Saturday’s 15-race Hambletonian Day card at the Meadowlands Racetrack is loaded with lucrative stakes dashes worth nearly $3.6 million in purse money, including the $225,000 Anthony Abbatiello New Jersey Classic and its filly companion race, the $100,000 Thomas D’Altrui Miss New Jersey.
The two stakes for New Jersey-sired three-year-old pacers are early in the card – the third race for the Miss New Jersey and the fourth race for the New Jersey Classic – and have the possibility of being two of the most contentious and bettor-friendly events, with no prohibitive favourites.
Racing conditions for the two stakes were amended to eliminate eliminations. The finals are limited to the 10 highest lifetime money-winning horses in the entry box. To further sweeten the pot, even those that do not share in the top-five purse distribution will not go home empty-handed. The connections of the New Jersey Classic colts finishing sixth through 10 will receive $1,500 each, while the connections of the Miss New Jersey fillies will receive $1,000 each.
“We are very pleased that we have full and competitive fields for both stakes, in fact, 11 entered in each with 10 going postward,” said Tom Luchento, president of the Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey, which sponsors the two races.
“We feel stallions will return to New Jersey once we have casino-infused purses, a likelihood in the next few years, but for now we are trying our best to make it worthwhile for breeders to support our program and owners to buy New Jersey-sired offspring with the opportunity to compete in such events as the New Jersey Classic and Miss New Jersey,” Luchento added.
First-race post time on Saturday is 12 noon and the gates will open at 10 a.m. Admission is $5.
The $1 million Hambletonian (Race 13), the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks (Race 12) and the $300,650 John Cashman Jr. Memorial Trot will be featured on the live television broadcast from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. The program will be hosted by Gary Seibel, Dave Brower and Justin Horowitz.
The fields for the New Jersey Classic and Miss New Jersey – with post, horse, driver and morning line odds – appear below.
$225,000 ANTHONY ABBATIELLO NEW JERSEY CLASSIC
1 – Doo Wop Hanover - Yannick Gingras – 9-5
2 – Western Vintage – Brian Sears – 5-2
3 – Rockeyed Optimist – Matt Kakaley – 20-1
4 – Buckwacker – David Miller – 9-2
5 – Sweet Rock – Brett Miller – 20-1
6 – Dancin Hill – Scott Zeron – 10-1
7 – Rock Out – Tim Tetrick – 15-1
8 – Card Shock – George Brennan – 20-1
9 – Beat The Drum – Ron Pierce – 6-1
10 – Rocknroll Reality – Corey Callahan – 12-1
$100,000 THOMAS D’ALTRUI MISS NEW JERSEY
1 – Ideal Helen – Marcus Miller – 10-1
2 – Act Now – Brian Sears – 3-1
3 – Gettingreadytoroll – Yannick Gingras – 2-1
4 – My Lady Day – David Miller – 15-1
5 – Surfside Sexy – Ron Pierce – 20-1
6 – Cut A Deal – George Brennan – 20-1
7 – Blixtra – Ake Svanstedt – 9-2
8 – Highland Rockstar – Mike Lachance – 20-1
9 – Rockingcam Park – Tim Tetrick – 8-1
10 – Kate Cant Wait – Corey Callahan – 6-1
(SBOANJ)