North America’s top trotting competition will hit the track on Saturday (May 21) at The Meadowlands in the first Free-For-All Trot stakes event of the season in the $170,450 Arthur J. Cutler Memorial.
In 2014, the Cutler served as a breakthrough race for Ake Svanstedt trainee Sebastian K, who crushed his competition with a 1:50.2 mile. Svanstedt returns to the Cutler with another European star in Ecurie D, though the six-year-old stallion by Infinitif has already teased his ability in America against the top level. He shipped to America in the summer of 2021 but made his first pari-mutuel start on October 10 at The Red Mile to win the $136,000 Allerage Farms Trot. He then cruised to a 1:52 victory in the $650,000 Breeders Crown to stamp himself a top contender in the aged trotting ranks coming into this season. Svanstedt is set to steer Ecurie D from Post 1, the same starting spot he had when piloted Sebastian K to his Cutler victory.
A pair of mares will tackle the seven boys going behind the gate. One is Bella Bellini, the 2021 Dan Patch Three-Year-Old Trotting Filly of the Year. The now four-year-old Bar Hopping mare trained by Richard “Nifty” Norman has raced twice this season with two second-place finishes, one coming to Next Level Stuff in the first leg of the Miss Versatility and one to Katies Lucky Day in the opening leg of the Graduate Series. Dexter Dunn will drive the mare from Post 2, well inside of When Dovescry, the other mare in the race. David Miller sticks with the six-year-old Muscle Hill mare trained by Brett Pelling off a third-place finish in the Miss Versatility to Herculisa. When Dovescry will score from Post 8.
The stacked trotting field for the division’s first Grand Circuit contest of the season also includes Yonkers top-class stalwart Mississippi Storm (Post 4), Indiana Sires Stakes champ Swingforthefences (Post 5), Meadowlands top-class star and Ontario Grassroots champ Lovedbythemasses (Post 7) and speedster Cuatro De Julio (Post 9).
Saturday’s card also features two Open events, one on the trot and one for fillies and mares on the pace. Atlanta will face six rivals in the $31,500 Open Trot – the evening’s third race – while Test Of Faith returns to the track against five rivals in the $31,500 Fillies & Mares Open – the evening’s sixth race. First-race post time is 6:20 p.m. (EDT).
$170,450 Arthur J. Cutler Memorial
Post - Horse - Driver - Trainer
1. Ecurie D DK - Ake Svanstedt - Ake Svanstedt
2. Bella Bellini - Dexter Dunn - Nifty Norman
3. Sermon - Kasper Foget - Per Engblom
4. Mississippi Storm - Jordan Stratton - Tom Fanning
5. Swingforthefences - David Miller - Jeff Cullipher
6. Its Academic - Yannick Gingras - Ron Burke
7. Lovedbythemasses - Tim Tetrick - Jeff Cullipher
8. When Dovescry - David Miller - Brett Pelling
9. Cuatro De Julio - Andrew McCarthy - Marie Ortolan Bar