Gimpanzee Dancer Breaks Currier & Ives Record

Goshen, NY — A crowd of 270 people gathered Sunday evening at the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame to celebrate the induction of the Hall of Fame Class of 2025.  Racing executive Tom Aldrich, bloodstock expert Bob Boni, and trainer Chris Ryder led the group, which was honored during the annual induction dinner on the museum lawn. Inducted posthumously was renowned amateur driver Mal Burroughs, who was elected in July 2024 and passed away 11 weeks later at the age of 83. Also inducted into the Hall of Fame on Sunday were immortals Lester Hollenback, Bob Key, Harmon Showers, American Winner, Grades Singing, Magician, Romalie Hanover, and Town Pro. Inducted into the Living Horse Hall of Fame were Ariana G, Marion Marauder, Put On A Show, and Shartin N plus broodmares Fireworks Hanover and Steamy Windows. Inducted into the Communicators Hall of Fame were Judy Davis-Wilson and Debbie Little. Aldrich is best known for his 28-year stint as general manager, chief operating officer and executive vice president at Northfield Park, working with a team that pioneered a renaissance at the Cleveland-area half-mile oval. During his tenure, the track created the Battle of Lake Erie, which has remained the centerpiece of its signature night of racing, in addition to hosting several Breeders Crown events and, more recently, the Ohio Sire Stakes championships. He was named to the Ohio Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 1999. Aldrich thanked his colleagues, “who stuck by a green GM despite his rookie mistakes and demanding nature,” as well as the state of Ohio for “cherishing its harness heritage,” and “especially” the Northfield horsemen, devoted caretakers and backstretch employees. “In the classic movie ‘Pride of the Yankees,’ Gary Cooper, portraying Lou Gehrig, uttered the Iron Man’s famous line: I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth,” Aldrich said. “Dramatic license aside, that’s how I feel about my career in harness racing. Lucky. Blessed. Grateful. “Few people in life get to live out their dream. I did, thanks to all of you here tonight, and stablemates no longer with us who made that possible.” Boni was drawn into harness racing by attending Roosevelt and Yonkers with his parents as a child. After graduating from high school, he set off to work in the industry and landed a job at Pine Hollow Stud Farm, where he climbed the ladder to become executive vice president. In 1980, he started International Standardbred, which later would become Northwood Bloodstock. He also is known for his work with Lou Guida’s Wall Street Stable and Dreamaire Stud. Boni has been associated with a number of great horses over the years, including six Breeders Crown champs, two Horse of the Year recipients – Nihilator and Always B Miki – and Pacer of the Year Camtastic. He also established the usage of video as a marketing tool for selling top horses, dating back to the mid-1970s. “I’ve led a blessed life,” Boni said. “I’ve had great horses, met great people. The horses bring us into this business, I feel, but inevitably it’s the friendships and relationships that we make that carry us on. I’ve made more than I can even begin to count. “It’s the people that have touched you, that I hope I’ve had some impact with, and friends and people that I’ve worked with, that make this so very, very worthwhile. In closing, I just want to thank you all for your friendship and support and for sharing this special evening with me.” Ryder, a native of New Zealand who has been racing in the U.S. for decades, has won more than 1,900 races and $58 million in purses during his career. His purse earnings rank 14th since the inception of official trainer stats in 1991. He has won eight Breeders Crown trophies and conditioned 10 different horses to receive year-end honors in the U.S. and/or Canada, most notably 2024 Horse of the Year Twin B Joe Fresh. From 2019 to 2021, he was second in Horse of the Year voting with three different horses: Bettor’s Wish, Party Girl Hill and Niki Hill. Other stars include Miki And Minnie, I Luv The Nitelife, Put On A Show, Mystical Sunshine, Cathedra Dot Com, Sealed N Delivered and McArdle. “Believe me, in all these years of training, it never crossed my mind that just to win