Monserrate will bring a streak of eight consecutive top-three finishes to his Hambletonian Stakes elimination on Saturday, July 24 at The Meadowlands, where another on-the-board result will guarantee the colt a spot in the million-dollar final of America’s Trotting Classic.

The 100th edition of the Hambletonian attracted 21 three-year-old male trotters, requiring three eliminations. The top three finishers from each elim plus the fourth-place finisher with the highest lifetime earnings will make up the 10 horses in the Grade 1 Hambletonian final on Aug. 2 at The Meadowlands.

Monserrate will compete in the first of the three $83,550 USD elims, leaving from post four with David Miller driving for trainer Andrew Harris. He is 4-1 on the morning line, the third choice behind Emoticon Legacy at 2-1 and Fashion Green at 7-2.

In his most recent start on July 12, Monserrate finished second behind Super Chapter in a division of the Stanley Dancer Memorial at The Big M. Super Chapter is the top-ranked horse in Meadowlands announcer/analyst Ken Warkentin’s Road to the Hambletonian and the 9-5 morning-line favourite in Saturday’s second elim.

Super Chapter won the Dancer division by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:50.3. Monserrate closed with a :26.4 last quarter to reach the finish one-fifth of a second later.

“I think [Monserrate] is coming into the race real good,” said Harris. “He’s sharp, had a great couple of weeks. He got stretched out in that mile against Super Chapter last time, so I think he’s coming in about as good as he can come into a race.”

In his past eight starts, dating back to October, Monserrate has posted four wins, three seconds and a third. Among his triumphs was a 1:52.1 score in the Valley Victory Stakes, by a half-length over Super Chapter, on Nov. 30 at The Meadowlands. His time equalled the stakes record set in 2023 by Karl, who returned in 2024 to capture the Hambletonian.

Monserrate’s only finish worse than second during his streak came on June 13 at Vernon Downs in a division of the Empire Breeders Classic.

“He wasn’t himself at Vernon,” said Harris. “He raced okay, but he raced okay because he’s got talent. But he didn’t race to his potential because I think the ship took too much out of him.”

Monserrate, son of Chapter Seven-Guinevere Hall who is fifth in the Road to the Hambletonian rankings, rebounded with a win over older rivals in a conditioned race on June 27 at The Big M. He came home in :26.3.

“That’s probably his best asset,” Harris said about the colt’s finishing kick. “Now, mind you, I don’t think you can sit far back in these types of races, but if they do any sort of racing, he can close well. He’s got a big engine on the end, but I do think you have to sit closer. I don’t think he’s going to get into the final hoping to just pass a bunch of these horses finishing. I think you have to work yourself into the race and make them pass you.”

For his career, Monserrate has hit the board in 11 of 17 races, winning five and earning $550,649 for owners Harris, Bill Pollock and Bruce Areman.

Monserrate is not Harris’ only Hambletonian hopeful. He will send out Grande Via in the second elimination, which features Super Chapter, who is four-for-four this year and counts the first jewel of the Trotting Triple Crown, the MGM Yonkers Trot, among his victories. The Hambletonian is the second leg of the Crown.

Grande Via will leave from post one with Miller in the sulky and is 15-1 on the morning line.

In his two most recent races, Grande Via won a leg of the Kentucky Sire Stakes at Oak Grove on July 8 and finished fourth a week later in the $136,986 final. The son of Muscle Hill-Megadolce is owned by the same group as Monserrate. He has one victory and a second in seven starts this season.

“I do like the horse quite a bit,” said Harris. “He’s not the easiest horse to drive, but he’s fast and he’s been real good his last two starts. When he’s right, I think he can go with them. He’s just got to be right for when we do go with them. He’s one that is an absolute fringe player, but we want to take a shot.”

The favourite in the third Hambletonian elimination is Go Dog Go at 5-2, followed by Dan Patch and O’Brien awards winner Maryland at 3-1. Go Dog Go, unbeaten in three races this year, will leave from post three with Todd McCarthy driving for trainer Carter Pinske. Maryland, with three second-place finishes in three races this season, will start from post seven with Dexter Dunn in the sulky for Marcus Melander.

Elim winners will draw for post positions one through six followed by the remaining finalists receiving their posts in an open draw. The draws for the Hambletonian and companion filly event, the $500,000 USD Grade 1 Hambletonian Oaks, will be conducted July 29 during a luncheon from 2-5 p.m. at The Chateau Grande in East Brunswick, N.J.

There also will be three eliminations for the Hambletonian Oaks on Saturday at The Meadowlands. Each elim will go for $50,000 USD and, as with the Hambletonian, the top three finishers from each group plus the fourth-place finisher with the highest lifetime earnings will advance to the final on Aug. 2.

Harris will send out Voguish in the second elim. The daughter of Gimpanzee-Jolene Jolene began her season with a second-place finish in a conditioned race at The Meadowlands, timed in 1:53 with a :26.1 last quarter, but followed that by making a break in the Dr. Harry M. Zweig Filly Memorial on July 3 at Vernon Downs. On July 12, she was ninth-placed-eighth in a division of the Del Miller Memorial at The Big M.

“She started out the year fantastic; I couldn’t have been happier with her,” said Harris. “We went to Vernon with her and she ran for absolutely no reason. She came back to The Meadowlands and she was interfering, and I had to change her shoes. But she seems like she’s back to herself. She was real good training this week. I’m excited for her.”

Voguish, who has five wins in 16 career starts and $562,954 in purses, will begin her elim from post two with McCarthy driving. She is 8-1 on the morning line. What A Bid Hanover is the 9-5 favourite for trainer-driver Ake Svanstedt. Voguish finished her 2024 season with a nose loss to What A Bid Hanover in the Goldsmith Maid Stakes.

Racing begins at 6:20 p.m.

(USTA; photo of Monserrate winning at The Meadowlands on June 27)