Ginger Tree Skyr will be looking to taste victory this Friday at the Meadows, as the colt is set to face off against fellow sophomore male trotters in the $99,430 Currier & Ives.

Ginger Tree Skyr will be tough to handle if can perform similar to how he did on May 11, when he recorded a 26-1 upset in a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes split at the Meadows.

First post for Friday’s special twilight card will be at 5:30 p.m. and the Currier & Ives has been carded as Race 9. Ginger Tree Skyr has drawn Post 3 for Dan Rawlings, trainer Sam Beegle and owners Ginger Tree Ventures and Donald Marean.

Ginger Tree Skyr has the credentials to be a top sophomore. He’s a son of Explosive Matter out of Up Front Annika, who won the Goldsmith Maid at two. In his freshman campaign, Ginger Tree Skyr banked nearly $93,000 while capturing division of the Arden Downs and Keystone Classic, both of which were contested at the Meadows. Moreover, in the PASS championship, he was a respectable fourth to Osterc, and was beaten less than five lengths.

In Ginger Tree Skyr’s aforementioned May 11 PASS triumph, which was his seasonal debut, he was particularly impressive, as he advanced without cover for most of the back half before drawing off to score in a career-best 1:55 with a :28.4 final panel.

Ginger Tree Skyr, pictured winning his May 11, 2019 PASS division at the Meadows.

The Currier & Ives field is rich with contenders, including Kentucky Sire Stakes champion Forecast (Post 6, Mike Wilder) and Kates Massive (Post 1, Dave Palone), who last year won the PA Stallion Series title.

When he sold for $32,000 at Harrisburg as a yearling, Ginger Tree Skyr was known as ‘Udell Hanover’ before his name was changed to ‘Skyr,’ which is a yogurt-like treat popular in Iceland.

The Meadows’ Friday program will also feature an appealing line-up of fan-centred activities, including wiener dog races and fireworks.

Activities for Friday’s Memorial Day Weekend program, presented by The Meadows and the Meadows Standardbred Owners Association (MSOA), also include the following:

· The wiener dog races, which pit 24 pups over two preliminary divisions. Top four in each split return for the final;

· A food truck festival;

· ‘Family Fun Night,’ complete with a bounce house, a balloon artist, a face painter and a stilts walker;

· Fireworks at the conclusion of racing.

(With files from the Meadows Standardbred Owners Association)