In Range was among the sport’s top two-year-old male trotters last year but was tantalizingly close to several signature victories that would have elevated his profile significantly. On Saturday, the Hambletonian eligible kicks off what his connections hope will be his breakthrough sophomore campaign in a $150,507 Pennsylvania Sires Stake at The Meadows.

The event, known as the Hickory Smoke, will be contested over three divisions, races 8, 9 and 11. In Range goes from post 5, race 9 with Tim Tetrick driving. Saturday’s card also features a $60,000 PA Stallion Series stake for three-year-old male trotters. First post is 11:25 a.m., an early start that will roll the live card of harness racing into the track’s simulcast of the Preakness.

In Range captured three PASS preliminary legs last year and banked more than $411,000, an outstanding season to be sure. But, oh, what might have been. In the PASS championship, he finished second, two lengths behind Captain Corey.

In the Breeders Crown final, he was second again, beaten three parts of a length by upset winner On A Streak. And in Southwind Tyrion’s record 1:51.3 mile in the International Stallion Stakes at the Red Mile, In Range was, yep, second once more, 1-3/4 lengths back.

Yet Marcus Melander, who trains the son of Bar Hopping-Ilia for AMG Stable, Kenneth Kjellgren, Tomas Ansell and Rick Wahlstedt, says he wasn’t at all frustrated by the tough beats in marquee races.

“It wasn’t like we were the favourite in those races,” he says. “My horse surprised me. When he was training down, I thought he was a nice horse but not the horse he turned out to be.”

The owners thought so highly of In Range that they gave $185,000 for him as a yearling — and they haven’t been disappointed so far.

“We had his half brother Long Tom, who turned out to be pretty good,” Melander says. “I really liked Bar Hopping as a racehorse, so maybe we paid a little more for him than we wanted to pay. But we had him on our list, we tried to get him, and we did.

“He filled out nicely and had a good winter. He’s perfect to drive, never gets grabby. I would say he can do everything. He has it all.”

Melander will send out two others in the Hickory Smoke. Tart Tongue (race 11, post 2, Tetrick) was winless in seven outings at two but took the April 25 Weiss Consolation at Pocono.

“I think he’ll be a nice sires stake horse, but he’s not of the same caliber as In Range,” Melander says.

Glacier Hanover (race 8, post 6, Dexter Dunn) is more of a project, with his lone career victory in an overnight event.

“He’s new in my barn this year, and he’s really stepping up in class. We’ll start him in a sires stake and see what he turns out to be.”

In all, Melander has about a dozen sophomore colt and gelding trotters about to begin the serious part of their schedules. The group includes Dancinginthedark M, a winner of nearly $92,000 last year who’ll make his seasonal debut Friday in a New Jersey Sires Stake at The Meadowlands.

As he prepares for his busy weekend, Melander couldn’t be blamed for reflecting on 2019 when he was preparing Gimpanzee, Greenshoe and Green Manalishi for their sophomore stakes campaigns. All that trio did was win more than $5.2 million combined lifetime and multiple Dan Patch awards, and help Melander secure the Trainer of the Year title. How does this year’s cohort compare?

“Those horses don’t grow on trees — we got a little spoiled,” Melander says. “But hopefully, we’ll have a good year. We have a good group. It wouldn’t surprise me if some of them showed up in big races.”

(Meadows Standardbred Owners Association)