a few races would lead me to the Hall of Fame,” Ryder said. “It’s a big honor, of course. I was just focused on getting by day by day and winning a few races. “Like any of us in this position training racehorses, it takes more than just one guy. I’ve got a lot of people to thank. I’ve had a lot of terrific owners, and I still do. The staff, Peter Trebotica has been my second trainer and done a massive amount in running the barn for me for 20 or more years. Thank you, Peter.” Ryder also thanked veterinarian Steve Dey, and “most of all, the family that stood behind me,” including son Patrick, who works daily at the stable and also is a driver, and wife Nicola for her behind-the-scenes efforts. “But the terrific horses that have come my way, they’re really the ones that deserve the accolades,” Ryder said. Burroughs spent part of his childhood in Rutherford, less than three miles from the land that a couple decades later would become the Meadowlands Sports Complex. As an adult, Burroughs’ construction company helped build a racetrack on the site, with Burroughs participating in the work atop heavy equipment. This laid the groundwork for Burroughs’ participation in harness racing, and his greatest moments in the sport. Burroughs became an amateur driver in the early 1980s and in the ensuing years won both the Hambletonian Oaks and Hambletonian – the two most prestigious events for 3-year-old trotters – at the Meadowlands. He was the first, and still only, driver with amateur status to win the Oaks. He also remains the only amateur to capture both the Oaks (with the filly Gleam in 1994) and the Hambletonian (with the colt Malabar Man in 1997) in history. He finished his driving career in 2005 with 109 victories. He is one of only 14 drivers in history to win both the Hambletonian and Hambletonian Oaks. “Mal had three expressed desires in his life,” said Bob Heyden, who accepted on Burroughs’ behalf. “One was to build a racetrack that would make a difference. One was to drive a Hambletonian winner one day that was his own. And one was to make it to the Hall of Fame right here. The way I look at it, by all accounts, that’s a cold trifecta. Mal Burroughs, welcome to the Hall of Fame.” Davis-Wilson was born into one of the biggest and most successful harness racing families in the state of Delaware, but she switched her focus to the frontside by age 15 at the defunct Georgetown Raceway. Her work as a program director, primarily at Brandywine, when the USTA was implementing its program computerization system was invaluable and served her well at the Hambletonian Society, when she worked many years as that organization’s stakes manager. In 2001, Davis-Wilson returned to her home state to become the administrator of the Delaware Standardbred Breeders’ Fund for the state’s Department of Agriculture. She remained at DSBF until officially retiring in November 2024. In addition, she has been a director of the U.S. Harness Writers Association for 22 years. She is a past president and treasurer of the organization. “I did not get here alone, and this honor belongs to many great friends and family who helped me along these past 73-plus years,” Davis-Wilson said. “ Little worked at New York City area tracks, at a trade organization, and as a writer. During this early period in the sport, she met her future husband, Dave. The two were married in the winner’s circle at Yonkers, and now Debbie joins Dave as the first married couple in the Communicators Hall of Fame. Dave was inducted in 2019. Debbie worked as a handicapper and writer covering harness racing at the New York Post for nearly 27 years. In addition, she was a 2021 Hervey Award recipient for feature writing and served as a past president of USHWA as part of an ongoing 25-year stretch as a director of the organization. She remains busy as a writer while also serving as associate editor for Harness Racing Update and co-chair of USHWA’s Clyde Hirt Journalism Workshop. After thanking the publications and editors she has worked for during her career, as well as friends, family and extended family, Debbie turned to her husband of 35 years and said, “I’ve always thought we had a Hall of Fame marriage. This proves I’m right.” To watch a replay of the 2025 Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, click here .

