Putting in his second qualifier of the year, Mister Big continued to prep for the 2009 racing campaign during the Meadowlands Racetrack's weekly set of qualifiers
. The session also marked the return of some of the year's most high profile 'glamour boys.'
After aged mare Fleur De Lil A stopped the clock in 1:53.3 in Race 1, Mister Big took to the track in Race 2 and put in another victorious qualifying mile.
With Brian Sears in the bike for trainer Virgil Morgan, Jr., Mister Big put in a wire-to-wire, open-length victory from Post 5. Mister Big's mile was clocked in 1:53.1. The son of Grinfromeartoear came home with a 56-second back half and :27.2 final quarter.
The three-year-old Erv Miller-trained No Pan Intended filly Alison Wonderpan captured Race 3 in 1:55.3. That was before standout I Am A Fool filly Hawaiian Drink put in her second qualifier of the year in Race 4.
With Ryan Anderson in the bike for trainer Joe Anderson, Hawaiian Drink put in a wire-to-wire effort, stopping the clock in 1:53.1. The filly came a :56.2 back half and 28-second final quarter.
Horses eligible to the $1.5 million Pepsi North America Cup took to the track in Race 5, which was won by Fireintheshark, driven by George Brennan for trainer Jim Campbell. The son of Cams Card Shark went gate to wire and stopped the clock in 1:55.2. Fireintheshark paced his back half in :57.4 with a final quarter of :28.2. Fireintheshark has been gauged at odds of 80-1 in Trot Magazine's 2009 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book.
Other Cup-eligible horses which participated in Race 5 included Mysticism (42-1 in spring book), which paced in 1:56.1, and Electric Energy (150-1), which paced in 1:56.2.
Well Said the 6-1 favourite in Trot's spring book, made his 2009 charted debut a winning one in Race 6, pacing his mile in 1:54 for driver Ron Pierce and trainer Steve Elliott. The dash was a hotly-contested affair.
Fellow NA Cup eligible Johnny Z (45-1 in spring book) also contested Race 6 and finished just a neck back in second for driver Brian Sears and trainer George Teague, Jr. Western Ideal son Dial Or Nodial (11-1 fourth choice in spring book) was making his '09 charted debut in the dash, and the Bluegrass and International Stallion Stakes winner finished third in the mile by just a half-length.
Other Cup eligibles that partook in Race 6 included Waffles And Cream (85-1 in spring book), which paced in 1:54.3, and Civil Yankee (95-1 in spring book), which paced in 1:57.
Tom Cango, the 2008 William Wellwood winner, put in his first charted mile of the season in Race 7 for trainer Jim Campbell and driver David Miller. The Tom Ridge colt put in a gate to wire mile from Post 10, stopping the lengths in 1:56.2, 16 lengths the best.
Three-year-old Malabar Man filly Honorable Daughter got the job done for driver John Campbell and trainer Larry Remmen in Race 8. The 2008 Breeders Crown winner was making her second qualifier of the season and stepped to a four and a half-length victory in 1:57.2.
Western Terror gelding Schoolkids, rated as the 25-1 10th pick in Trot's Spring Book, put in a strong off-the-pace effort in Race 16 for driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Joe Anderson, stopping the clock in 1:54.1. If I Can Dream (32-1 in spring book), a Western Hanover colt which is also trained by Anderson, finished second in the dash, pacing in 1:54.2 for driver George Brennan. Ideal Race (110-1 in spring book) finished seventh in the dash, pacing in 1:55.4 for driver Ryan Anderson -- and, you guessed it -- trainer Joe Anderson.