The 2023 George Morton Levy (aka Borgata) Open FFA Pacing Series

[Unclejerry]

6    Priceless Beach   L    2     0     1     1     -     $11100     Matt Kakaley    Jared Bako   7-1   

Paid 30-1

Wild Snow storm in the 8th race track was still fast

[GlenMidby]

Yes, I concur; Tritton's Lochinvar Art A was impressive last night; Lauren Tritton was along for the ride.  With a lifetime record of now 59 starts (only 3 in the U.S.) 31 1st's; 16 2nd's; and 6 3rd's, with well over $1,051,318 banked in mostly down under cash, this animal comes in with sky high expectations. 

Team Tritton is poised to have a profitable series with five open draw $50,000 prelims where their (at least) three likely entrants won't have to face each other until the consolation and/or the final.  In addition to Lochinvar Art A, there's AnothrmastrpieceN and Nandolo N, the latter two piloted by YR's leading driver, Jason Bartlett.   

Nandolo N is no slouch either, he has already put up the fastest 2023 mile in the sport (1:48.3, the 52.4 half set up helped bigly); and he gets around the 1/2 just fine.   

Funatthebeach N and Leonidas A (last year's final 1,2) will likely be heard from as well.  The draws are always important and what will be interesting to see is if Lochinvar Art A is pitted against Leonidas in any of the early prelims where points will be a premium.  The ideal scenario is accumulating sufficient points early enough to make the final, and then skipping the last prelim.   

For my money, this FFA series continues to be the best Harness Racing has to offer.   

Now, if only YR would get around to posting the list of eligible thus far; noms closed on Feb 15.

[Locked in with pace]

who is the midget?

[GlenMidby]

Real racing resumes next Monday night at YR; four Borgata (Levy) divisions going for $50,000.

The full fields with listed drivers and trainers.

Division 1 - Race 3

1-Soaring Now (Andy McCarthy/Noel Daley)
2-Bad Tothe Bone N (Jason Bartlett/Hunter Oakes)
3-Rockin Withelvis A (Yannick Gingras/Jared Bako)
4-Casual Cool (Dexter Dunn/Daniel Renaud)
5-Lochinvar Art A (Lauren Tritton/Shane Tritton)
6-Dean B Hanover (Jordan Stratton/Jeff Gillis)
7-Jack's Legend N (Matt Kakaley/Travis Alexander)
8-Bee Two Bee (Yannick Gingras/Ron Burke)

Division 2 - Race 4

1-Hellabalou (Yannick Gingras/Ron Burke)
2-Jimmy Freight (Scott Zeron/Brett Pelling)
3-Diamondbeach (Braxten Boyd/Ricky Bucci)
4-Belmont Royale N (David Miller/Nifty Norman)
5-Backstreet Shadow (Matt Kakaley/Travis Alexander)
6-Oakwoodnittowinit IR (Scott Zeron/Jared Bako)
7-Anothrmastrpiece N (Jason Bartlett/Shane Tritton)
8-The Ideal Dancer N (Andy McCarthy/Andrew Harris)

Division 3 - Race 6

1-Priceless Beach (Matt Kakaley/Jared Bako)
2-Im Sir Blake A (Marcus Miller/Marvin Aguilar)
3-None Bettor A (Matt Kakaley/Travis Alexander)
4-Tattoo Artist (Dexter Dunn/Chris Ryder)
5-Funatthebeach N (Jordan Stratton/Jeff Gillis)
6-American Dealer N (Joe Bongiorno/Linda Toscano)
7-Leonidas A (Austin Siegelman/Matthew Medeiros)
8-This Is The Plan (Yannick Gingras/Ron Burke)

Division 4 - Race 9

1-Burnham Boy N (Dexter Dunn/Chris Ryder)
2-American Courage (Matt Kakaley/Travis Alexander)
3-Semi Tough (Yannick Gingras/Ron Burke)
4-Nandolo N (Jason Bartlett/Shane Tritton)
5-Idealsomemagic A (Jordan Stratton/Cory Stratton)
6-Hemsworth N (Matt Kakaley/Jared Bako)
7-Covered Bridge (Jordan Stratton/Jeff Gillis)
8-Undrthsouthrnsun N (Joe Bongiorno/Jenn Bongiorno)

[MikeAnt]

I don't understand why MGM felt the need to rebrand the series with a new name, but that is not why I started this thread. 

George Morton Levy will always have a special place in my heart as the man who founded Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury, NY.  As a kid and in my formative years as a fan, Yonkers and Roosevelt Raceway were the spots within my public transportation reach.  No offense, MGM, but I refuse to call it the "MGM Borgata Pacing Series".           

