2 million through several cheque-cashing finishes in free for all events. He has ascended the aged pacing ranks with a victory last year in the $140,000 Hoosier Park Pacing Derby and a win this year from post 8 in the $514,000 Borgata Series.
Drawing alongside the favourite is Stars Align A, who makes his first midwestern start since leaving the Christi Noble barn and moving into the Jen Bongiorno stable. A speedy eight-year-old Australian stallion by Art Major, Stars Align A ships off two-consecutive wins – one a 1:48 mile on April 24 which at that time was a national season’s mark. Joe Bongiorno, who promptly bounced back into the bike a day after an accident on Saturday (May 29) at The Meadowlands, has the reins.
Canada’s Horse of the Year Century Farroh draws an outside post in the event, starting from post 7 with Ronnie Wrenn Jr. listed to drive. Conditioned by Dr. Ian Moore, the five-year-old son of Mach Three shipped to Ohio from Moore’s winter base in Florida to finish second twice in Open events at Scioto before winning at the top class in 1:49.4. He scores to the inside of the gritty 11-year-old gelding Southwind Amazon, who has 108 victories to his credit from 272 starts and $1,223,281 earned.
Other competitors in the ‘Battle’ include Western Joe (post 1) and Hesa Kingslayer N (post 5), the former a Chris Choate trainee who broke into the stakes ranks in 2018 with a win in the Sam McKee Memorial; and the latter a pop-out star for trainer Michael Deters who won several prelims for the Borgata Series. Local stars Little Rocket Man, a speedster based out of Hoosier Park, and Gold Digger King, a top-class pacer from Scioto Downs, also compete. Catch The Fire, who won the 2020 Adios, starts from the second tier as the lone four-year-old in the race.
Since its inception in 1986, the Battle of Lake Erie has drawn the sport’s best veteran pacers. Past Battle champions include racing greats Falcon Seelster, Jaguar Spur, Dorunrun Bluegrass, Cambest, Gallo Blue Chip, Maltese Artist, Foiled Again and Wiggle It Jiggleit.
The 2021 $200,000 Battle of Lake Erie field:
Horse - Driver - Trainer - M/L
1. Western Joe - Aaron Merriman - Christopher Choate - 7-2
2. Little Rocket Man - John De Long - Melissa Essig - 8-1
3. This Is The Plan - Yannick Gingras - Ron Burke - 2-1
4. Stars Align A - Joe Bongiorno - Jennifer Bongiorno - 4-1
5. Hesa Kingslayer N - Peter Wrenn - Michael Deters - 15-1
6. Gold Digger King - Tyler Smith - Scott Mogan - 12-1
7. Century Farroh - Ronnie Wrenn Jr. - Dr. Ian Moore - 6-1
8. Southwind Amazon - Tony Hall - Paul Holzman - 20-1
9. Catch The Fire - Brett Miller - Todd Luther - 10-1
A power-packed undercard will feature four $50,000 divisions of rich Ohio Sires Stakes action for three-year-old filly pacers and three-year-old colt & gelding trotters. A $10,000 Guaranteed Pick 5 will commence in Race 6 on the 15-race program, with the Battle of Lake Erie anchoring the sequence in Race 10 at approximately 10 p.m. (EDT). First race post time is 6 p.m.
(with files from Northfield Park)