Page 3 - Patch Award News Today

Who have harness racing's sharpest minds selected in the 2023 TROT Magazine Fantasy Stable? Trot Insider will feature 'expert picks' in advance of the deadline for this year's contest.

A number of talented performers peppered the Friday (May 5) qualifying session at The Meadowlands, with both returning stars from 2022 and potential emerging stars for 2023 making waves with their efforts.

On a perfectly dreadful morning with temperatures in the high 40s (48°F / 9°C) with rain but little wind, the qualifiers got a 9:00 a.m. early start at The Meadowlands. The track was listed as “sloppy” but that was not an issue for a number of harness racing's top trotters from 2022.

As the summer stakes season nears, fans of harness racing have a number of award-winning horses from 2022 that they can look forward to watching return to the racetrack in 2023. One of those standouts is 2022 Dan Patch Award winner Treacherous Dragon.

The 2022 O'Brien Award winning Stockade Seelster and the Breeders Crown champion Ammo lead a group of 105 colts and geldings that remain eligible for this year’s 78th edition of the Little Brown Jug. 

There's a general consensus that Shawn Steacy and his team will be heading home with some hardware from the 2022 O'Brien Awards. Whether he'll need to enlist help to carry home said hardware remains to be seen.

Jim Campbell always will be associated with last year’s Hambletonian Day, but what happened over the remaining days on the calendar ensured he will also be remembered for his stable’s season beyond that one afternoon.

Charlie May has enjoyed a good amount of success at Eldorado Scioto Downs during his career and breeder/owner Don Tiger hopes that equates to a homefield advantage Saturday when Ohio’s 2021 Horse of the Year meets six foes in the $200,000 Jim Ewart Memorial for older male pacers.

Winbak Farm has reported the passing of the stakes-winning pacing broodmare CR Daniella, 30, and trotting stallion Political Briefing, 22.

Recently crowned Graduate Series champions Bella Bellini and Rattle My Cage will put win streaks on the line when they lead a field of 11 horses into Saturday’s $432,000 E.T. Gerry Jr. Hambletonian Maturity for four-year-old trotters at The Meadowlands.