Three-year-old trotters are in the spotlight Friday night at the Meadowlands as they make their final tune-ups for the July 30 Hambletonian and Oaks eliminations

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Twenty-nine colts and fillies eligible to trotting's most prestigious events will compete on the card in the second round of the New Jersey Sire Stakes and a three-year-old open. Orlando, trained by Don Swick, is one of seven Hambletonian eligibles entered in the $25,000 tenth race open. Despite his 0-for-17 record, the son of Andover Hall has banked $156,709. With no real stand out in the division this year, Swick feels his colt has as good a chance as any to grab a piece of the $1.5 million Hambletonian jackpot.

"This is a wide open year where many of the Hambletonian contenders look beat up or uncomfortable," said Swick, who finished fourth from post 10 with Fast Photo in the 2000 Hambletonian. "For instance, Manofmanymissions looked the same way he looked the other night in the Breeders Crown last fall.

"I thought we had written off the Hambletonian for Orlando, but he shows that he's getting his legs back under him. If he can knock off a strong 1:53 mile on Friday night, whether he wins or not, then we'll go ahead and spend the money. If he's consistent and stays at it, it might be enough to get big money."

Though still a maiden, Orlando has a pair of narrow losses in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes to his credit this season. In his only attempt at the Meadowlands this year, Orlando broke stride while on the lead in the Magician Series for conditioned trotters on June 10.

"With Orlando we really thought we were on the way when he cut a mile in the PASS at Chester on May 30 and got beat by a head," Swick said. "I figured we had a quality three-year-old then.

"He tied up the night he made a break in the Magician Series," he continued. "The reason he tied up was he had a missed a lot of work when he got sick. So, we got him ready again, and he was good the other night in the PASS at Pocono Downs [second by a nose in 1:55.2]. The driver, George Napolitano, Jr., said he was ready to step up."

The first foal out of the SJs Caviar mare Arlanda Hanover, Orlando was an $85,000 yearling purchase at the Standardbred Horse Sale in Harrisburg, PA. He is owned by Bill Peshina's Royal Wire Products of North Royalton, OH and Robert Marzoli's United Process Control Co. of Somerville, NJ.

Lanson, the 2009 Su Mac Lad winner, will also make his season debut for Swick in the $32,000 invitational trot, race six, Friday night. The seven-year-old gelding has not raced since the Allerage on October 23, 2010 at The Red Mile. Nagged by an injury, Lanson hit the board in only three of 14 starts last season.

"Last year, Lanson had something lingering all summer," Swick said. "He had trained back better than ever last spring, and I thought we were headed for a really big year. About the second to last time I trained him in Florida in 1:56, with no trotting hopples and no overcheck, right there, I thought 'wow'. But the next time I trained him he wouldn't trot at all, and I knew something had happened. Eventually it showed up in his right hind leg in Lexington. He had no serious punch last year.

"He's had a lot of time off," he continued. "We didn't put him on the track until the first of April. I didn't take a long time to get him ready because he doesn't need a lot of work. I didn't stake him to anything this year except the Allerage at Lexington. I didn't want to put the pressure on him. I think he'll trot in 1:53 or maybe 1:52 and change, depending on the trip. There's not enough time to get down to 1:51 for something like the Nat Ray."

(The Meadowlands)