The Friday, July 18 edition of Breakfast With The Babies, sponsored by Fashion Farms, got underway at 9 a.m. on a pleasant summer morning at The Meadowlands. The temperature was 24°C and the track fast with a considerable stretch headwind slowing the final quarters. Joe Romanelli was on hand to call the action.

Trainer Tony Alagna had a big day, winning three of the nine races for two-year-olds, also sending out the fastest freshman pacer and trotter of the session.

Colt trotters took the track first and a pair of Noel Daley trainees traded blows the length of the stretch. After Captainofillusion (Andy McCarthy) had set all the fractions, driver Niko Karna drew alongside with eventual winner Yukon Deo, edging by right at the light in 2:00.2 with a :29.3 final stanza. The Chapter Seven colt was bred by Deo Volente, sold to Reve Avec Moi Dreamwithme, and Follow Me Stable for $229,730 at Lexington.

The potent combination of trainer Marcus Melander and driver Dexter Dunn connected with Creator for a 2:00 win, converting a strong stretch close for her first in three tries over Julies Trix. The Walner filly is bred by Diamond Creek and Order By Stable, racing under an eponymous stable name.

Rani Hanover (pictured above as a yearling), the first foal of 2020 Hambletonian winner Ramona Hill, flashed a little of her mom’s brilliance this morning when after two educational “sit and brush” trips, she was sent out to the front by Jason Bartlett and stormed home in :28.3 against the wind for a 1:56.4 win over a willing Ygritte (Dunn). Ken Jacobs gave $1.25 million at Lexington to get the Walner filly from Hanover Shoe Farms and Crawford Farms Racing. 

Tony Alagna, who conditioned Ramona Hill, is training Rani Hanover for Jacobs.

Scott Zeron drove Inexpressable to a 1:58.3 win for Lucas Wallin in the colt’s second appearance. Sitting mid-pack throughout, Zeron moved the son of Walner wide for the drive and he willingly tracked down Nicholson (Dunn) in the shadow of the wire. Bred by Menhammar Stud and S R F Stable, Inexpressable was a $439,189 purchase by the trainer with Karin Walter-Mommert of Germany.

When pacing fillies squared off in the eighth race it was Caviart vs. Caviart, with Caviart Madrid (Yannick Gingras) getting the nod over a stubborn pacesetter Caviart Amore Mio (Andy McCarthy) in 1:56. Nancy Takter trains the winning Always B Miki filly, bred by Sergent Stable and sold to Caviart Farms for $54,054 at Lexington last fall.

On Heir (Andy McCarthy) set all the fractions then moved away from her competition powerfully through a :27 end to a 1:55.2 mile in an eye-catching romp over Car Keys (Dunn). A $236,111 Harrisburg purchase by Patricia Stable, Douglas Sipple, Lenny Zelin and The Gandolfo Stables, the Captaintreacherous filly was bred by Barbara Matthews and is trained in the Noel Daley barn.

McCarthy came right back with another Captaintreacherous, this time the sharp-looking colt Reckoning, who fanned wide from third in his debut and just got up to nip Silent Investor (Dunn) in 1:56.4. A Hanover-bred yearling that fetched $128,378 at Lexington, Reckoning is now owned by Robert Leblanc, Pryde Stables, Joe Sbrocco And JAF Racing, and Steven Head. He is trained in the Tony Alagna stable.

Continuing his run McCarthy made it a natural hat trick, scoring with the impressive Bettors Wish colt Watchfire in 1:53.1. Sent right to the lead, Watchfire went along at an honest clip then streaked home in 27 seconds to hold stablemate Drink To That (Zeron) at bay. 

Watchfire was a $90,541 Lexington buy for breeder Brittany Farms, trainer Tony Alagna (as Alagna Racing LLC) and Micki Rae Stables.

Takter, Gingras and Caviart Farms closed out the day with their second connection, this time with Caviart Anders, a homebred Sweet Lou colt, who posted all the fractions and zipped home in :27.3 to hold off Treacherous (Zeron) in 1:53.3.

(with files from The Meadowlands)