Vernon, NY – Emoticon Legacy outlasted Maryland to capture the $320,000 Dr. Harry M. Zweig Memorial Open Trot for sophomore trotters at Vernon Downs on Thursday (July 3). Meshuggah (Scott Zeron) was first to the quarter in :26.3. Onajetplane (Andrew McCarthy) then took over the lead heading to the backstretch. Emoticon Legacy (Louis Roy) then made his move first-up heading down the backside. He surged to the front and led to the half in :55.1. Maryland (Dexter Dunn) then made his move heading around the final turn. He went from sixth to second in a flash as Emoticon Legacy led to three-quarters in 1:24.1. As they made the turn for home, the race was on. Second-place finisher Maryland confronted Emoticon Legacy who then found another gear and won by a length in 1:51.4. Meshuggah finished third. Emoticon Legacy, a 3-year-old colt by Walner , paid $3.30 to win. He is owned by Determination and trained by Luc Blais.  He is now three for three in 2025 with $254,940 in winnings. It was his seventh career victory in 10 starts and increased his lifetime earnings to $417,596. Torrisi wins Zweig Memorial Trot for Fillies Torrisi (Yannick Gingras) beat What A bid Hanover (Ake Svanstedt) in a thriller in the $135,000 Dr Harry M Zweig Memorial Fillies Trot. Shes A Shoe In (Mark MacDonald) took the lead and led to the quarter in :26.2. Torrisi took over the lead and was followed by Voguish (Todd McCarthy) going down the backstretch. Torrisi was first to the half in :56.2 before Voguish took a short lead but went on a break. Torrisi was back in front heading to the final turn. What a Bid Hanover came first-up heading around the final turn and reached three-quarters first in 1:25.2. Second-place finisher What A Bid Hanover and Torrisi traded blows all the way down the stretch. Torrisi dug in and used one late surge to win by a neck in a lifetime best of 1:54. My Debt Collector (Tyler Buter) finished third. Torrisi paid $24.20 to win. Torrisi is a 3-year-old filly by Walner . She is trained by Nancy Takter for owners Caviart Farms, Pryde Stables, John Fielding, and Herb Liverman. It was her first win in three tries this year. She now has two career victories from 13 starts and $293,100 in career earnings. Vernon also hosted two divisions of the New York Sire Stakes (NYSS) for freshman pacing fillies. Odds On Enigma charged late to capture the $55,500 first division Miss Genie Mae (Buter) was first to the quarter in :28. Savage Cindy (Jason Bartlett) then took over command and led to the half in :56.3 and was first to three-quarters in 1:25.2. As they reached the stretch, second-place finisher Miss Genie Mae came first-up to take a brief lead. Odds On Enigma (Matt Kakaley) then came flying three-wide from fourth and went right on by winning by a neck in 1:54.2. Savage Cindy had to settle for third. Odds on Enigma paid $14.60 to win. Odds On Enigma is a 2-year-old filly by Huntsville -Yellow Diamond. She is owned by Odds On Racing and trained by Scott Di Domenico. It was her first career start. Odds On Monetary grabs the $56,500 second division Odds On Monetary (Matt Kakaley) was first to the quarter in :26.3. She used a :30.1 second quarter as she led to the half in :56.4. Onaorchardhunt (Mark Hershberger) was first to make a move heading around the final turn. Odds On Monetary led to three-quarters in 1:26.2. As they reached the stretch, Odds On Monetary widened the lead and won by a length in 1:55.1. Party Pumps (Braxten Boyd) came on late to finish second. American Cheese (Scott Zeron) finished third. Odds On Monetary paid $20.40 to win. Odds On Monetary is a 2-year-old filly by Huntsville -All On Top Hanover. She is owned by Odds On Racing and trained by Travis Alexander. She also broke her maiden in her first career start. Vernon Downs returns to live racing on Friday (July 4) with a post time of 5:05 p.m. For more information go to www.vernondowns.com .

