Trainer Erv Miller hopes for a strong 1-2 punch in Saturday’s (November 4) $214,900 Kindergarten Series championship for two-year-old male trotters, especially now that Tito seems to have reached better form after having battled sickness.
Miller will send out Tito and series’ points-leader, Farsetti Hanover, in Saturday’s 10-horse final at the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, N.J. Tito and driver Andy McCarthy will start from Post 5, while Farsetti Hanover and driver Marcus Miller will begin the festivities from Post 1.
Stakes-winner Seven Iron, from the stable of trainer Linda Toscano, will start from Post 9. Among the finalists, Seven Iron was second in points while Tito was fourth.
Saturday’s card at the ‘Big M,’ which will begin at 7:15 p.m. (EDT), also includes Kindergarten finals for two-year-old female trotters, two-year-old male pacers and two-year-old female pacers.
Tito, a son of Muscle Mass out of Stonebridge Encore, has won three of 12 races this year and earned $100,173 for owners Anthony Lombardi, George Golemes and Andy Willinger. His family includes multiple O’Brien and Dan Patch Award-winner Peaceful Way.
He heads to the Kindergarten championship off a win in the fifth-and-final preliminary round of the series, a 1:55.2 score on October 26 at Vernon Downs.
“I’ve liked him all along,” Miller said. “He got sick on us early and didn’t do what he was supposed to do. We kind of lost the middle of the summer there. He’s just kind of rebounded here the last couple of starts.”
Tito was winless in his first six starts, but won three of his next six races. He was a two-time winner on the New York Sire Stakes circuit and finished fourth in the New York Sire Stakes championship He is eligible to the Valley Victory Stakes in late November at the Meadowlands.
Farsetti Hanover, pictured victorious at the Meadowlands Racetrack (Lisa Photo)
Farsetti Hanover, who has been entered for next week’s Standardbred Horse Sale, has won two of 12 races and earned $98,999 for owners Ervin Miller Stable, Golemes and David Prushnok. His wins came in divisions of the Kindergarten and Reynolds Memorial Stakes.
A son of Donato Hanover out of the mare Finesse Hanover, Farsetti Hanover heads to the Kindergarten championship off a miscue in the October 26 Kindergarten leg at Vernon. The colt, who was second in a division of the International Stallion Stakes and third in a division of the Bluegrass, went off stride behind the gate. It was the first time he made a break in a race.
“It was pretty uncharacteristic for him,” Marcus Miller said. “He’s been super handy. I think I relaxed on him a little too much. They’re still two-year-old trotters. I’m not really concerned about it. I like him. Hopefully he can come back. I think he fits with that group, especially at this time of year.”
“He’s been solid all year,” Erv Miller added. “He’s a big, strong colt, so hopefully he’ll come back here.”
Miller also will start Aldine Hanover in the $140,550 Kindergarten championship for two-year-old female pacers. She was third in points in the series, behind finalists Im Trigger Happy and Reign On Me.
Aldine Hanover has won four of 14 races and earned $35,420 for owners Ervin Miller Stable, Glenn Bechtel and Willinger. She is a daughter of A Rocknroll Dance out of O’Brien Award-winning mare Armbro Amoretto.
“She’s the same as Tito,” Erv Miller said. “She got sick on us and we’re just getting her going good. She’ll race right through the end of the year; she’s got the Matron and Three Diamonds.”
The $150,000 Kindergarten for two-year-old male pacers features five of the top six horses in the standings, including leader Points North as well as Rockapelo, Im A Big Deal, Fashiononthebeach and Born To Be Bad. The $198,000 Kindergarten for two-year-old female trotters includes the top six fillies in points: Dab Hanover, Megadolce, Basquiat, Mooshka Stride, Hey Blondie and Piranha Fury.
Saturday’s card also includes the debut of the new Pick 10 Survivor wager at the Meadowlands.
This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.