Ideal San Leandro prepares for the $1M MGM Yonkers International Trot
Richard Westerink's French 6-year-old shows off his excitement as he gets ready for the International Trot
We humans aren't the only ones getting excited as the $1 million MGM Yonkers International Trot draws nearer! As we can see in this video, Ideal San Leandro is up and raring to go while he gets ready at Mark Ford's farm in New York.
Ideal San Leandro, the 6-year-old son of Timoko owned and trained by Richard Westerink (who is no stranger to the International Trot), has had some recent successes in his native France, with two wins and a second-place finish in his last three starts. Westerink seems confident in Ideal San Leandro, who drew post position 2 in Saturday's International Trot. In response to concerns that Ideal San Leandro is not of the same caliber as other horses Westerink has brought to Yonkers, he had the following to say:
"He’s in super form but he was also good in the winter. There were drivers who didn’t trust the horse. I told them the horse was good and they just sat on the inside. I told them to stay on the lead and they wouldn’t do it. He’s really been in good form for almost six months. He’s tough and I trust in him but there are faster horses in the race. But when horses are in good shape there is always a chance."
Westerink is also confident in Ideal San Leandro's ability to handle 900m tracks with a right turn:
"I think he’ll be much better with the turns on the left like at Yonkers. He’s an easy horse that will love the track."
Ideal San Leandro will be driven by Bjorn Goop. For more information and updates on the International Trot, be sure to check out the
SOA of NY website and the official
International Trot website, as well as stay tuned to the SOA's official
Facebook,
X (fka Twitter) and
Instagram pages! We hope to see you at the track on Saturday 9/7!
Video courtesy of Richard Westerink and Kristin Riise Odegard.
