The Meadowlands Racetrack held a compact six-race qualifying session Friday morning (February 26) in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and pupils from the Ron Burke Stable stole the show.
Trainer/driver Trond Smedshammer scored with his Cash Hall gelding Buen Camino in Race 1, but after that it was all the ‘Burke Brigade’ – literally.
Burke trainees went on to win the five other races on the docket, and five of his other starters finished in the top three in their respective dashes.
Race 2 saw six-year-old Cash Hall gelding Luminosity strike from second in the lane and get up for a half-length victory in 1:55.3 for Yannick Gingras
Gingras then turned around and steered Skippin By to the wire first in Race 3. The five-year-old Shadow Play mare made the lead near the half-mile pole and scooted off to a 12-length win in 1:55.
Pilot Matt Kakaley drove the third Burke winner of the morning session, as the five-year-old Always A Virgin gelding Always At My Place went wire to wire from Post 6 and recorded a three quarters of one length victory in 1:53.
Race 5 was Joe Bongiorno’s turn to steer a Burke pupil to victory. After having started from Post 7, Bongiorno and five-year-old Somebeachsomewhere gelding Somewhere In LA paced a wire-to-wire win in 1:54. The great Foiled Again, who was making his seasonal charted debut, finished one and a quarter lengths back in second after having closed from fourth.
Western Bayama was the final Burke winner of the session, as the four-year-old Lis Mara gelding got up from second to post a neck victory in 1:55.3 for pilot Yannick Gingras.
To view the harness racing results for the Friday morning qualifying session from the Meadowlands Racetrack, click the following link: Friday Results – Meadowlands Racetrack (Qualifying).