This week saw the return of spectators to the State of New York racetracks, with the racecourse at the Saratoga Casino Hotel leading the way.
Fans of live harness events have been revigorated with the decision to reopen the racecourses across the State of New York to spectators. First to welcome an audience of horseracing enthusiasts has been the Saratoga Casino Hotel, which hosted the yearly John Mongeon Sr. Memorial Trotting Series. The tournament was cut short last year due to the ongoing pandemic, with this year’s start offering three US$10,000 divisions.
Like many others around the world, New York’s horseracing industry was hit hard last year by COVID-19 related restrictions. With the current reactivation of scheduled activities and fans allowed back at the venues, the horseracing market segment seems to be back on the road to recovery.
Highly Anticipated Series
The John Mongeon Sr. Memorial Trotting Series formally commenced on Monday, 10 May 2021, with Dewey Arnold taking the crown. The three-year-old steed, trained by Dave Dewhurst, made an appearance after his recent success at Pocono, where the horse recorded three consecutive victories.
Under the steady hand of jockey Jimmy Devaux, the trotter won the first division in the series. Dewey Arnold logged the fastest time of 1:57.2 and was significantly quicker than all the other first-leg winners. As such, the horse is already on the fast track to becoming the next winner of this year’s John Mongeon Sr. Memorial Trotting Series.
Another impressive performance came from Notoutofthewoods and her trainer, Cheryl Whitcroft, with the trotter recording her best time to date of 2:00.2 in the first leg. The final leg of division one was won by another bookmakers’ favourite – Cindy Michelle. Trained by John Stark Jr., the three-year-old snatched first place in her fourth successive race, despite getting a first-over journey.
In line with the schedule, there’ll be one additional division of the yearly organised series. The ultimate division will be held on 17 May 2021, with the next event on the calendar being the US$30,000+ series final. Saratoga racetrack noted that live harness racing would continue on Tuesday, with the first post commencing at noon.
