The session of qualifiers at The Meadowlands on Saturday, April 26 featured a number of talented stakes winners and divisional champions, but the main (mane?) attraction was 2024 U.S. Horse of the Year, Twin B Joe Fresh.
Five months have elapsed since Twin B Joe Fresh concluded her four-year-old season with a repeat in the FanDuel Open Mare Pace, capping a phenomenal season of 11 wins and two runner-up finishes from 13 starts and $1.23 million in earnings. The daughter of Roll With Joe - Fresh Breeze sports a 30-7-1 summary from 40 career appearances, with more than $2.6 million in purses for owners Chris Ryder, Dexter Dunn, Pete Trebotica and Barry Spak.
In Saturday's qualifier, Twin B Joe Fresh showed no signs of rust or fatigue. With Dunn driving for trainer Ryder, Twin B Joe Fresh cruised through fractions of :28.3, :57.3 and 1:26.1 before closing her qualifier in a wrapped-up :26.4 to trip the timer in 1:53 over a track listed as 'good.' She was more than eight lengths better than runner-up Schnapps (Jordan Stratton).
Dunn delivered home two more Dan Patch Award winners during the Saturday session, both of the two-year-old filly divisional champions.
The U.S. Two-Year-Old Trotting Filly of 2024, Champagne Problems (Tactical Landing - Miss Caviar) made her sophomore debut in style for trainer / co-owner Nancy Takter and co-owners Patrick Hoopes of Ulysses, Pa., Rojan Stables of Wilmington, De. and Caviart Farms of Vienna, Va. After a pocket trip behind stablemate Spicy Nice (Andy McCarthy) through fractions of :30, :59.4 and 1:28.4, Champagne Problems popped the pocket at the head of the lane and trotted home in :27 to score in 1:56.
Spicy Nice stayed for second with Yo Tillie (Todd McCarthy) rounding out the top trio.
Miki And Minnie (Always B Miki - Thats The Ticket) also enjoyed a pocket trip during her Saturday tightener, and the 2024 U.S. Two-Year-Old Pacing Filly of the Year understood her assignment after the right-line request from her pilot. Following Ascendance (Scott Zeron) through fractions of :28.4, :56.4 and 1:24.4, Miki And Minnie motored past the pacesetter and then held off the late close of Millie May Hanover (Jason Bartlett) for the 1:52.1 half-length decision.
Chris Ryder trains Miki And Minnie, the millionaire who posted a 6-4-1 record in 11 starts for breeder-owners Craig Henderson of Chicago, Il., Robert Mondillo of Delaware, Oh., and Lawrence Minowitz of Greenwich, Ct.
The fastest mile of the session came courtesy Captain Luke, who posted an eye-catching wire-to-wire win in 1:50 for driver Scott Zeron, trainer / co-owner Andrew Harris and co-owners Bill Pollock and Bruce Areman of Freehold, N.J.
Four-year-old Captain Luke (Captaintreacherous - Bodacious Hanover) comes into 2025 with a 5-8-4 summary from 32 starts, a mark of 1:49.1 and more than $830,000 in earnings.
Harris also sent out one of the winners in the two qualifiers that featured Pepsi North America Cup-eligible three-year-old male pacers. Power Code and driver Dexter Dunn benefitted from a momentum-losing trip from Swingtown to win his morning test in 1:53.1. Wedlock Blue Chip (David Miller) nosed out Swingtown for second, with both pacers three parts of a length behind the winner.
Also owned by Pollock, Areman and Harris, North America Cup eligible Power Code (Cattlewash - Code In) picked up three wins in seven starts as a two-year-old, earning $43,635 while taking his mark of 1:51.2 in a NJSS division.
Three of the sophomores in the top 10 of the 2025 TROT Magazine Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book faced off the other split featuring three-year-olds. American Son and Sippinonsearoc had each made appearances before this week, but 2024 Metro Pace champion Fallout dropped into the box for the first time this year.
American Son (Dunn) carved out fractions of :28, :57 and 1:25.1 with Sippinonsearoc (Gingras) on his back, and those two traded blows in the lane before Sippinonsearoc got up to win by a neck in 1:51.3. Cup eligible Go Go Grasshopper (Joe Bongiorno) showed solid late speed to land in third, just three quarters of a length off the winner. Fallout finished and unstressed fourth while closing in :26 for driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Tony Alagna.
Harness racing's fastest two-year-old by virtue of his 1:48.2 mark taken at The Red Mile, Sippinonseareoc (Downbytheseaside - Queen Ann M) is trained by Ron Burke for Burke Racing Stable LLC of Fredericktown, Pa., Weaver Bruscemi LLC of Canonsburg, Pa., R A S Racing LLC of Powell, Oh. and Knox Services Inc. of Mt Vernon, Oh. He banked $779,082 last year by virtue of a 6-2-1 summary from 11 starts.
Full qualifying results from The Meadowlands are available here.
(Standardbred Canada)