Elims set for MGM Grand Messenger & MGM Yonkers Trot
At 0h43, on June 18, 2024 • By Yonkers Raceway Media Relations
Harness racing’s Triple Crown events will commence in 2024 on Friday night (June 21) at MGM Yonkers Raceway with two $25,000 eliminations for the MGM Grand Messenger Stakes for sophomore male pacers and a single $25,000 MGM Yonkers Trot elimination for 3-year-old colt and gelding trotters.
Howlenthehills, a New York-sired gelding by American Ideal who is five-for-five this year, leads the first MGM Grand Messenger Stakes elimination (race six) and competes for a driver/trainer combination in Matt Kakaley and Travis Alexander, who captured the event in 2021 with American Courage and in 2022 with Pleaseletmeknow. Escape To America (post three) is riding a three-race win streak in the New York Excelsior “A” Series and Ameritric (post six) won a New York Sire Stakes leg at Buffalo Raceway earlier this month.
The second MGM Grand Messenger Stakes elimination is race seven, and supplemental entrant Janelle Granny (post seven) ships south after racing in the North America Cup final on Saturday night (June 15). The Kakaley/Alexander combo is represented in this elimination as well with Sweet Beach Life (post one), a Sweet Lou gelding with Pennsylvania Sire Stakes tally at Pocono on May 18.
A field of eight will contest the MGM Yonkers Trot elimination in race four, and the top five finishers will join bye-takers Security Protected, Situationship and Sir Pinocchio in the final. I’m Out (post one) is the only horse with a win this year in the field as he is three-for-six, including a victory in the Pennsylvania Stallion Series at The Meadows on May 31.
Flying Kronos S (post two), one of two in the group for three-time MGM Yonkers Trot winning trainer Ake Svanstedt, was the runner-up to Karl in the 2023 Kindergarten Series final, Fly By (post five) is coming off a pair of seconds in New York Sire Stakes action and Bargain (post four) was the runner-up in the New York Sire Stakes final last year.
The finals of the MGM Grand Messenger and MGM Yonkers Trot will take place on Friday (June 28) and will be joined by their companion filly events – the Park MGM for pacers and the New York New York Mile for trotters.
