Periculum made his 2025 debut a winning one, capturing the Grade 3 $219,444 Arthur J. Cutler Memorial for older trotters by a neck over Lexus Kody in 1:51.4 on Saturday, May 17 at The Meadowlands. Antognoni S finished third.
Periculum and driver Scott Zeron got away sixth as Sir Pinocchio (Jason Bartlett) led the field to the opening quarter in :28. Antognoni S, the 6-5 favourite, was already in motion from fourth from driver Yannick Gingras and took over the top spot prior to reaching the half in :55.3.
At that point, Periculum was making his move from sixth and picked up cover from Lexus Kody (Andy McCarthy) as Antognoni S took the group to three-quarters in 1:23.3. Periculum rallied in the stretch, covering the last quarter in a race-best :27.4 to earn the victory.
The win was the 12th in 51 career starts for Periculum, a six-year-old stallion who has earned nearly $1.7 million lifetime. Last season, he won the Maple Leaf Trot and finished second in the MGM Yonkers International, Breeders Crown, and FanDuel Open Trot championship on his way to more thans $1.1 million in purses.
Periculum entered the Cutler off one qualifier, a 1:53.1 score on May 2 at The Meadowlands.
“I don’t think he’s 100 percent in form, obviously, but he got a nice trip and raced great,” winning trainer Marcus Melander said. “When he gets a trip like that, he’s very hard to beat. He likes to chase horses down. That’s his best ability, to chase them down.
“I think he’s even better this year,” Melander added. “He just feels a lot stronger. He feels like he’s been better and better every year. It will be very exciting to race him the rest of the season.”
The triumph was Melander’s third in the Cutler Memorial and the first for Zeron.
“It was a great first start; obviously a good trip,” Zeron said. “I’m really happy with everything.
“He’s just relaxed; he’s relaxed the whole race. He conserves his energy, and when you call on him, he’s there for you.”
Periculum is a son of Muscle Hill-Amour Heiress owned by Brixton Medical Inc. and Holly Lane Stud East. He was bred by Order By Stable AB.
Sent off as the 9-5 second choice, Periculum paid $5.60 to win.
The Cutler Memorial is named in memory of Arthur J. Cutler, the famed restaurateur and harness racing enthusiast who passed away at age 53 in 1997.
Prior to the Cutler, the Garden State for three-year-old trotters had four divisions on the program, two for colts and geldings with Hambletonian dreams and two for fillies with Hambletonian Oaks aspirations.
Both dashes for fillies went for $55,556. In the first, Conversano (Muscle Hill-Celebrity Ruth) came from off the pace to upend 1-5 favourite Kendra in 1:53, a lifetime best. She was driven by Andy McCarthy and trained by Juan Cano and returned $7.60 as the 5-2 second choice.
Yo Tillie (Tactical Landing-Consolidator) was an easy winner of the other female trot, scoring for Todd McCarthy and Andrew Harris in a lifetime-best 1:52.3. The 1-5 favourite paid $2.40 to win.
Mr Walner Fashion (Walner-Cooler Schooner) came from off the pace in the first male trot – which went for $76,389 – to win for the first time in his career in a clocking of 1:53 for Todd McCarthy and Jim Campbell. The 4-1 fourth choice returned $10.20.
In the other colts and geldings mile, a $83,333 test, Yannick G Kemp (Walner-Southwind Adele) benefited as 2-5 favourite Go Ahead Makemyday went on a break while seemingly on the way to victory in mid-stretch and went on to record a 1:53.3 win, his fifth in 16 lifetime starts. The 5-1 third choice paid $13.60.
A LITTLE MORE: Todd McCarthy won five times on the card to join a club that includes Jason Bartlett, Braxten Boyd, Dave Miller and Brett Beckwith as drivers who have recorded five wins on a Meadowlands program during 2025. … Bartlett is the lone driver to have six winners on a card this year. … All-source betting totaled $3,071,465. … Racing resumes Friday at 6:20 p.m.
(Meadowlands)