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Sep 11, 2019

The top 2-year-old pacing colt heading into the $1.8 million New York Sire Stakes (NYSS) Night of Champions at Batavia Downs on Saturday (Sept. 14) proves you don’t have to be rich to be successful in harness racing if you do your homework.

Groovy Joe (Roll With Joe-Chotat Milk) p,2,1:52f ($174,595) was a $17,000 purchase at the 2018 Goshen Yearling Sale and has turned out to be quite a find. With the bulk of his 2-year-old campaign completed, he currently sits atop the NYSS standings for points (337) and earnings ($155,270) for his age, gender and gait, has seven wins in nine starts with two seconds overall and started it all off with a five-race winning streak.

His body of work ranks beyond the state border too. Groovy Joe is currently one of the sports best first-year performers sitting third in earnings among all 2-year-old male pacers in North America and has paced the tenth fastest mile of all freshman pacers after his recent career-best outing of 1:52 at Tioga Downs.

Blake Macintosh trains Groovy Joe and co-owns with the Hutt Racing Stable. Macintosh is the one who picked out the colt and knew all along that he’d be a good one.

“I liked him when I saw him. He was well built, well bred and was my pick of the sale,” said Macintosh. “And he turned out to be everything I thought he would. He broke easily and trained down well and he’s become very smart and professional with his work.”

The colt’s first five races, all of which were wins, came over half mile tracks. Macintosh stated he seemed to thrive there and progressed sharply through those starts.

“He’s not a big horse and he gets around a half-mile track perfectly. You could see him get stronger with each of those wins and he came home faster each week as he went along. The race at Buffalo was what really impressed me; when he flew home in a :57.2 back-half,” said Macintosh.

Groovy Joe has continued to improve...

Some insights into tonight’s racing program for our IdaBet.com players:

4 TH RACE – (3) ROLLING GOING GONE is strictly a ‘change of venue’
choice after some inconsistent Pocono lines. Finds herself with decent draw, nod.

5 TH RACE – (7) BOO THANG was so happy to get ‘peeked’ in last, jumped
it off in back half. Forcing us to gaze again, rotten getaway ensuring square value.

6 TH RACE – (2) DON tries it third off bench, first couple tries not bad at all
from outer venue. Lands inside in what’s essentially handicap event, intrigues here.

7 TH RACE – (2) BROADWAY MUSCLES comes off his best effort in quite
some time last out. He’s unholy 2-for-57, spending much time this level, however.

8 TH RACE – (1) SCWARTZ BROS BEATY saved ground to lane week ago,
finding himself atop horse in front him, screaming for room. Can’t pass from pole.

10 TH RACE – (3) JANUARY A returns from Poconos at level of latest win.
Last trio out-of-town cut the mile were improved efforts, works from this getaway.

12 TH RACE – (4) STAR COMMANDER N joins the rest in new/improved
n/w $15,000 level. Had no shot from back of bus in last with three weeks out, nod.

$2 +/- (thru Mon., Sept. 9) – 217 wins ($1,301.50)

from 1,006 ($2,012) selex (-$710.50, this reads better during happy hour)

highest-priced winner – BOINGANATOR ($43.80)
lowest-priced winners – RICH AND MISERABLE/
BROOKIE’S PRINCE N ($2.10 each, shrewd)

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Sep 10, 2019

Marcus Melander has come a very long way in harness racing in a very short amount of time. After making the move to North America from his home in Sweden at the age of 21 to work for Hall of Fame trainer Jimmy Takter, Melander went off on his own and hasn’t looked back.

Over the last five years, Melander’s stable has won in excess of $7.8 million in purses, had five trotters reach the Hambletonian final and was awarded two year-end Dan Patch Awards for divisional winning horses.

Melander himself received the 2018 Dan Patch Rising Star Award this past February in Orlando, Florida in recognition of his exceptional early career accomplishments.

This year two of the best horses in his stable just happen to be New York-bred and both are undefeated in their New York Sire Stake (NYSS) starts this year. They are 3-year-old trotting colt Gimpanzee and 2-year-old trotting filly Hypnotic Am and they both will be competing in the $1.8 million NYSS Night of Champions at Batavia Downs on Saturday (Sept. 14).

In his freshman season, Gimpanzee was undefeated going nine for nine. He swept the NYSS to become the 2-year-old champion, won the $600,000 Breeders Crown final and amassed a total of $591,358 for the year. That earned him the 2018 Dan Patch Award for 2-year-old trotting colts.

This year Gimpanzee started out by running up his lifetime undefeated streak to 13 before joining Melander stablemates Greenshoe and Green Manalishi S in the Hambletonian final.

Gimpanzee got parked out from post seven in his elimination and finished fourth. He then drew post seven again in the final, went a similar trip and finished third. He closed very well in both starts (:26.4 and :26.2) and was only beaten a length in each race. Melander reflected on those starts as he was preparing him for the New York finals this weekend.

“He went tremendous in both races and finished strong in both despite having the seven...

Every Wednesday during the month of September, the Pick-5 pool at Batavia Downs Gaming and Hotel will be guaranteed at $2,500. 

The Pick-5 wager begins in race one and runs through race five. It is a 50-cent base wager and if all five winners aren’t selected, the carryover amount moves to the Friday program.

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Yonkers IdaBet.com players! Free PPs from Yonkers Raceway  as you make your wagering considerations.
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1ST RACE: 3-4-1-2

2ND RACE: 4-6-7-1

3RD RACE: 3-1-4-2

4TH RACE: 3-2-9-7

5TH RACE: 7-6-2-5

6TH RACE: 6-1-7-2

7TH RACE: 5-6-1-3

That is today’s picks for our IdaBet.com players! Happy wagering!