Page 16 - Metro Pace News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

By John Furgele Last fall, Manchego ran what was thought to the final race of her career in the Breeders’ Crown. A few months of rest, then it would be time to enjoy retirement for a while, and on to the business of becoming a broodmare. Oops. Well, Manchego was retired last October. Over the winter, though, trainer Nancy Takter was able to convince Manchego’s owner to unretire her and get going again for 2021 — perhaps beyond. On May 15, she rallied in deep stretch to win the Arthur Cutler Memorial at the Meadowlands. On May 30 at Harrah’s Philadelphia, she went wide again to win the...

The Meadowlands will again host some of the sport’s top prospects, but this time with an expanded roster of stakes talent hitting the track. A 16-qualifier session on Saturday morning (April 24) begins with three-year-old trotting fillies, with $400,000 yearling and full-sister to The Ice Dutchess, The Ice Countess ($2,500, 1:56.3M), going to post. Todd McCarthy will steer the Tony Alagna trainee as she makes just the fourth start of her career. She’ll be followed in the next qualifier by several other prominent Hambletonian Oaks eligible including Hello I Love You ($105,987, 1:54.2M), Il...

Woodbine Entertainment today (March 5) released the list of eligible horses for its 2021 major stakes, including the $1-million Pepsi North America Cup. The Pepsi North America Cup, harness racing’s richest race for three-year-old pacers, received 72 nominations, holding steady to last year’s number of 77. Dan Patch Award winner Perfect Sting leads the group of eligible horses for the 38th Pepsi North America Cup. The undefeated son of Always B Miki won last year’s Breeders Crown (in a dead-heat) and Kentucky Sires Stakes Championship for trainer Joe Holloway and owners Brittany Farms ...

On Sunday (Jan. 31), the first foal sired by Stag Party (p, 2, 1:50.4s; 2, 1:52.3h, $962,645) was born. The colt is the first foal from dam Bay Sky. “The colt was 14 days overdue, but seems to be doing very well,” said Pat Woods, Winbak Farms' Ontario manager. “He is very strong and already looks like a true athlete.” Bay Sky is a daughter of Bay Girl (p, 2, 1:52.2s; 3, 1:50s, $600,299). “This colt’s second dam was Ontario Sires Stakes stand-out, Bay Girl, and so he has strong Ontario roots on both sides of his family tree,” said Woods. Stag Party was an O’Brien Award winner a...