The Italian-bred trotter Diamante Trio IT (Nad Al Sheba), is having her best harness racing season ever, recording her second consecutive win in the $39,000 Fillies & Mares Invitational on Thursday at Yonkers Raceway.

Participation in the 2nd^and The joint race, Diamante Trio IT, and driver George Brennan started from post two and after an early confrontation with Helpoftheseason (Jordan Stratton) took the lead after a first quarter mile in :27.2.

PL Notsonice (Scott Zeron) was third on the outside when Helpoftheseason made a costly breakaway on the second hole, went inside the plyons and allowed PL Notsonice to drop right back to second hole position while Diamante Trio IT led the half mile in :57.

Warrawee Xenia (Jason Bartlett) took the lead after half a mile and was able to close the gap on Diamante Trio It to within a length of her own on the back straight after three quarters of a mile with a time of 1:25.4.

However, Diamante Trio It proved too strong at the front and held off Warrawwee Xenia on the home straight to win by a narrow time of 1:54.3, with PL Notsonice taking third.

DIAMOND TRIO IT REPLAY

It was the second straight win and eighth of the season for Diamante Trio It, who started at 5-1 odds and paid $13.40 to win. Diamante Trio It is trained by Travis Alexander for Joe P Racing, Oldford Racing and the Alexander Racing Stable and has earned $157,870 this year, more than double what she earned in her first year of racing in the United States.

The $39,000 Invitational Trot for older horses was the 8th.^th Race in which Mississippi Storm (Cantab Hall) and driver Brent Holland won a half-mile battle with the race favorite.

Mississippi Storm was the first to lead and held off race favorite Once In A Lifetime (Jordan Stratton) until the quarter hour mark in :27.3. Once in the lead, Once In A Lifetime led the field in a line until the halfway mark in :56.3.

Then Mississippi Storm was pushed out of trouble when Cristal Trio IT (Tyler Buter) came home first on the backstretch and try as she might, Mississippi Storm could not get past Once In A Lifetime. After three quarters of the way she was just behind him in 1:26.2 with Cristal Trio IT in second place.

They raced as a team around the final bend and on the home straight it was a three-way battle until the end, with the determined Mississippi Storm winning by a neck length in 1:55 from Cristal Trio IT and Once In A Lifetime falling back to third place at the end.

MISSISSIPPI STORM REPLAY

It was the third win of the season for the nine-year-old gelding. Mississippi Storm is trained by Tom Fanning for owner Joseph Smith and has a prize money of $10.00.

Click here to view the full race results: Results of the US Trotting Competition

from Steve Wolffor Harnesslink