Northfield: Seven Colors draws pole position for $300K Milstein

Seven Colors, most recently second in last Saturday's (August 5) Cane Pace at the Meadowlands, returns to Ohio on Saturday night for the $300,000 Carl Milstein Memorial. Seven Colors had been trained by Ohio native Brian Brown for his entire career but will debut on Saturday night for new trainer Andrew Harris, who, along with other partners, purchased the colt following the Cane Pace.

"We sold him on Sunday," Brown confirmed on Wednesday when asked about Seven Colors. "The money was just too good."

The transaction proves in fact this is a business, but from Brown's perspective he believes his owners have sold a very nice horse.

"He was just a pain as a 2-year-old," said Brown. "He just wouldn't do what we needed him to do."

A freshman season with but $20k banked in six starts ended due to a minor injury, but Seven Colors has blossomed this season for Brown and perhaps for Harris on Saturday night and going forward.

"He's just been a different horse this season," said Brown. "Except for the one race at Yonkers in the Messenger where he came back home and scoped sick, all his races have been great. He went a big trip in the Adios and then in the Cane last Saturday."

Seven Colors rallied from eighth in the Adios at The Meadows on July 29 to finish a solid third and then followed that mile up with a first-over grind where Seven Colors wore down the pace-setter Christchurch only to be gobbled up late by Confederate.

A 1:48 1/5 winner at Harrah's Philadelphia in Pennsylvania Sire Stakes competition on May 28, Seven Colors enters the Milstein with $178K earned this year and eight on-the-board finishes in 11 starts.

Seven Colors and his new connections got the benefit of the draw on Wednesday and secured the pole position in the by-invitation-only Milstein Memorial, race 11 on the 15-race card.

While Seven Colors had trouble finishing seventh in the Messenger, trainer Tom Fanning's Captain Batboy enjoyed the night of his life, capturing the Triple Crown leg at Yonkers in 1:57 4/5 for the mile and sixteenth distance.

"That was a pretty big mile," said Fanning, referring to the Messenger and just how fast Captain Batboy, a son of Captaintreacherous, needed to go that night.

Captain Batboy and driver Jordan Stratton survived a 26 flat opening quarter and then cut the rest of the pace under some dispute yet held firmly.

"I think that's probably his best attribute," said Fanning, "He's a fighter."

Since the Messenger, Captain Batboy has only been in one stakes race, the Tompkins-Geers at the Meadowlands on July 29 where he finished seventh.

"I think he's definitely a better half-mile track horse," Fanning said.

In his final prep for the Milstein, Captain Batboy cut out a 1:50 2/5 mile at Harrah's Philadelphia on August 6 and fell a nose shy at the wire, finishing second.

"I thought he raced great," said Fanning, optimistic that the race would set Captain Batboy up for the Milstein.

Captain Batboy drew post three in the field of nine.

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A Milstein invitation went out to Adios runner-up Redwood Hanover and his connections will bring the Stay Hungry colt to Northfield for the half-mile track test. Much like the Stay Hungry-sired Seven Colors, Redwood Hanover had limited success during his freshman campaign, with but one victory in seven starts. This year he's turned it around for trainer Anthony Beaton, finishing first or second six times in his nine seasonal starts. A 1:49 victory in a division of the Somebeachsomewhere at Woodbine Mohawk Park is Redwood Hanover's fastest winning time. He drew post four for the Milstein with regular pilot James MacDonald in the bike.

If his impressive 1:48 4/5 victory last Sunday (August 6) at The Red Mile is an indicator, trainer Ron Burke appears to have worked out the issues keeping Tip Top Cat from stardom this year. The Always B Miki-sired colt failed to qualify for the North America Cup final but has worked his way back to Grand Circuit caliber competition with strong miles in Kentucky. Tip Top Cat landed post five for driver Yannick Gingras.

A week after teaming up to capture the Hambletonian, the driver-trainer combo of Scott Zeron and Nancy Takter hope to pull off another major upset with Save America (post seven) in the Milstein. After having a solid 2-year-old season, Save America has struggled some this year, with many of his stake efforts hampered by bad starting positions. Save America drew post nine in the North America Cup and then post 10 in the Meadowlands Pace. His fortunes don't improve post-wise, but the connections proved a week ago that they can overcome such obstacles.

Rounding out the field for the Milstein are Buzzsaw Russ (post two), Goldin Greatness (post six), Chicken N Dice (post eight) and Thunder Hunter Joe (post nine, second tier).

A pair of $100,000 Invitationals for Ohio-sired trotters and pacers add to the solid Northfield Park Saturday program, with trainer Ron Burke sending two recent stakes winners to the half-mile circuit for competition. In the $100,000 Tom Aldrich President's Trot he has It's Academic (post one) facing eight rivals and his Bythemissal (post eight) is the likely favorite in the $100,000 Myron Charna President's Pace.

It's Academic brings a four-race winning streak into the Aldrich (race nine) that includes a victory in the prestigious John Cashman Memorial last Saturday (August 5) at the Meadowlands. David Miller will once again be in the bike behind the $1.7 million-winning son of Uncle Peter.

Bythemissal enters the Charna off a career-best 1:47 1/5 clocking in a division of the Sam McKee Memorial on Hambletonian Day (August 5) at the Meadowlands. The Buckeye State-sired 4-year-old captured last year's Little Brown Jug for his connections and returns to Northfield for the first time since capturing the 2022 Milstein Memorial by open lengths in a 1:48 4/5 clocking.

All three stakes combine with a $55,000 leg of the Ohio Sire Stakes to form a $30,000 estimated Pick 4 pool that kicks off in race eight. Post time for the evening is 6:00 P.M. (EDT).