Harness racing’s top older performers will convene at The Meadowlands this coming weekend for leg two of The Classic Series (TCS)
. Trotters will be featured on Friday, May 1 with two seven mare divisions of the Classic Oaks racing for $60,000 each and one field of ten horses and geldings for the $85,000 Trotting Classic.
Lantern Kronos makes her debut against older in the first Oaks division and she’ll encounter current queen of the group, Buck I St Pat, as a rival on Friday. Summertime Yankee won an Oaks split at Dover and has the rail in this, race two on the menu.
Mid-card (race five) the Oaks finds Falls For You, the other leg one winner, taking on veterans Bruschette and Susies Magic as well as graduating sophomores One Tough Lass and Stage Show.
The Trotting Classic is the tenth race Friday and it promises to be worth the wait. Arch Madness looked absolutely fierce winning an Open last week in a wrapped-up 1:51.4.
"It's a much deeper field this week with Corleone Kosmos, Misterizi and Enough Talk," co-owner Barry Goldstein told Trot Insider. "This will be more of a test. He trained a little on the strip Tuesday morning and if there's a happier horse out there I'd be surprised."
Arch Madness goes against familiar rivals Enough Talk and Corleone Kosmos. Enough Talk has had a bit of a freshening since the Su Mac Lad and Corleone Kosmos, last year’s Classic Series Final winner, makes his seasonal bow. The always dangerous Misterizi and the surprise Su Mac Lad champ Lanson are included in the field as well.
Saturday is, of course, Kentucky Derby Day, always a big day at the track and The Meadowlands presents their customers a compelling reason to stick around for the night harness card. The Pacing Classic and Classic Distaff, each for a purse of $85,000, add luster to the usual overnight power and two eliminations for the Berry’s Creek, the first high dollar test for the three-year-old pacing colts.
The Classic Distaff (race three) fields six of the most talented and competitive mares around. My Little Dragon, the fastest female standardbred ever and defending Distaff champ, has not had an easy go of it in her first few outings this season but the short field and a return to her favorite surface may be just what she’s looking for. Southwind Tempo added another world record to her impressive list of lifetime accomplishments when she hung a 1:48.3 on the gals in the Betsy Ross Final last Sunday. Darlins Delight needs no introduction. She and Martha Maxine, who cruised in leg one at Dover, dead heated for second in that Betsy Ross Final. A And Gs Confusion won the Breeders Crown last year at three and could not have found a much tougher spot to make her first start of the season. Arts Diva completes the field.
The Pacing Classic comes as the tenth race and offers an even field of eight. Frog Juice was the winner of leg one at Dover and faces many of the same foes he vanquished on that occasion. Winbak Speed held for second in the Dover race despite a grueling first over assignment. New shooters include Bettor Sweet, strong in the early meet - now fresh and the venerable Won The West making his seasonal debut.
Post time at The Meadowlands is 7PM.
(The Classic Series)