Two horses making debuts in Friday’s second race at The Meadowlands are the top-two choices on the morning line. In the case of Ron Burke-trained On The Money GB, it’s a North American bow after competing for three years in the United Kingdom. In the case of Mark Harder-trained Super Girl, it is a first lifetime start after missing her two-year-old season in 2022 because of a hoof issue.
On The Money GB, one of five recent Burke imports from the U.K., is the 5-2 favourite in the $14,500 conditioned race for female pacers. Super Girl, a homebred daughter of Downbytheseaside out of millionaire Symphony In Motion, is 3-1.
Racing begins at 6:20 p.m. (EST) at The Meadowlands. Free TrackMaster programs for The Big M can be found on the track's website.
Five-year-old mare On The Money GB heads to Friday’s start off a qualifier last week at The Meadowlands. She finished fifth, timed in 1:55.4 with a :27.2 final quarter. Joe Bongiorno will be in the sulky for owners Burke Racing and Weaver Bruscemi.
A daughter of Control The Moment-Riverboat Queen bred by Frederick Hertrich III, On The Money GB hit the board in all nine of her 2022 starts in Great Britain, winning five. For her career, she has won six of 14 races and earned $11,596. She raced in the U.K. for top trainer Alexis Laidler and her husband, Rocker.
“We bought six horses [out of the U.K.] three years ago and had some success, so we went back to the well and bought five more,” On The Money GB co-owner Mark Weaver said. “We gave them a little time off, a month in the field, and then trained them back. Hopefully, they make us money over the winter.
“They have a pretty good program over there. You can bring those horses over and they don’t have a lot of earnings so they can fit decent classes. They usually come out of the gate pretty strong because they fit so cheap. At some point, they’ll find their level, and you’re always curious to see where that level is. It’s kind of cool. It’s kind of like a new toy.”
Three more of the Burke newcomers qualified last week with On The Money GB, with two also already entered for U.S. debuts. Ladyford Dollar GB will race Sunday afternoon at The Meadowlands (the first of two Sunday cards this month at The Big M, starting at 12:30 p.m.) and Oakwood Vegas IR will start Tuesday at Yonkers.
“The breed [in the U.K.] is underrated, I think,” Weaver said. “It’s not a real huge pool to pick from, but you certainly can pluck a few out of there every year that can be pretty solid racehorses in the U.S.”
Super Girl makes her first career start for breeder Joe Jannuzzelli, who co-owns the filly with Erin Gigoux, after second-place finishes in two qualifiers at The Meadowlands. In the most recent on Jan. 7, she was timed in 1:55.2 with a :28.1 final quarter. Mark MacDonald will be in the sulky on Friday.
Jannuzzelli has been involved with Super Girl’s family for four generations, going back to his purchase of broodmare Reach For Glory in 1985. Super Girl’s dam, Symphony In Motion, missed her entire two-year-old season and most of her five-year-old campaign because of injuries but was a multiple winner on the Grand Circuit on her way to $1.06 million in purses.
As a broodmare, Symphony In Motion has seen all five of her previous foals earn money, with three banking more than $320,000.
“She was a nice horse, she really was,” Jannuzzelli said about Symphony In Motion. “I’m hoping that [Super Girl] is as nice as her. This one, out of all her babies, is the most like Symphony. She’s not the biggest horse but she’s built like a colt. This is the nicest one. Mark says the same thing, that this is the spitting image of Symphony. This is her. She’s put together well.”
Super Girl, who was staked to the Grand Circuit last year, qualified once last spring, finishing second at Harrah’s Philadelphia, before being shut down by her persistent hoof issue.
“This horse is good,” Jannuzzelli said. “She was growing up nice. I liked her. She qualified good and then she came down with a gravel in her foot and it just wouldn’t come out. So, we stopped with her. Finally, it did come out. Since then, she’s qualified twice under wraps. She was closing in both, flying.”
Jannuzzelli expects Super Girl to make several starts before being sent to Ohio for the Ohio Sire Stakes series.
“Every race tells you kind of what’s going on,” Jannuzzelli said. “She will be staked for this year. A couple of races will tell us where we’re going. I’m very interested to see what she can do.”
(USTA)