Derick Giwner

On the heels of Lou Pena returning to Yonkers Raceway, I couldn’t help but notice all the recent trainer changes. Multiple regular trainers have been replaced by substitutes, many of whom I have never even heard of. The most logical assumption is that each of the old trainers were suspended and all of their horses went into the care of their second trainer or another available conditioner. Here is a list of the barn switches:

Any organization or business goes through trials and tribulations during its existence. Staying on top for an extended period in any walk of life is a tough task. Trainer Lou Pena maintained one of the top stables in the country for nearly two years before he was banned from Yonkers Raceway in August of this year. The eviction caused a 75 percent reduction in the nunber of horses he trained, and with the exodus his success story hit the skids in a hurry.

The exodus is well underway. The top 3-year-olds in the harness world are packing their saddle bags and preparing for the life of luxury. After two hard years of work on the track and 20 to 30 career races under their bridle (about average for a standardbred in one year, not two), it is time to call it a career and head to the breeding shed.

This weekend basically marks the end of the 2011 stakes season in the harness world. Yes, there are a handful of events left at Maywood Park on 11/18, the Matron for 3-year-old pacers at Dover Downs on 11/27, and the Cleveland Classic for second-year pacers on 12/10. But for the most part, the divisional leaders have made or are making their final starts this weekend. The major events on tap include:

For a decade that began in the late 1980’s, Walter Case Jr. began his domination of the driving colony at Yonkers Raceway. He never won less than 25 percent of his races and even eclipsed the 35 percent mark when he reached the winner’s circle a miraculous 1077 times in 1998.