Aug 9, 2018 4 min read

At The Meadows

After an inauspicious career debut – he broke stride as the 1-2 favorite in a PA All-Stars split – Demon Onthe Hill has righted the ship, winning two straight PA Sires Stakes divisions.

On Saturday at The Meadows, he’ll try to extend that streak to three in the Florida Pro, a $181,388 PASS that goes as races 1, 3 and 4. Demon Onthe Hill leaves from post 3 in the first race with Yannick Gingras in the sulky. Post time is 1:05 PM.

Vicky Trotting, Inc. gave $125,000 at auction for the son of Muscle Hill-Sabrina Hall, a price that the colt’s trainer, Marcus Melander, indicates was not unexpected.

“He was a good-looking horse with a great video,” Melander says. “The only disadvantage: he was pretty small then and still is. When it says Muscle Hill, they always get a little more expensive.”

Melander absolves Demon Onthe Hill of blame for that break in his career opener.

“He would have won, but he got stuck in a knee boot and almost fell.”

His initial PASS victory was a ground-saving affair at The Meadows, but his win in the following leg at Harrah’s Philadelphia was impressive. He wore down the leaders on the outside and drew off late, scoring in 1:55.4. That earned him a share of the national season’s record for freshman trotters on a five-eighths-mile track.

“It looked like he had something left in the tank,” says Melander, who notes that Demon Onthe Hill is eligible to most of the important late-season stakes. “His size doesn’t seem to matter. He grows on the track. I think he’s the real deal.”

Melander also sends out Expedition (race 4, post 4, Dave Palone), who, at $230,000, was an even more expensive Muscle Hill yearling than Demon Onthe Hill. He’s earned checks but no wins in his two PASS outings.

“He’s still a little green and doesn’t know what’s happening out there,” Melander says. “Demon Onthe Hill might be a little better, but once he starts to understand what racing’s all about, he’ll be a nice horse, too.”

Coach’s punch

kills man

A college basketball coach threw a punch that killed a New York City tourist who mistook him for an Uber driver, police said Thursday.

Wake Forest assistant coach Jamill Jones attacked Sandor Szabo around 1:15 a.m. Sunday in Queens, causing him to fall and hit his head on the sidewalk, police said.

Jones, 35, of Kernerville, N.C., was arrested Thursday. He is awaiting arraignment on an assault charge.

His lawyer couldn’t immediately be reached.

In a statement, Wake Forest said it would comment further once it gathers more information.

Jones joined the Demon Deacons staff in May 2017 after coaching stints at Central Florida, Virginia Commonwealth and Florida Gulf Coast.

Head coach Danny Manning said at the time Jones was a “well-respected bright mind” in the coaching world and brought “new blood” and “new perspectives” to Wake Forest.

Beilein has heart surgery

Michigan assistant basketball coach Saddi Washington said coach John Beilein is doing well in his recovery from a double-bypass heart procedure earlier in the week.

Washington didn’t give too many details about Beilein before Thursday’s practice. Washington is serving as interim coach for the time being.

Beilein’s operation took place Monday at the University of Michigan’s Samuel and Jean Frankel Cardiovascular Center. He’s expected to make a full recovery.

The Wolverines have a trip to Spain coming up from Aug. 17-26, and Beilein won’t be going on that.

The 43-year-old Washington is entering his third season as an assistant at Michigan.