Trainer Shawn Steacy surpassed $10 million in career earnings as his Outbound Train won one of seven $25,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots second-leg divisions on Tuesday, June 24 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Outbound Train floated out from post six and drove on into the first turn for Bob McClure in the second sophomore trotting male split, advancing parked-out to take the lead at the quarter in :28. Go Blue (Doug McNair) rolled to the front in a backstretch brush, seizing command before the half in :57 and heading into the final turn with the lead. Outbound Train departed the two hole midway around the bend and chugged along the outside track through three-quarters in 1:26.2 with Go Blue holding firm. The two were flat out at the eighth pole with Go Blue still in front, but Outbound Train produced the most trot in deep-stretch and got up by a neck to score in 1:54.3. Hp Lucas (Tyler Borth) finished third. The winning colt notched his second career victory in his Ontario Sires Stakes debut. Outbound Train , who debuted in Kentucky, moved to Ontario in May and broke his maiden in his second try north of the border. Fredericka Caldwell of Georgetown, Ky. and Bluestone Farms LLC of Hopewell, N.J. own and bred the son of Muscle Mass-Oasis Dream. He is now two-for-12 lifetime with $35,413 in earnings. The win price was $2.90. Steacy hit the $10 million mark in his seventh season. The trainer of 2023 Somebeachsomewhere Horse of the Year Sylvia Hanover has never had a season in which he earned less than $1 million or won fewer than 50 races. Steacy, the son of trainer Mark Steacy, has racked up 473 wins in 3,183 starts since his debut in January 2019 for a win rate of 14.9 per cent. The resident of Millgrove, Ont. was nominated for the Trainer of the Year O’Brien Award in 2022 and is a two-time Johnston Cup winner. There were four Grassroots divisions for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings and three contests for fillies of the same age and gait.

Emoticon Legacy came up with another flawless performance, this time in record-setting fashion in the $227,000 Goodtimes Stakes (Grade 2) on Saturday, June 14 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Sent on his way as the 1-2 choice in the Goodtimes, Emoticon Legacy arrived at his latest engagement off an authoritative victory in his elimination – and three-year-old debut – last week at the Milton oval. He took things up a notch in the final. Landing On Time, second choice on the tote board, landed on the front end early for driver James MacDonald, while Blank, who challenged for early bragging rights into the first turn, broke stride for driver Dexter Dunn, leaving Louis-Philippe Roy little choice but to march onwards. It was Landing On Time who took his rivals through an opening quarter in :26.4, but Roy pressed on and powered Emoticon Legacy to the lead soon after. Emoticon Legacy reached the half in :55.1 and was still calling the shots through three quarters in 1:23, as the Luc Blais pupil looked primed to draw away from his pursuers down the lane. The bay colt shrugged off mid-stretch challenges from Gap Kronos S (Ake Svanstedt) and Landing On Time and went on to stop the teletimer in a stakes and track record 1:50.2, nearly two seconds faster than his previous speed badge of 1:52.1. Gap Kronos S was second, 3-1/4 lengths back. Landing On Time was third and LMC Wagon Wheel (Tyler Borth) was fourth. “I didn't necessarily want to race him on the on the lead again, but leaving the gate and going in the first turn, I thought it was like the best option for me, because otherwise I was going to have to come first up on the other best two that I thought were in the race,” said Roy. “I was a little bit worried, to be honest, but the horse just proved he's a different animal."  Owned and bred by Determination, the Walner colt out of the O'Brien Award winning-mare Emoticon Hanover took four of his seven rookie races, including a division of the Champlain Stakes, earning $220,637. He was fourth in the William Wellwood Memorial and fifth in the Mohawk Million. On Saturday evening at Mohawk, he showcased his talents with another top-shelf triumph. “Well, this year he's a different horse,” said Blais. “Last year, he was a little bit anxious, and didn't know how to control his emotion, I think. But this year, I think we know him. He's more easy. I started differently with him, and it's worked out. “I know he's got lots of speed, but he just needs to control his emotion." Emoticon Legacy , now 6-0-0 from 9 starts, rolled into last week’s elimination off four qualifiers, including a 1:54.3 mile on June 2, paid $3 for his Goodtimes victory. The race presentation was made by John Bax, who campaigned world champion and Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee Goodtimes to a 50-win career and over $2.2 million in lifetime earnings. ​ For full results from Saturday's stakes-packed card of harness racing at Woodbine Mohawk park, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park .

