Opening leg of the Borgata Pacing Series

Four $50,000 divisions of the first of five preliminary rounds of the MGM Borgata Pacing Series, for horses and geldings, are set to take place on Monday (March 18) at MGM Yonkers Raceway.

The first split goes as race three on the 12-race program. Former Canadian Horse of the Year Desperate Man (post five, Matt Kakaley listed to drive for trainer Travis Alexander) is among the entrants, as is Fourever Boy (post four, Scott Zeron listed to drive for trainer Linda Toscano), the champion of last year’s Charles Juravinski Memorial at Ontario’s Flamboro Downs. Hemsworth N (post six, Joe Bongiorno listed to drive for trainer Jared Bako), who captured a leg and last year’s consolation, is also in this section.

Race four has Hellabalou (post four, Yannick Gingras listed to drive for trainer Ron Burke), the upset champion in the 2023 $511,000 MGM Borgata Pacing Series final. Another one of last year’s finalists, Funathebeach N (post six, Jordan Stratton listed to drive for trainer Jeff Gillis), is also in this tilt, as are former MGM Grand Messenger Stakes victor Pleaseletmeknow (post three, Kakaley listed for Alexander) and multiple stakes winner I Did It Myway (post five, Tim Tetrick listed to drive for trainer Chuck Crissman Jr.).

This Is The Plan (Gingras listed for Burke), the 2021 MGM Borgata Pacing Series champion, is in the third flight in race six. In addition to his title, This Is The Plan has made two other finals, finishing eighth in 2022 and fourth last year. Covered Bridge (Stratton listed for Gillis, post five), who finished third as the favorite in the championship a year ago, was also drawn into this event.

Leonidas A (post four, Austin Siegelman listed to drive for trainer Matthew Medeiros), who was second in last year’s final and Idealsomemagic A (post one, George Brennan listed to drive for trainer Cory Stratton) top the final division (race eight). They’ll be taken on by the likes of Linedrive Hanover (post two, Zeron listed for Toscano), who beat the great Bulldog Hanover in the 2022 Juravinski Memorial final and Dunkin’ (post five, Tim Tetrick listed to drive for trainer Scott Di Domenico), who had the most wins by a Standardbred in North America in 2023 with 21, and series veteran Semi Tough (post six, Gingras listed for Burke).