Wendy J Stings and Gustav Vasa were two of the two-year-olds that walked down victory lane on Friday, July 24 at The Meadowlands when eight $35,211 second leg divisions of the Kindergarten Series were contested for competitors of each sex and gait.

In a split for filly pacers (race two), Wendy J Stings picked up her first career win in three tries, but needed the judges to intervene to do it.

The daughter of Perfect Sting-Paulas Power, who was sent to the gate as the 5-2 second choice in the field of six, sat fourth to the half before mounting a superb rally first-over. The Chris Ryder trainee collared leader Perfect Body (Brett Beckwith), the 2-5 favourite, at the sixteenth pole, but she bore out nearing the wire, bothering Wendy J Stings, who was elevated to first by the judges in the official order of finish. Perfect Body was placed second with Gift Of Faith (Andrew McCarthy) third. The time for the mile was 1:52.2.

“She is really good. She made a pretty good move up to the turn,” said winning driver Todd McCarthy. “There was a little contact just before the wire. We kind of got pushed aside. She’s got a really good attitude and did a really good job. I was very pleased with the performance.”

Wendy J Stings paid $7.60 to win.

The filly, a $176,389 yearling buy from last fall's Lexington Select Sale, is owned by Ken Jacobs of Baldwinsville, New York.

Gustav Vasa pulled off an upset in a division for colt and gelding trotters in the eighth race, taking advantage of an early break by 3-5 favourite Captain Kenny J (Scott Zeron) to score at 16-1 to nab his first win in two attempts.

With Dexter Dunn sidelined by a neck injury, trainer Marcus Melander was in the bike behind the colt by Face Time Bourbon-Ms Emily Mariette, and despite racing three-wide to the quarter, settled in on the lead after the favourite made a break and led at every call from there to record a safe 1:56 win by a half-length over New Hope (Trond Smedshammer). Jimdougie Armitage (Ake Svanstedt) did well to get third after leaving from post 10 in the 10-horse field.

“He got a little excited in the first turn [in his debut when he went off stride], so when Dexter couldn’t be here tonight, I figured I’d go with him myself,” said Melander, who shares ownership of the colt with Sweden's Daniel Reden. “There were some soft fractions [:58 to the half, 1:28.1 to three-quarters] but he’s a good horse and he’s going to go down to Kentucky for the Sire Stakes and we’ll see how it goes.”

As the fourth choice, Gustav Vasa returned $35.80 to his backers.

Driver Scott Zeron doubled up in the stakes action, winning the other filly pace with the career-debuting JK Simcha (Bulldog Hanover-Joyride Hanover) in 1:53.2 for trainer Nancy Takter and taking a pacing colt division with Wishawave (Bettors Wish-Making Waves), a Linda Toscano trainee now two-for-two after his latest 1:52.3 triumph.

Toscano won the other male trot division as Southern Hanover (Captain Corey-Southwind Percy) broke his maiden in 1:57.4 with Tim Tetrick in the bike.

Seine (Sweet Lou-Lock Bridge) was the fastest in the pacing colt divisions, clocking a 1:52.2 first win for trainer/driver Joe Bongiorno.

The maiden-breaking filly trotter Orinoco (Captain Corey-Bonnie Lou) provided trainer Ake Svanstedt with one of his three wins on the Friday card, scoring in 1:54.4 with Yannick Gingras aboard after a pair of close runner-up efforts in Pennsylvania stakes to launch her career. The other filly trot went to HL Kapara (Chapter Seven-Sels Choice), a 1:57.3 winner at first asking for driver Jason Bartlett and trainer Harry Landy.

Jim Sidor ($1,192.10) and Russ Slader ($750) were the top two finishers in the seventh 2026 monthly edition of the track’s $1,000 USD Handicapping Contest. The duo have now earned spots in the $10,000 USD invitation-only contest finale on Dec. 12.

All-source handle on the 15-race program totalled $2,213,452 USD. 

Racing resumes on Saturday at 6:35 p.m.

(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack; photo of Wendy J Stings winning on July 24)