September 2020 Issue

Page 8 September 2020 EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN by Mike Farrell The sensational filly Ra- mona Hill took a well-deserved gulp from the Hambletonian trophy after beating the boys on Saturday, August 8, in the $1 million trotting classic at the Meadowlands Racetrack. The Hambletonian is harness racing’s premier event for 3-year-old trotters. It was the latest chapter in the developing saga of harness racing’s newest superstar. The victory, the 15th by a filly in the race’s illustrious his- tory, was hardly a surprise. She was the 2-5 favorite following the previous week’s jaw-drop- ping win from an impossible spot, kicking home with a :25.4 final quarter in the Hambleto- nian eliminations. The 2019 Dan Patch Award winner for best 2-year-old filly trotter was last in the eight-horse field and forced three wide around the final turn before flying home and besting Back Of The Neck by a half- length in 1:51.2. The top-five finishers from each elimination advanced to the final. Ramona Hill (#5) holds off Ready For Moni (#1) in the Hambletonian. The filly, who has nine wins and three thirds from eleven starts, was the 2019 Dan Patch Winner for best two year old filly trotter. Photo credit: Jason Lisa/Lisa Photo© Filly Ramona Hill Equals Hambletonian Record She was just as good in the final. Andy McCarthy turned Ramona Hill loose down the backside and she easily surged past Threefiftytwo to take com- mand for good. “When I came out early there, I sensed I could find the front,” McCarthy said. “I went for it, and she knows her job.” As Ramona Hill made the lead, main rivals Ready For Moni — the other elimination winner — and Back Of The Neck took up the chase. Through the lane, Ramona Hill remained solidly in com- mand, beating Ready For Moni by a length with Back Of The Neck third. “She was starting to work a little bit towards the wire, but she finished it off,” McCarthy said. The time for the mile only confirmed what observers already knew: Ramona Hill is the real deal. The 1:50.1 clocking equaled the stakes mark set by her sire Muscle Hill in 2009. It was a muted Hambleto- nian winner’s circle celebration with access limited and everyone masked to ward off the corona- virus. John Campbell, president of the Hambletonian Society, summed up the day and the per- formance eloquently. “What a great performance by a tremendous filly,” Campbell said. “Throughout history, society has dealt with crises and troubles, but great horses and great horse racing have found a way to bring people together to forget about what’s going on in their every- day lives. I think that’s what’s happened here today.” It was the first Hambletonian victory for McCarthy and trainer Tony Alagna of Manalapan, NJ, who took a very patient approach with his talented filly. The race was only her fourth of the year and 11th of her career. “People talked earlier about how COVID affected this filly’s schedule,” Alagna said. “Hon- estly, this was our schedule from the beginning, with or without COVID. She’s very much like a Thoroughbred. She doesn’t need the starts to be at her best.” Alagna was patient with Ramona Hill last year, giving the filly a midseason break in a cam- paign that culminated with a win in the Breeders Crown from post 10 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. “I knew what we had, we just had to do the right thing,” Alagna said. “We waited on her when she needed it and she paid us back.” Of course, the Hambletonian Oaks for fillies earlier in the day was a possible target. But after Ramona Hill cruised to a con- vincing win in the Del Miller on July 18, Alagna set his sights on the bigger goal. “We always had it (the Hambletonian) in the back of our minds, but nobody wanted to be the first one to say it,” Alagna said. “After the Del Miller, it became a reality.” It had already been a great afternoon for McCarthy with four victories. Number five, the Ham- bletonian, will be the one he’ll always remember. “It was a very good start to the day and I was trying to keep my cool, and I was trying to let it sink in too much because I still had a lot of work to do,” McCar- thy said. The driver and the filly com- pleted the mission in style. “The adrenalin you get from winning a race like this, words can’t explain it,” the Australian reinsman said. “It’s an amaz- ing event and a privilege to be involved.” With the victory, Ramona Hill improved her record to 9-0-2 in 11 starts for Bradley Grant, Crawford Farms Racing, Robert LeBlanc and In The Gym Partners. The 2019 Breeders Crown and Dan Patch Award winner is the second filly to capture the Hambletonian in the last three renewals, joining Atlanta (2018). BLACK’S LIVESTOCK -The Next Pasture - Where the grass is always green, lush & stirrup high Individual Horse & Pet Cremation Standard Mortality 24 hour service available John E. Black: 610.220.5262 Matthew Hoffman: 610.656.3258 Office: 610.584.4482 Fax: 610.584.9111 BLACK’S LIVESTOCK P.O. Box 662 Skippack, PA 19472 www.nextpasture.com Please resubmit your events through the end of the year to steph @ eastcoastequestrian.net Please provide event name, location, city, state and contact information for inclusion at no cost in our calendar. Event Organizers!