Yonkers: Air Force Hanover flying high into Rooney eliminations

Ohio-based trainer Brian Brown has been no stranger to the major stakes races over the last decade and he’ll arrive at Yonkers Raceway on Saturday night hoping to secure a spot in the $300,000 Art Rooney final on May 25 with Air Force Hanover, one of 12 to drop in the box for a pair of $40,000 preliminaries.

“He’s come back very strong this year,” said Brown from his Delaware, Ohio base. “I think he grew the most and got stronger than my other top 3-year-olds.”

Considering that Air Force Hanover was a non-factor in her first sophomore start of the year, Brown believes all systems are now a go following last Saturday’s 1:50 1/5 victory from post eight in a division of the Pennsylvania All Stars at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.

“He was just being an idiot in his first start,” said Brown. “David (Miller) couldn’t drive him at all. We made some adjustments with his equipment and he was solid last Saturday.”

With two $40,000 eliminations on Saturday carded as races six and nine, Air Force Hanover landed post two in the first division with Miller returning to the bike after George Napolitano Jr. enjoyed the stakes victory.

Last year Air Force Hanover earned $131K racing in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes program and on several Grand Circuit stops. He showed a capacity for extreme speed while winning just three times in a dozen starts. The son of Somebeachsomewhere put in a notable performance on Jug Day last September setting the table for stablemate Workin Ona Mystery’s 1:50 3/5 world mark for juveniles over a half-mile track in the Standardbred.

Although Brown made Workin Ona Mystery eligible to the Art Rooney, the trainer elected to pass. “I did make the payments,” Brown said, “But I don’t want to put him on a half-mile just yet.” Workin Ona Mystery, who captured his first stakes of the year, will go Sunday in the second leg of the Pennsylvania Sire Stake at Pocono.

Air Force Hanover will need a top-four finish to return for the final and looks to be an odds-on commodity against five rivals. Goldberg (post 1) showed promise in just a handful of starts as a 2-year-old for trainer Brenda Teague and her nephew driver Montrell. The son of Mr Wiggles is off to a solid start in 2019 having captured the Delaware Standardbred Development Fund $100,000 final at Dover Downs on April 4.

Trainer Ray Schnittker has two in the Rooney with Captain Malicious (post 3) in the sixth race division. The son of Captaintreacherous has won once in three starts this year but faded to sixth last Saturday after making two serious moves in the Pennsylvania All Stars. Mark MacDonald will pick up the drive.

The second Rooney elimination appears a bit more evenly matched as a pair of Pennsylvania All Stars winners from last Saturday hook up with Blood Money (post 5) and Branquiniho (post 6) putting their unbeaten streaks on the line in the $40,000 contest.

Blood Money, a colt by Sweet Lou, took a 1:50 record sweeping the field in his sophomore debut for trainer Nancy Johansson on April 27 at The Meadowlands. Last Saturday driver Scott Zeron drove him much more aggressively and the colt gamely held off two rivals once again, stopping the clock in 1:50.

Branquinho (post 6) went winless in five starts for trainer Schnittker last year but has turned the corner in a very positive way in 2019. The full brother to Huntsville has improved in each of his three starts, with last week’s 1:50 1/5 effort in the Pennsylvania All Stars his best outing to date. While on the smaller side, Branquinho has shown a slick gait and the determination that has served many of his successful siblings over the years at Yonkers.

While Blood Money and Branquinho may get some public attention, they will have to match the ability of Bettor’s Wish (post 3), a son of Bettor’s Delight that won his sophomore debut in 1:52 over the Yonkers surface on April 29. The heavily staked Ontario-bred was a five-time winner last year with $272,056 banked for trainer Chris Ryder. Dexter Dunn will drive Bettor’s Wish.

New York Sire Stakes winner Rollwithpapajoe comes back on limited rest after his May 13 1:56 victory at Monticello Raceway over a sloppy track. The gelded homebred drew post two with Joe Bongiorno in the bike.

Post time is scheduled for 6:50 p.m. for the 12-race card, which also features two $20,000 eliminations for the Lismore final.