NEW YORK, Oct. 6, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On a sun-drenched day at Tavern on the Green in New York City, the Canadian mare Bee A Magician, an earner of $3.6 million in career purses, drew post position five and was installed as the 3-1 morning line favorite in the $1 million International Trot, which will be held at Yonkers Raceway this Saturday afternoon (October 10).
Regular pilot Brian Sears will drive Bee A Magician, the only mare in the field, who has shown an affinity for Yonkers' half-mile strip with three wins in four starts. The five-year-old daughter of Kadabra is in quest of her 11th victory this year. The 2013 harness Horse of the Year has recorded 41 career triumphs, and has beaten her male counterparts in stakes races on a regular basis. Richard 'Nifty' Norman is the trainer.
The 10 premier trotters in the world from six countries – Canada, France, Italy, Norway, Sweden and the United States – will go to the post in the 1¼-mile International, which has been revived by raceway president and CEO Tim Rooney after a 20-year absence. Post time for the International is at 3:10 PM/ET on the afternoon card.
The field for the International Trot in order of post position with odds, drivers and countries, is as follows:
Creatine – (1/ Johnny Takter/United States, 4-1);
Papagayo E – (2 /Ulf Ohlsson/Norway, 5-1);
Rod Stewart – (3 /Enrico Bellei/Italy, 12-1);
Timoko – (4 /Björn Goop/France, 6-1);
Bee A Magician – (5/ Brian Sears/Canada, 3-1);
On Track Piraten – (6 / Erik Adielsson/Sweden, 10-1);
Natural Herbie – (7 /Verlin Yoder/United States, 8-1);
Mosaique Face – (8 /Adrian Kolgjini/Sweden, 6-1);
BBS Sugarlight – (9/ Johan Untersteiner/Norway, 6-1);
Oasis Bi – (10 /Örjan Kihlström/Italy, 8-1).
Creatine, one of two United States representatives, returns to his homeland after racing successfully throughout Europe this year in Sweden, Finland and Belgium, and has career purses earnings of $1.3 million. Johnny Takter will drive the 4-1 second choice from the coveted inside rail post position.
Papagayo E of Norway, with Ulf Ohlsson in the bike from post two, is third choice on the morning line at 5-1.
The second U.S.A. flag-carrier is Natural Herbie, the winner of last year's International Trot Preview in world record time of 2:24:4, will be driven by owner-trainer Verlin Yoder, leaving from post seven at odds of 8-1.
Timoko, the standout from France driven by Bjorn Doop, was tabbed the co-fourth choice on the morning line from post four at odds of 6-1. The eight-year-old stallion sired by Imoko has also earned $3.5 million in lifetime purses, and has 25 career victories to his credit, including the Grand Prix de France earlier this year, and the prestigious Elitloppet in 2014.
Mosaique Face of Sweden, driven by Adrian Kolgini from post position eight, has earned $1 million in career earnings, captured the Elitloppet Prep earlier this year, and finished second in the Elitloppet final. Mosaique Face is co-fourth choice at 6-1 on the morning line.
The morning line odds-maker was Frank Drucker.
Yonkers' historic half-mile oval last hosted the International in 1995, that edition captured that year by Sweden's His Majesty. This will be the 37th edition of the International, and the one-million dollar purse equals the richest in Yonkers history. The first seven-figure purse was in the 2007 Art Rooney Pace, won by Southwind Lynx. The International was inaugurated in 1959 at Roosevelt Raceway and moved to Yonkers by Rooney in 1988 when Roosevelt closed.
International notebook: About the mares, three- and two-time International champions, and more:Bee A Magician will try to beat the boys one more time while carrying the Canadian flag on October 10...Canada has won two Internationals, the longshot Tie Silk in 1962 and Fresh Yankee, yes, another mare, in 1970…The powerful, French flag-carrier Ideal du Gazeau, with his white blaze and an amazing burst of speed, was the only three-time International champion under the reins of Eugene Lefevre. Ideal du Gazeau pulled off the "Three-peat" consecutively in 1981, '82 and '83, after finishing second to the American mare Classical Way (John Simpson, Jr.) in his debut in 1980…Legendary U.S.A. standard-bearers, the gelding Su Mac Lad (1961 and '63/Stanley Dancer) and the mare Delmonica Hanover (1973-74/Delvin Miller), and the French champions mares Roquepine (1967-68) and Un de Mai (1969 and '71), both French flag-carriers driven by JeanRene Geugone, were the quartet of two-time International titlists during the late sixties and early seventies…Mares won five in a row and seven of eight International titles from 1967-74. Speedy Crown, driven by Howard Beissinger, interrupted the distaff dominance in 1972...Fresh Yankee was the 1970 champion mare with Joe O'Brien in the sulky…Lutin d'Isigny continued the French dominance in the eighties, winning two straight following Ideal du Gazeau's three in a row, to become another the sixth multiple International champion, and give French flag-carriers a record five consecutive internationals…The Ledger: The United States and France have dominated the International with 15 and 13 victories, respectively. Sweden is third with three, and Canada has captured a pair. Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands trotters each had one win in the International Trot… The Tally: The 10 drivers in Saturday's $1 million International Trot at Yonkers Raceway have a combined total of 42,500 career dash wins, and this year alone have earned $30,166,353 in purses.