Roll With Joe leads eight in Battle of the Brandywine
Freehold, NJ --- Meadowlands Pace winner Roll With Joe will see plenty of familiar faces in Sunday’s (August 21) $500,000 Battle of the Brandywine at Harrah’s Chester. The race features four other Meadowlands Pace finalists as well as Big Bad John, who was the beaten favorite in the North America Cup at Mohawk, where Roll With Joe finished second.
The Battle of the Brandywine is part of Super Stakes Sunday at Chester. The $2.6 million day also includes the $500,000 The Colonial for 3-year-old trotters and the $350,000 Valley Forge for 3-year-old filly pacers.
Roll With Joe has raced only once since winning the $1 million Meadowlands Pace on July 16 at Meadowlands Racetrack. On August 6, Roll With Joe was third in a division of the Oliver Wendell Holmes at the Meadowlands. He battled with Big Jim through fractions of :26.1, :52.2 and 1:19.4 before giving way in the stretch to winner Shadyshark Hanover and Hugadragon.
Trained by Ed Hart, Roll With Joe will start the Battle of the Brandywine from post one with driver Ron Pierce.
“I don’t want to see him go the fractions he did at the Meadowlands (in the Holmes) so I’m just kind of hoping he gets a decent trip, but you never know with the rail,” Hart said. “It could be good, or no good. I guess I will leave it up to Ronnie and see how it unfolds.”
Roll With Joe has won three of seven starts and $970,080 this year for owners Blue Chip Bloodstock, Stephen Demeter, Not To Worry Stable and Winbak Farm. His seven starts are the fewest of any horse in the Battle of the Brandywine field.
“It was by design,” Hart said. “He had a week off here and there and I decided to qualify him once (July 28 between the Meadowlands Pace and Oliver Wendell Holmes). That was because of the break in between races. Three weeks off, you have to give him a little extra and that’s why I did qualify him.
“After a start like he had at the Meadowlands two weeks ago, he needed a week off.”
Roll With Joe will be making only his second start on a five-eighths-mile track in the Battle of the Brandywine. His previous effort came last October at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, where he finished fifth in his Breeders Crown elimination.
“I train on a five-eighths so he’s used to it and I did train him off the gate at Tioga (Downs) a few times in the springtime, so I know he’ll get around it no problem,” Hart said. “It’s not an issue.”
Other Meadowlands Pace finalists in the Battle of the Brandywine are Powerful Mist, Custard The Dragon, Wink N Atcha, and Feel Like A Fool.
Custard The Dragon won the $500,000 Hoosier Cup and $300,000 Hempt Memorial earlier this season.
Also entered in the Battle of the Brandywine is Adios winner Alsace Hanover.
Following is the Battle of the Brandywine field in post position order, with listed drivers and trainers: 1. Roll With Joe, Ron Pierce, Ed Hart; 2. Powerful Mist, Andy Miller, Wayne Givens; 3. Custard The Dragon, Montrell Teague, George Teague, Jr.; 4. Big Bad John, David Miller, Ron Potter; 5. Alsace Hanover, Scott Zeron, Tony O’Sullivan; 6. Wink N Atcha, Yannick Gingras, Teague Jr.; 7. Feel Like A Fool, M. Teague, Teague Jr.; 8. High Noon, Pierce, Jimmy Takter.