The Battle of Lake Erie, the longest running stakes event hosted at MGM Northfield Park, has once again attracted a star-studded cast for its 2021 edition. The $200,000 event, which is carded as the 10th race on Saturday (June 5), features a competitive field of the sport’s best open pacers with a combined 287 victories.
Introducing the 2021 $200,000 Battle of Lake Erie field:
#1 Western Joe - This seven-year-old son of Western Ideal is the 7-2 second choice. Christopher Choate trains this East Coast stalwart and has named Aaron Merriman to drive. Merriman recently notched his 13,000th driving win, is the leading driver in North America, and is Northfield’s all-time winningest driver. Western Joe, who is owned by Anthony Ruggeri and Richard Tosies, is out of the Falcon Seelster mare Ante Fay. Falcon Seelster won the very first Battle of Lake Erie in 1986. Western Joe’s lifetime mark is 1:47.3 with a career bankroll of $821,008.
#2 Little Rocket Man - Indiana's best veteran pacer accepted his invitation to this event for owners Russell Beeman and Jack Freeman. Hoosier Park driving star John DeLong is back in the sulky for this five-year-old Indiana-bred star by Rockin Image. He has amassed $352,055 in career earnings and has been no worse than third in 2021. His only start at Northfield Park was a narrow defeat in 1:50.2 versus Southwind Amazon. Little Rocket Man set a lifetime mark at age four of 1:47.2 at Harrah’s Hoosier Park. Trainer Melissa Essig's husband, Joe Essig Jr., is a former Northfield driving champion who won the Battle in 1995 behind Lusby Leader.
#3 This Is The Plan - Has been named the morning line favourite for the $200,000 Battle of Lake Erie by director of racing operations Dave Bianconi. Trained by the nation’s leading trainer, Ron Burke, This Is The Plan has made just shy of $350,000 this year, with a season mark of 1:50.4 take at Empire City Yonkers Raceway in the $514,000 MGM Borgata Pacing Series final. Owned by Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, J&T Silva-Purnell & Libby, the six-year-old son of the late Somebeachsomewhere has made $2,106,200 in his star-studded career and has a mark of 1:48.2 at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. One of the sport's very best, Yannick Gingras, will handle the lines behind harness racing's top money-winning horse thus far in 2021.
#4 Stars Align A - Has won two straight since entering the barn of trainer Jenn Bongiorno. Stars Align A made his money the hard way in 2020 with victories all over the United States in overnight events. The speedy son of Art Major will be driven by Joe Bongiorno, who was involved in a serious accident at The Meadowlands just one week ago. Owned by Joshua Graber of Quincy, Mich., Stars Align A tries to continue his upswing with a return to a half-mile racing surface. He is the 4-1 third choice. The brother-sister Bongiorno team won the 2019 Battle with Australian import None Bettor A.
#5 Hesa Kingslayer N - New Zealand-bred has enjoyed success since coming overseas for trainer Mike Deters. Hesa Kingslayer N won his first three legs of the MGM Borgata Pacing Series at Yonkers before finishing seventh in the $514,000 Final. Since that gruelling series, he picked up a lifetime mark of 1:49.4 at The Meadowlands. The versatile gelding by Bettors Delight has made $210,837 and won just under half of his career starts for co-owners Deters and Joel Warner. Peter Wrenn has been named to drive this 15-1 long shot. Wrenn won this race in 1991 with Dare You To, the longest price horse to ever win this event, paying $49 to win.
#6 Gold Digger King - The lone Ohio-sired horse in this year’s field has been a standout in the Buckeye State. He has won five of his last six starts against Open company at Miami Valley Raceway and Eldorado Scioto Downs. Trainer Scott Mogan has conditioned this five-year-old homebred Pet Rock gelding since the start of his career, where he was a solid contender on the Ohio Sires Stakes circuit. Regular pilot Tyler Smith will drive Gold Digger King, who has 17 wins in 50 career starts and $320,147 in the bank for owner Linda E. Van Camp of Circleville, Ohio.
#7 Century Farroh - Enters the Battle of Lake Erie fresh off a career season at age four, where he defeated Carl Milstein Memorial champion Bettors Wish in the $500,000 Breeders Crown at Harrah’s Hoosier Park. Ronnie Wrenn Jr. is no stranger to success on the Flying Turns. Wrenn is a local driving star who also highly ranks in national standings. After battling some sickness issues at the conclusion of 2020, Century Farroh has made the Buckeye State his home for trainer Dr. Ian Moore and owner Ratchford Stable of Nova Scotia, winning the Open at Eldorado Scioto Downs in 1:49.4 in his most recent start. He has made $1,259,588 in his career and has a mark of 1:49 at Harrah’s Hoosier Park. His 6-1 morning line is a reflection of his poor post draw.
#8 Southwind Amazon - The top local horse at Northfield for the past several seasons has become an equine celebrity. He has earned the position as a fan favourite with his gutsy performances week in and week out against the best horses on the Flying Turns. The 11-year-old son of Camluck has just under $1.2 million in career earnings having won 108 of 272 career starts, and has a lifetime mark of 1:48.3 at Eldorado Scioto Downs. Trainer Paul Holzman showed his gelding belonged against stakes caliber company with a game third-place finish in the 2019 edition of the Battle of Lake Erie. Owned by Ameer Najor of West Bloomfield, Mich., Southwind Amazon enters having won seven of his last eight starts with Tony Hall in the sulky. Awful luck at the post draw has landed him in the eight-hole, and he is longest shot in the field at 20-1.
#9 Catch The Fire - Was a multiple stakes winner at three following a successful freshman season. A victory in the $375,000 Adios at The Meadows was the highlight of his 2020 campaign. Catch The Fire changed hands in early 2021, entering the barn of Black Magic Racing LLC and CT Stables LLC of Ohio, and quickly became a showstopper putting up two straight victories since returning to the races. The four-year-old son of Captaintreacherous will look for a better trip around the Flying Turns after a disappointing seventh-place finish in the Carl Milstein Memorial last year. Brett Miller will be at the controls for trainer Todd Luther. He starts from the second tier and is 10-1.
A power-packed undercard will feature four $50,000 divisions of rich Ohio Sires Stakes action for three-year-old pacing fillies and three-year-old trotting colts and geldings. A $10,000 guaranteed Pick-5 will commence in race six on the 15-race program, with the Battle of Lake Erie anchoring the sequence in race 10 at approximately 10 p.m. (Eastern). First race post time is 6 p.m.
(MGM Northfield Park)