Mertkan Kantarmaci

She may not have been the longest shot on the board--that title fell to intent-on-the-lead pacesetter and 55-1 shot Sister Bridget (Ire) (Galileo Gold {GB})--but Mertkan Kantarmaci's 29-1 trainee Evvie Jets (m, 5, Twirling Candy--Natchez Trace, by Consolidator) was still an afterthought in the public eye's at 29-1 behind a trio of Chad Brown entrants and one shipped stateside by Ireland's Joseph O'Brien in Saratoga's GII Mohegan Sun Ballston Spa S. Thursday. Longshot or not, Evvie Jets set the Spa lawn on its ear with a bold win up the...

The New York Racing Association will once again conduct the Under 20's Claiming Challenge for its upcoming winter and spring meets at Aqueduct Racetrack. Introduced in 2018, the challenge is open to local conditioners with 20 or fewer trainees nationwide. Trainers will earn points based on their horses' performances in all winners' claiming races at Aqueduct from the start of the winter meet Dec. 9 through the end of the spring meet Apr. 24. The top eight trainers in the contest will split a price pool of $80,000, with the...

Trainer Mertkan Kantarmaci won his fourth straight title in the New York Racing Association's "Under 20s Claiming Challenge" at the recently concluded winter/spring meet at Aqueduct Racetrack. Launched in 2018, the challenge is open to local trainers with 20 or fewer horses nationwide. Kantarmaci topped the standings, racking up 133 points in the unique contest that highlighted horses' performances in winners' claiming races on the main track. Randi Persaud was second with 83 points, with Edward Barker [68] and A.C. Avila [65] rounding out the quartet who cracked the 60-point...