This year's first edition of Breakfast With The Babies, sponsored by Fashion Farms, got underway under perfect conditions at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday (June 4) at The Meadowlands.

Qualifiers followed the baby races with a few notables making appearances.

Ten races for two-year-olds were contested with trainer Nancy Takter and driver Yannick Gingras scoring five winners apiece while Marcus Melander won four times, three of those with his brother Mattias doing the driving.

Pacing colts opened the card with the Sweet Lou colt Blue Lou leading all the way in a 1:54 romp, winning as driver Andy McCarthy pleased. The $160,000 Lexington Selected Sale purchase is trained by Nancy Takter for owners Morrison Racing Stables, Brian Gordon, and Marvin Katz who also gets a breeder credit with Sam Goldband and N. Anderberg. Its A Me Mario (Jason Bartlett) with Kid From The Bronx (Mark MacDonald) completed the top three. 

Nancy came right back to win the second with Captaintreacherous colt Captain Planet, a $150,000 Lexington purchase who went a similar pillar-to-post trip for Yannick Gingras, albeit in a much slower 2:00. Fred Hertrich bred Captain Planet, who is owned by John Fielding and Steve Heimbecker. Duck Dynasty (Bartlett) was second and Hurrikane Hunter (MacDonald) third.

 Trotting fillies came along in race three and completed a natural hat trick for trainer Takter when Brunella (Gingras), a homebred Father Patrick owned by Goran Falk and Nancy’s mom Christina Takter powered by the field in the stretch for the win in 2:00.3, her individual final quarter in :27.2 in hand. Kayleigh S, sister to this year’s top filly Joviality S, was a resolute second for Brian Sears and Gigi Hanover (Ake Svanstedt) next best.
 
The Melander stable sent out the winner of race four when Mattias drove the Muscle Hill filly Mirasol S to a front end score in 1:59 over Gucci Girl (Dunn) and Wild Jiggy S (Svanstedt) for his brother Marcus, the trainer. Mirasol S is a homebred, racing for breeder Ab Svensk Rekiamfinans and SRF Stable.

Gingras was aboard Moni Maker Stable homebred Walner filly Moni Lisa to an impressive wide-closing win over Secret Volo (Sears) in 2:02.1, trotting home in :27.1. Lexington sale graduate Exile (Dunn), the top-priced 2021 yearling at $800,000, was along for third.
 
After a training break, Bella Macchiato (Gingras) gave Takter her fourth winner on the day. Yannick moved her to the lead at the 1:03.4 half and then won as she pleased, using a :27.3 close to the 2:02 mile. The Bar Hopping filly was a $50,000 Standardbred Horse Sales purchase by Black Horse Racing, Christina and Nancy Takter and Goren Anderberg from breeder Hanover Shoe Farms. Canterbury Hanover (Sears) was second with third going to All The Rage (Svanstedt). 

The Melander brothers struck again with Dire Straits cutting even fractions and winning easily in 1:57.1 on his own. Paramount Legend N (Svanstedt) closed well to be second and Lindys Interloper (Gingras) managed third. Dire Straits is a Muscle Hill homebred racing for breeder Richard Gutnick and partners Tom Pontone and Gary Cocco.

Upstaged was another Melander-conditioned winner. This time Tim Tetrick took the lines and set all the fractions, closing the 1:59 mile with a :27.3 final quarter. Kennebago (Smedshammer) followed the leader around to be second with International Man (Gingras) along for third. Upstaged is another Muscle Hill, bred by James Avritt and sold to Stall TZ for $40,000 at Harrisburg.

The Muscle Hill colt Oh Well cost Lennart Agren’s SRF stable $530,000 at Harrisburg last fall and he got a half million-dollar performance from him today with a dazzling win from well back, storming by the field with a :27 end to the 1:59 mile for the Melanders. Concord Farms bred the winner. Chapercraz (Smedshammer) would have won under virtually any other circumstance but settled for second here with Winners Bet (Domenico Cecere) a solid third.

Pacing fillies competed in a single dash as race ten and Nancy and Yannick were back at it, scoring the fifth winner of the day for each with the sharp-looking Captaintreacherous filly Diamondsnpearls in 1:55.3 with an effortless :26.3 kicker. The winner is a homebred owned by Brittany Farms and Marvin Katz. B On The Hunt (Jordan Stratton) was second and Ucandoit Blue Chip (Scott Zeron) third.

Top older pacer Allywag Hanover (Todd McCarthy) had a tour of the oval that lasted 1:50.1 for an easy win over Chase H Hanover (David Miller) and Meadowlands Pace hopeful Early Action (Sears).

The last race of the day would see 2021 Dan Patch award winner King Of The North and Breeders Crown champ Rebuff make their first seasonal starts on the Road the the Hambletonian. They went right to the wire together with Rebuff edging by King Of The North in the final strides of a sharp 1:52.4 mile.

Full results for the day may be found on the Meadowlands' website. Live harness racing resumes tonight at The Meadowlands with post time of 6:15 p.m.

(Meadowlands)