Scorpion Moon Takes Joseph Carney Memorial Trot
On 9 March 2003 the harness racing world was rocked by the news that the owner and president of Rockingham Park Racecourse had passed away. Thomas Carney, brother to the late Joseph Carney, took over the presidency and on 4 September 2004 the inaugural running of the $50 000 Joseph Carney Memorial Trot was held. Fool’s Gold was the first horse to win the race. On Sunday, 31 August 2008, over the Labor Day holiday weekend, the field of contenders was once again lined up at Rockingham Park Racecourse for the fifth annual Joseph Carney Memorial Trot.
The contender field for the Joseph Carney Memorial Trot was made up of nine horses, namely Memphis Hall, Slave Dream, Stiletto, I’m a Cool Breeze, Local Girl, BJ’s Chinook, Scorpion Moon, Mccoy and Bo Didley N. It was a tough field, but it was to be Scorpion Moon who would lead from the start and deliver a victoriously brilliant performance. With driver Jonathan Roberts settling him in well in first position, Scorpion Moon effortlessly complied when he was asked to give a bit more effort in the last one quarter mile. He won by over two lengths, followed home by Stiletto in second and Bo Didley N in third. The remainder of the field finished with Slave Dream, BJ’s Chinook, Mccoy, Memphis Hall, Local Girl and I’m a Cool Breeze.
In 2007, Scorpion Moon was claimed by Andrew Herzog and Tracy Brainard at the Saratoga Raceway, for $15 000. Brainard is also Scorpion Moon’s trainer, and after winning his fifty-first career start she is considering the $100 000 Patriot, which takes place in October at Colonial Downs. The Armbro Scorpion sired colt, out of Angie’s Nugget, has proven that he is a champion contender in the world of harness racing, and will be a worthy rival in any of his future racing events. His career earnings now stand on $417 970, and Tracy Brainard was quoted after the race saying: “It took him a little bit to get to the lead, he was pressed for the whole mile but he raced really tough. He’s a great horse.”
