It wasn’t the nicest morning but The Meadowlands was bustling with training early and a full slate of qualifying races featuring familiar faces, stakes winners and divisional champions from 2015.
A light rain fell throughout with temps in the low 60’s and no wind to speak of. Track was off a second or so at the start, got a bit worse in the middle then began to dry as the rain subsided for the last four or five races.
The headliner matched a pair of million dollar-winning sophomore trotters from 2015, Crazy Wow and Pinkman, with Crazy Wow getting the decision in 1:55. Honor And Serve (now in the Ake Svanstedt barn) cut the mile and led into the stretch when Crazy Wow trotted up to his outside while Pinkman ducked to the inside as the three finished in a line across the track. Tim Tetrick drove the winner for the Ron Burke stable and owners Horse Cents, J&T Silva and Deo Volente Farms.
Sunset Glider opened the day a winner in a repeat of last week’s card. This time she took a pocket behind Silvia, overtook that one quickly at the three-quarters then won off by herself in 1:56.2. Silvia was an urged second. Dave Miller drove her again for Jimmy Takter and owners Brittany Farms, Marvin Katz and Al Libfeld.
Race two contained several of last season’s top trotting fillies. Celebrity Eventsy made a good appearance in her first outing, leaving sharply from post nine to the front , yielding to Kathy Parker through middle splits then went by that rival in the stretch under no urging from John Campbell in 1:57.1. Kathy Parker and a closing Caprice Hill hit the wire together behind the winner, with Haughty a willing fourth. The unbeaten NYSS champ Non Stick also went along nicely in this one. Staffan Lind trains the winner for Celebrity Farms.
Trond Smedshammer put the lightly-raced Tyson on the front early and won easily over Desert Runner in 1:57.2. Trond trains and shares ownership with Purple Haze Stable, Anderson Farms and Marc Goldberg.
Jimmy William is the latest from the great broodmare Solveig and although he didn’t do much at two he is showing signs of talent this year. In his second appearance this season he left for position, sat third then went by willingly in 1:58.1 for Brett Miller. Southern Cross was a well meant second and Nebraska Jack third. Solveig’s Racing Partners owns and Takter trains the winner.
PA Sire Stakes Final winner Lagerfeld won the fifth race for Takter and Yannick Gingras. He sat in as first Gleaming Memory and Hollywood Highway took turns on the lead through slow numbers then went by on his own when shown a clear lane in the stretch, closing the 1:57.3 mile with a :28.3 quarter. Hollywood Highway held second and Metatron third. He’s another Takter trainee owned by Christina Takter, Jim & John Fielding and Herb Liverman.
Older trotters took the track after a break and Donatomite got up in the last step on Canepa Hanover in 1:54.4 for Smedshammer. The two took turns on the lead with Canepa Hanover taking over past the half and leading through a 27.3 third quarter then Donatomite wearing him down in the :29 flat close. The winner is a Michael Andrew homebred trained by Trond.
Pacing fillies came up in the eighth today and Cut And Paste got up from far back in 1:53.2 for Jimmy Marohn, Jr. Heels On The Beach set the early numbers then two or three waves of fillies overtook the early leaders as they neared the wire. Penpal was second and Shezarealdeal an up-the-inside third. Linda Toscano trains the winner and owns part as Cameo Stable with Stake Your Claim and Fred Wallace.
Pure Country was powerful this morning, drawing away from some good fillies in 1:53.1 for Brett Miller. Slowly taking the lead from post seven through a :28.3 opener, Miller yielded to No Clouds Blue Chip past that station, sat for a half then tipped Pure Country passing the three-quarter mark and she took off. Yankee Moonshine and Pure Ivy followed the winner in. Diamond Creek Farms owns the winner and she is trained in the Jimmy Takter stable.
Pretty Boy Hill (listed at 30-1 in the Trot 2016 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book) prevailed after a stretch-long battle with Selvin in 1:56.1. Tetrick drove for trainer Tony Alagna and owner Tom Hill.
Older pacers wrapped the morning session, with Artistic Major a winner from well back in 1:53.4 for driver Brett Miller and trainer Steve Elliott.
Post time for the live card tonight is 7:15 p.m. To view the full charts from Saturday morning's qualifiers, click the following link: Saturday Qualifiers - Meadowlands Racetrack.
(with files from The Meadowlands)