Saturday night’s stakes-filled card at Woodbine Mohawk Park was all about setting the table for the richest night in Canadian racing next Saturday, Sept. 21. The eliminations for the Metro Pace, Canadian Trotting Classic, Shes A Great Lady Stakes and Elegantimage Stakes all took place on Saturday, Sept. 14 at Mohawk. Elegantimage Stakes Eliminations Trainer Luc Blais, driver Louis-Philippe Roy and Serge Godin’s Determination swept the pair of $35,000 Elegantimage Stakes eliminations with Drawn Impression and Emoji Hanover. Determination’s homebred Drawn Impression survived a :26.3 stretch sprint against pocket-sitter R Melina to win the first elimination in 1:52.2. Roy floated to the lead with Drawn Impression after a :28.1 first quarter and kept the tempo steady through middle splits of :57.1 and 1:25.4. As she drifted from the pylons spinning for home, R Melina (Todd McCarthy) mounted a challenge off the slow fractions. Drawn Impression refused to relinquish the lead under increasing pressure from R Melina and kept a head in front to the finish while French Champagne (Dexter Dunn), Cold Snaps (Jody Jamieson) and Sambuca Hanover (David Miller) secured the remaining berths. Roy said of the stretch drive, “She’s geared so that she doesn’t run in on the turn. So most of the horses here, when they get out of the turn, they start drifting out a little bit. We were just trotting the last three-sixteenths; they were really, really trotting. It was just a sprint.”  A daughter of Muscle Hill out of the multiple Grand Circuit stakes-winning mare Emoticon Hanover, Drawn Impression has now won seven times from 13 starts and earned $525,344. She paid $3.40 to win.

Trainer Blake MacIntosh led the way with winners in two of Friday’s three Champlain Stakes at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The MacIntosh stable swept both divisions of the Champlain for two-year-old trotting fillies, while the Luc Blais-trained colt Emoticon Legacy captured the lone Champlain event for open trotters. Emoticon Legacy turned in an eye-catching final quarter to win the $164,785 Champlain open division in 1:55.1. Driver Louis-Philippe Roy showed plenty of patience with Emoticon Legacy, as the pair got away seventh and would end up third-over in sixth heading around the final turn after the fractions went in :28, :57.3 and 1:27.1 to three-quarters. In the stretch, Emoticon Legacy swept by his rivals with a powerful :27.1 final quarter to win comfortably by 3-3/4 lengths. Tregaron (Scott Young), who was spotted just in front of the eventual winner turning for home, finished in second, while Wildturkey Hanover (Louis-Philippe Roy) finished third after tailing ‘Emoticon’ in a fourth-over position. A homebred for Determination of Montreal, Que., Emoticon Legacy is by the standout stallion Walner and out of the champion mare Emoticon Hanover. He now has three wins in four starts and has earned nearly $150,000. Emoticon Legacy is also expected to compete in next Saturday’s Mohawk Million. He paid $5.30 to win as the favourite.

Drawn Impression (Louis Roy) imposed further supremacy over her peers with another decisive victory in the C$156,000 Simcoe Stakes for 3-year-old trotting fillies. Outfooted early by R Liza out of post 10, driver Louis-Philippe Roy floated Drawn Impression forward from post 9 and sat an unhurried fifth while parked on the rim through a :26.4 first quarter. R Liza (Scott Zeron) cleared the lead to the backstretch and promptly reeled in her speed for a breather, leaving Roy in the perfect spot to push and take over command just past a :56.1 half. “I wasn’t too worried, because I was kind of letting her trot,” said Roy after the race. “I’ve just been easy on her. Like you go a quarter in :28 with her, it’s like if you’re going :30 with another random horse. I mean, she just has a long stride. So the first half, even if it looks a little bit like she had much work to do, she didn’t really work herself.” Roy sat chilly as Drawn Impression cruised on the point around the final turn. She clicked past three-quarters in 1:25 and sprinted for the finish under a hand drive, registering a 3-1/2-length win as the 1-5 favourite over a fast-closing Willys Home Run (James MacDonald), who rallied from third over to take second. Second-over Cold Snaps (Jamieson) tipped off cover to finish third and Tactical Strike (Sylvain Fillion) sat a ground-saving trip for fourth. “The first few times I raced her on the front, like I remember qualifying her – and even the one time in Vernon – I feel like maybe she wasn’t used to it,” Roy also said. “When you got those horses who race on the front for the first time, they’re on and off, and they spend a lot of energy. But even last start and tonight, she’s just like a perfect individual to drive, like an old horse. So the way she is right now, against the competition, I feel like I can let her do what she wants. I wouldn’t want to say that she’s 100 percent safe tonight, and then see her make a break in the next few starts. I don’t want to jinx myself.”  A daughter of Muscle Hill out of champion mare Emoticon Hanover, Drawn Impression has now won twice from six starts this season and six times from 12 starts in her career, good for $507,844. The homebred for Serge Godin’s Determination returned $2.50 to win.