The five $50,000 preliminary leg Open FFA Pacing Series followed by a (an estimated, methinks overly optimistic) $1,500,000 final, remains IMO one of the most exciting spectacles in Harness Racing. 

Nominations allegedly closed on February 15, but I have yet to see a current list of eligible horses (the MGM website is terrible).       

The first preliminary leg is scheduled for Monday, March 20, 2023.

Sorry but that Levy name sounds like a Jew name so we have to eliminate the racist and thieving old Jews who ruined our country.  Congratulations  to Yonkers raceway for finally doing something right. These Jews must go. Just like the black people eliminated and memories and statues of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Christopher Columbus, we too must get rid of the poisonous Jewish dictators and try to forget about all of the greedy Jewish fuckwads. As a matter of fact, as a fellow American we need to vilify and commend Adolph Hitler and the Holocaust as a needed start to the elimination of the Jewish population. I don’t want to get started but the Jews ruined this once great country and I hope that one day our government will honor the legacy Of Adolph Hitler thru a federal holiday as our other great leaders and forefathers.

[MikeAnt]

Sorry but that Levy name sounds like a Jew name so we have to eliminate the racist and thieving old Jews who ruined our country.  Congratulations  to Yonkers raceway for finally doing something right. These Jews must go. Just like the black people eliminated and memories and statues of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Christopher Columbus, we too must get rid of the poisonous Jewish dictators and try to forget about all of the greedy Jewish fuckwads. As a matter of fact, as a fellow American we need to vilify and commend Adolph Hitler and the Holocaust as a needed start to the elimination of the Jewish population. I don’t want to get started but the Jews ruined this once great country and I hope that one day our government will honor the legacy Of Adolph Hitler thru a federal holiday as our other great leaders and forefathers.

[LAW AND ORDER]

HEY DUDE YOU EVER THINK ABOUT GETTING MENTAL HELP? SERIOUSLY DUDE YOUR ONE SICK PUPPY. AND ITS NOT EVEN FUNNY ANYMORE WITH HOW MUCH HATE YOU HAVE IN YOUR BODY. PSYCHOPATH

[Harness racer]

HEY DUDE YOU EVER THINK ABOUT GETTING MENTAL HELP? SERIOUSLY DUDE YOUR ONE SICK PUPPY. AND ITS NOT EVEN FUNNY ANYMORE WITH HOW MUCH HATE YOU HAVE IN YOUR BODY. PSYCHOPATH

I think he's just trying to get a reaction out of people.  But I agree, enough is enough!

[gogasgoboom]

Why is it when there are multiple heats and trainers with multiple entries that the entries get placed into separate heats? Why not random draw and let the chips fall where they may?

[GlenMidby]

Why is it when there are multiple heats and trainers with multiple entries that the entries get placed into separate heats? Why not random draw and let the chips fall where they may?

Uh, maybe to prevent the tag-team shenanigans we often see when Burke has 3 and 4 in the same race at the BigM?     

[GlenMidby]

Lochinvar Art A may yet prove to be the best of all in the series, but last night's effort certainly wasn't anything special.  Conversely, the two standout elimination winners were Leonidas A and Idealsomemagic A, both impressive winners against the front end bias that prevailed in 7 out of 12 races on the card; the former doing it in by far the toughest division.

[Bernie Madoff]

The most impressive horse was Backstreet Shadow.

[GlenMidby]

  The most impressive horse was Backstreet Shadow.

  A big effort for sure.  Noteworthy in that too, was against the bias. 

[wizardofoz]

Tetrick was shut out this year in both series for the first time I can remember with no drives in either group for the older colts or mares.

[GlenMidby]

Back to some real racing tonight at YR.

Too bad that lousy weather looks likely.

I'll be looking to use the two that raced huge against the bias last week; BACKSTREET SHADOW in the 5th and IDEALSOMEMAGIC A in the 7th.  The latter flew home in 26.4 a week ago, and there is a ton of speed in that division tonight.  LEONIDAS A (rightfully) will be the horse to beat, but IDEALSOMEMAGIC A should be the very capable value in there.   

Meanwhile (surprise!), LOCHINVAR ART A landed in the softest division, again.  If they allow em to walk to the half in 57.2 like last week, the result will be the same.  NONE BETTOR A should be much better in his 2nd start of the year, he has speed (and is inside of Tritton) so I expect Kakaley will be hustling em off the gate, and will get away no worse than 2nd.  He CAN win.