Yonkers: Halftime breakdown of the grueling MGM Borgata Pacing Series

With three rounds completed in this year's MGM Borgata Pacing Series, it's time to take a deeper look at the group as a whole and what the final field may look like once the remaining two rounds (April 11 and April 18) are completed. Following a second leg that was raced during a bitterly cold and windy night (for the season), the third round this past Monday (April 4) was contested under ideal conditions, with less than ideal results for chalk players.

Is there a favorite for the final?

Perhaps the third leg gave some indication of the identity of a would-be favorite for the final, and it appears to be a similar horse as in 2021. Leonidas A was a solid winner in the opening leg, withstanding a speed mission by Tattoo Artist on his way to victory. A few minutes too late for an appointment for Lasix administration found Leonidas A forced to take the second round off, something that in hindsight appealed to his owner Steve Finkelstein (Jesmeral Stable).

"I think it may have been the best thing for him," Finkelstein said prior to Monday's third leg. "He was in a tough field and drew post seven, so it wasn't going to be an easy race anyway."

Leonidas A was one of only two favorites to take Borgata divisions on Monday night, with Austin Siegelman putting him on the point and winning easily in 1:51 2/5.

"He won all of his preliminaries last year," said Finkelstein, "Then he ran into a roadblock in the final."

While much of last year's Borgata final centered around the explosive gate acceleration of This Is The Plan looping the field from post eight, Finkelstein's perspective recalls Backstreet Shadow languishing on the rim throughout the mile, hampering his horse's chances of reaching a contending position. While it's hard to say what Backstreet Shadow could have done differently considering he was following a parked-out Western Joe in that mile, it's easy to see how an owner of one horse might feel compromised when there are three horses from one stable up against him.

The trainer was Ron Burke, and two weeks ago it appeared he had the inside track to multiple spots in this year's final again, with defending champion This Is The Plan dominant in his debut and the highly-regarded Covered Bridge seemingly primed for the series. A few weeks later and everyone is wondering what's wrong with This Is The Plan, as he couldn't maintain contact with Tattoo Artist from the pocket and had to settle for a tie for fifth in a seven-horse field. Covered Bridge has gotten points each week but remains winless in the series, nonetheless. On a positive note, Semi Tough bounced back for Burke following a disappointing second leg to upset American History and company, giving the "Brigade" a much-needed win.

Nandolo N was able to grind coverless to victory in the first two legs and seemed on his way to a third win in identical fashion for driver Jason Bartlett on Monday night, but got nipped on the line by longshot Funatthebeach N and driver Jordan Stratton.

"It turned into a sprint," said Stratton, "And I was able to nip him. He [Nandolo N] started to fight back after the wire."

Stratton's respect for Nandolo N aside, the race provided a cautionary tale, if you will, about Nandolo's talent and perhaps weakness when it comes to the future legs in the series and a final. The gelded son of Betterthancheddar appears to do his best work when horses don't get in his way and the pace is consistent. Nandolo N captured the first two legs with final quarters of 28 and 28 2/5, but this past Monday was out-sprinted by the winner in a 27 2/5 final panel.

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If there was one certainty of what we've seen so far in 2022, it is that horses that were clearly superior at times in 2021 now seem somewhat vulnerable to trips and competition. It's not just This Is The Plan that has befuddled bettors and experts alike, Nicholas Beach holding on by a nose after controlling the pace against what appeared to be an average group doesn't at this point resemble the same horse that paced in 1:47 2/5 a year ago at the Meadowlands. Granted it was just his third start of the season, and a 1:51 1/5 clocking is still a respectable for the class, but he seemed all-out to hold off Pat Stanley N, a horse that was racing at the non-winners of $7,500 last five level in February at Yonkers. This isn't to demean Pat Stanley N, a runner-up in all three of his Borgata legs, but to suggest that Nicholas Beach will need to step up his game to reach the final and be competitive in it.

Perhaps one of the more puzzling horses in the series is Tattoo Artist, a blistering-fast son of He's Watching with the capacity to lose the competition on the third turn only to succumb late in the stretch, as he has done twice for driver Dexter Dunn in the opening and then third leg. Tattoo Artist blazed a 26 4/5 opening quarter, seating his rivals, and then smoked a 27 2/5 third quarter, essentially grinding pocket-sitter This Is The Plan into submission. Poseidon Seelster, disappointing at 8-5 with a third-place finish behind Nandolo N in the second leg, made a scorching move for driver George Brennan around cover and ate up ground to take the fastest division in 1:51 flat.

What's interesting about Poseidon Seelster's performance is that most of the horses that were pushed hard during the brutal conditions during round two saw their performances impacted negatively this past Monday. American History and Jacks Legend N were one-two around the track during heated fractions in leg two. In leg three both cut the mile with little dispute early and weakened. American History was done by the top of the stretch, and Jacks Legend N lasted a bit longer but still could not finish out his mile.

Of the five winners this past Monday night, what sticks out most is the impact the stallion Mach Three and his sons and grandsons have on the sport. Mach Three is the sire of Leonidas A, a horse Finkelstein purchased for $90,000 just a few years back. Mach Three's son Somebeachsomewhere sent out Semi Tough, Nicholas Beach and Funtthebeach N, and Somebeachsomewhere's son Sunshine Beach was responsible for Poseidon Seelster.

Looking towards the fourth leg, there are currently 15 horses in contention for the final eight berths, and that may force the hand of one or two conditioners to enter rather than miss a leg and lose a chance to make the final. With horses receiving 25 points just for showing up, a fourth- or fifth-place finish could give a participant an edge over a horse missing a week.

Leonidas A and Nandolo N appear the clear leaders in the Borgata at this point, but it would hardly be a surprise to see trainer Ron Burke's horses emerge in rounds four and five.

Poseidon Seelster and Nicholas Beach are two horses that need to back up their victories from leg three, not just to secure spots in the final, but perhaps take down the top prize.

There were times in the past that people (including me) suggested that this series had too many preliminary legs and needed to be shortened. Given the performances we've seen to date, the Borgata format is working to perfection.