Milton, ON — Drawn Impression plowed from mid-pack and lifted away from her peers to score in the aptly named C$140,000 Casual Breeze at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Friday night (Aug. 23). Stablemate Emoji Hanover hustled out of post ten to grab the lead from R Liza by a :27.3 first quarter while driver Louis-Philippe Roy settled Drawn Impression out of post one into sixth. As Emoji Hanover (Dexter Dunn) slowed the tempo to a :57 half, Roy sent Drawn Impression uncovered out of sixth and then seized the lead entering the final turn. She strode by three-quarters in 1:25.2 and widened her lead down the stretch under a reclined hand drive to float over the finish winning by 4-1/4 lengths. Emoji Hanover held off R Liza (Scott Zeron) zipping up the inside to take second while R Liza’s rally helped her stave off Cool Ma Belle as she wove through traffic, but settled for fourth. “I didn’t find any good cover to follow once we all settled into the first turn, so I rushed my move,” Louis Roy said after the race. “But the filly’s just so good. Luc’s team had her really good, so I felt like she could overcome anything. It wasn’t the ideal trip, but she was so good she could deal with it anyway. When you sit behind her, she goes so fast and you don’t even realize; she has a very effortless gait. So that makes me think she might be very special, even more than she shows now.” Luc Blais trains Drawn Impression, a Muscle Hill filly out of a Casual Breeze champion in Emoticon Hanover, for owner-breeder Determination. She won her first race of the season from her fifth start and notched her fifth victory from 11 starts in her career, good for $429,844. “She’s always been impressive,” Roy also said. “She started a little later than every other filly, which was the plan with Luc because most of her stakes are later in the season and he wants to keep her sharp. In the short time she’s been racing, I felt like she didn’t have much luck. Tonight, she was able to show her talent.” Off the even-money favorite, Drawn Impression returned $4.30 to win.

Emoticon Legacy stayed unbeaten in just his second start at Woodbine Mohawk Park when collaring 1-5 favorite Nordic Catcher S in the final strides of a 1:56 mile in winning the second Wellwood elimination. Driver James MacDonald floated Emoticon Legacy forward to race third as 13-1 shot Manforce attempted to steal the race. Clocking opening fractions of :28.3 and :59.1, Manforce soon bore pressure when Nordic Catcher S flushed out of his pocket ride to sit first-up. Nordic Catcher S accelerated for the lead after three-quarters in 1:28.2 but stalled once downing Manforce in the lane. MacDonald meanwhile found room spinning off the turn to follow Nordic Catcher S’s move outside and then angled his charge off the helmet in the lane to inch closer and closer to the lead. In the final yards, Emoticon Legacy successfully reeled in Nordic Catcher S to win by a head. Manforce held third while Getastarfromthesky and Southwind Caspian earned the remaining slots to the final. “He looks like a special colt, like he’s developing into everything Emoticon [Hanover] throws into them,” MacDonald said of Emoticon Legacy, a Walner filly out of champion mare Emoticon Hanover. “She’s a super broodmare, she was a super racehorse and this horse looks like he’s turning into a nice horse as well.” Luc Blais trains Emoticon Legacy for owner-breeder Determination. The two-time winner paid $8.70 to win.