Yonkers: Betting Pacer joins Grade 1 International Trot field

The work of international recruiter Klaus Koch is now complete as Betting Pacer is officially the final horse from Europe that will compete in the MGM Yonkers International Trot on September 12. The 9-year-old with the odd name for a trotter due to pacing pedigree a few generations back, will make her U.S. debut in the Grade 1 event with a $1,000,000 purse.

Betting Pacer is coming off a victory in the Grade I European Championship for Mares at Solvalla on August 19. It was her fourth win in 12 starts this year for trainer/driver Björn Goop

“I think she’s at the peak of her career at the moment,” said Goop, who added that the return to racing barefoot has made a big difference. “She raced barefoot as a 4-year-old but she couldn’t do it anymore. This year she started racing barefoot again.”

Owned by Mbg I Sydost AB, Betting Pacer has won 20 of 88 lifetime starts. The 9-year-old has competed mostly at shorter distances and should be well-suited for the Yonkers surface.

“She took a world record in a long-distance race on a half mile track a couple of years ago. She gets along very well on the half-mile tracks and handles the turns very well,” said Goop.

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Goop is no stranger to the MGM Yonkers International Trot, having competed in the race several times, including finishing second in 2015 edition with Timoko. He is excited about returning to the U.S. to take part in the race.

“It would mean a lot [to win]. It is always a dream come true to come to the States to race, especially with one of the horses I train. It is also a dream come true for my owner. Directly after the last race they were talking about it,” said Goop.

Seven horses have now officially accepted invitations to the MGM Yonkers International Trot. They include (in alphabetical order with expected driver, and country of origin in parenthesis):

Betting Pacer – Björn Goop (Sweden)

Bourbonista – Dexter Dunn (Sweden)

Diva Ek – Alessandro Gocciadoro (Italy)

Gio Cash – TBD (Germany)

Hooker Berry – Antoine Lhéreté (France)

Mellby Jinx – Daniel Wäjersten (Sweden)

Powwow – Ake Svanstedt (Norway)

An earlier release said the MGM Yonkers International Trot field would swell to 11, but those plans have been scrapped due to one of the invitees having to pull out. A trio of horses based in the U.S. and Canada will be released early next week.

The $1,000,000 race will be the focal point of a stellar card on September 12 that starts at 11:50 a.m. (EDT) and includes the $2.4 million New York Sire Stakes finals for 2- and 3-year-olds, as well as a pair of $200,000 Invitationals - the Bob Miecuna Trot and Aria Pace.

MGM Yonkers Raceway is currently offering live racing on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday through Saturday, with post time at 6:45 p.m. (EDT) every night except Saturday when post time is 3:30 p.m.