Saturday night at The Meadowlands featured the final $50,000 preliminary legs for the TVG Free For All Pacing and Trotting Championships, to be contested for $400,000 next Saturday night.
Resolve, fresh off his runner-up performance in the Breeders Crown, was established as the 6-5 betting choice in the TVG Free For All Trot and he did not disappoint. Resolve was sent straight to the lead and was able to establish a methodical pace, reaching the quarter in :28.3 before coasting to the half-mile in :58.2. E L Titan mounted a challenge as the field moved past the half-mile pole, but Resolve had plenty in reserve and sprinted through the final three-eighths of a mile to win in 1:53.3 for trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt. E L Titan trotted well despite the first over trip and was able to land the runner-up spot with Meladys Monet third. The win marked the third of the season for the four-year-old by Muscle Hill. He is owned by Hans Enggren.
A compact field of four contested the $50,000 TVG Free For All Pace after a pair of scratches. JK Endofanera was released as the 2-5 favourite and the William Haughton Memorial winner, Mach It So was sent off the 2-1 second choice. Neither of them made the lead as the Canadian, Arthur Blue Chip, established the pace from his inside starting spot, reaching the quarter in :27.2 before stealing a soft second quarter of :29.1. The cadence quickened into the far turn, but Arthur Blue Chip remained relatively unchallenged. Mach It So was riding the pocket as long as he could through three-quarters of 1:24.2 before ripping out of the pocket and launching a :25.3 final quarter to score in 1:50.1. Arthur Blue Chip held on for the runner-up spot while JK Endofanera hit his best stride late, but drifted in the stretch as a wide third. Mach It So is trained by Jeffrey Bamond Jr. for Bamond Racing LLC. Tim Tetrick was the winning driver. The win was the sixth of the season for Mach It So and he is closing in on $1.2 million in lifetime earnings.
The eliminations for the Fall Four stakes continued on Saturday as well. First on the card was a $20,000 elimination for the $413,000 Governor’s Cup with a field of eight. Boston Red Rocks, the Breeders Crown winner, was sent off as the 4-5 favourite, but he was left with a lot of ground to make up into the stretch. Big Top Hanover did not face the same obstacle as he sat the pocket behind the lone speed of Spider Man Hanover through swift fractions of :28, :55 and 1:22.4 before pulling the pocket and sprinting to the lead late. Boston Red Rocks made up as much ground as he could, but could not catch the winner and had to settle for the runner-up spot. Spider Man Hanover saved the show spot after setting strong fractions. Pretty Boy Hill and Show The Fashion completed the five that advanced to the final. Big Top Hanover was driven by Yannick Gingras and is trained by Ron Burke for Jt45 LLC and Burke Racing Stable LLC.
The other Governor’s Cup elimination was a wide open race on paper with a competitive and well-balanced field of eight. Katies Rocker grabbed the racetrack right off the gate and never looked back. Sent to the lead as the 4-1 second choice from post eight, Katies Rocker reeled off fractions of :27.2, :56.3 and 1:24.2 before turning home with the lead where he faced a stiff challenge up the pylons from Jk Will Power. The pair hit the wire together, but it was Katies Rocker who held on by the slimmest of margins, a nose. Ideal Rocky was third, followed by Autotune Hanover and Check Six, who all qualified for the final. David Miller drove the Fashion Farms homebred, Katies Rocker, who is conditioned by Jim Campbell.
The first $20,000 Valley Victory elimination went to Waitlifter K in a wire-to-wire upset for Tim Tetrick, who said in a post-race interview that “he has always had talent, sometimes he is good and sometimes he makes you scratch your head and tonight he was really good.” Waitlifter K completed the mile in 1:54.1, a new lifetime mark for the Muscles Yankee colt. The winner is a homebred of Bob Key and is trained by Chuck Sylvester. Milligans School, Marion Marauder, Mavens Way and Mikkeli Hanover also advanced to the $489,400 Valley Victory final.
Chuck Sylvester wasn’t done, as his Matron winner Dog Gone Lucky scored in the second elimination in 1:55.2 with Corey Callahan. Dog Gone Lucky trotted up after Lagerfeld as the field turned for home and set sail for the wire while opening up willingly. The trotter that really caught the eye in the stretch was Make Or Miss, who was far back at the top of the stretch and simply exploded through the lane to the tune of :27.1 final quarter to finish a fast-closing second. The final quarter was a full second faster than the next fastest last quarter, which belonged to the winner, Dog Gone Lucky. Lagerfeld, Taco Tuesday and Treasure Keys K completed the five headed to the final. The winner is owned by Amy Lynn Stoltzfus and Charles Stansley.
Live racing returns on Friday, November 20. The program features the $200,000 TVG Mare Pacing and Trotting Championships as well as the Three Diamonds and Goldsmith Maid finals. Post time is 7:00 p.m.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)