Two-year-olds invaded Mohawk and Meadowlands racetracks on Saturday morning for another set of qualifying sessions.
Following a full slate of baby races for trotters on Friday morning at Mohawk, the Campbellville, Ontario oval hosted the two-year-old pacers during this morning's qualifiers.
The Catamount Kid paced the fastest mile of the Mohawk session for the father-son Jamieson team. The Well Said-Under Your Spell colt sprinted his final quarter in :26.3 to close out a 1:54.3 mile in his qualifying debut with Jody Jamieson aboard. Trainer Carl Jamieson purchased The Catamount Kid for $67,000 at the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale with his partners Thomas Kyron, George Harrison and Brian Paquet.
Southwind Mayhem (Sportswriter-Mondiane Hanover) also sprinted a sub-27 final frame, closing from off the pace to win in 1:57.2 for the Jamiesons, Kyron and Harrison, who purchased the gelding for $55,000 at Lexington.
Jody Jamieson also drove the Jack Darling-trained Up The Credit colt Heavymetal Hanover to a 1:56.2 triumph after being shuffled to third and coming home in :26.4.
A trio of Bob McIntosh homebreds were qualifying winners during the morning baby races, beginning with the Bettors Delight-West Of L A filly L A Delight, who converted from the pocket with a :27.2 quarter on the end of a two minute mile. Both sired by Ponder, filly Specialcelebration was a 1:58.4 winner and colt Think On It lead from start to finish in 1:56.1 with a :27.3 final quarter for the McIntosh stable.
Randy Waples drove all three McIntosh winners as well as a pair of James 'Friday' Dean trainees Kays Shadow, a Shadow Play filly that won by more than six lenghths in 1:56.2, and Sportswriter filly Thisorthat Hanover, who debuted in 1:59.2 with a :27.1 final frame. The latter filly was a six-figure yearling purchase at the Harrisburg sale by Scott Horner.
Other winners were: Michael Virdiramo's Big Jim gelding Big Bang Boom, a 1:58.4 wire-to-wire winner with a :27 final frame in rein to Mike Saftic; Tom Hill's homebred Bettors Delight filly Betty Hill, who closed out her second qualifying mile with a :27-second quarter to win in 1:58.2 with James MacDonald driving for trainer Carmen Auciello; and Twenty Three Red, a Mach Three filly trained by Bill Budd and driven to a 1:59.1 (:27.4 final quarter) victory by Sylvain Filion.
To view Saturday's complete qualifying results from Mohawk, click here.
Breakfast with the Babies on Saturday morning at The Meadowlands drew a large crowd of interested observers on a lovely morning with fluffy clouds, a pleasant breeze and temperatures in the mid-70's as the races began at 9:30 a.m. in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Jimmy Takter and Yannick Gingras were back from an exceptionally successful trip to Mohawk last night and they picked up right where they left off, sharing a win in the first race for filly trotters via a dead-heat.
Takter cut the mile with Kathy Parker (Andover Hall) with Gingras in High Heels (Kadabra) tracking her from the pocket. In the stretch, High Heels advanced on the leader, but Kathy Parker dug in, stubbornly holding her ground in 2:00.1 (:29 final quarter).
High Heels is owned by Christina Takter, John & Jim Fielding and Herb Liverman, who paid $115,000 at the Standardbred Horse Sales last fall, while Kathy Parker cost Mrs. Takter, Brixton Medical, RAW Equine and Joyce McClelland $87,000 at the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale.
Race two went to the Muscle Hill filly Dream Child in 2:00.4. Dave Miller moved her to the top as they passed the half in 1:02.3, holding sway over Candy Lane and Powerful Glare. Dream Child was a $75,000 Lexington purchase by Bill Donovan and is trained in the Jonas Czernyson stable.
Ray Schnittker won the third with Will Self, a son of Donato Hanover from the champion mare Fall For You, a $65,000 buy at Harrisburg by Ray with Ted Gewertz, Arden Homestead and the Bordogna Arnold Stable. Schnittker took the lead early with Will Self, released Dark Pool after the quarter and followed that one until unleashing a powerful :28.3 close on the 2:00.3 mile.
Jan Johnson drove Im Volo, a Yankee Glide homebred filly he trains for long-time owner Jorgen Jahre Jr, to a 2:02.3 win after storming to the top around the final bend.
Race five shaped up to be a throwback to the “Million Dollar Baby” days with over $1.25 million worth of hopes and dreams spread over the eight trotting colts that lined up behind the gate.
Mosconi Hanover gave both Jimmy Takter and Donato Hanover another winner with a 1:59.4 front end effort. The $190,000 Harrisburg graduate held off a pair of Svanstedt colts in a :29.4 final quarter with Takter driving. Christina Takter, Brixton Medical, Lou Camara and Order By Stable comprise the partnership that owns the promising colt.
Ake Svanstedt struck with Dice Man (a $33,000 Harrisburg, SJs Caviar colt) out the pocket with a :28.4 last quarter tacked onto the 2:01.1 mile. Courant AB owns the winner.
Schnittker unveiled a very talented Donato Hanover filly Windowshopper dazzled the crowd with a quick move around the final turn into the :28.1 third quarter then coasted in for the 1:58.3 win. She was a $27,000 bargain bought from the Harrisburg sale by Ray and Charles Iannazzo.
Takter came back to win the eighth with the $130,000 Harrisburg Cantab Hall colt Cantabra after a prolonged battle with Remix Hanover and Svanstedt. Takter drove him to the win for owners Christina Takter and Brixton Medical.
Pacing colts took over in the ninth race with the Somebeachsomewhere colt Check Six winning for Gingras in 1:56.2 with a :27.3 last split. He comes from the Burke stable where Ron and partners Weaver Bruscemi, Bill Switala and James Martin invested $30,000 to put him in the barn.
The Sportswriter colt Voracity was a winner today in 1:56.1, with a :27.3 final quarter, converting a pocket ride with Scott Zeron driving for Tony Alagna. He cost Brad Grant, John Fodera and his trainer $47,000 at the Lexington sale last fall.
Corey Callahan sent Brooklynite right to the front from his open outside post and set solid fractions, lasting for the 1:54.2 win. Joe Holloway trains the winner for Val D’Or Farms, Ted Gewertz, Rojan Stable and L&L DeVisser, who paid $80,000 for the son of Somebeachsomewhere at Harrisburg last fall.
Eloquent Grace opened the filly pacing races with a 1:55.2 (:28.1 finale) score for Burke and Gingras. She popped out of the pocket and barely wore down a very game American Ivy for the win. The Well Said filly brought an $80,000 bid from Burke Racing, Ed Gold, Howard Taylor and J&T Silva.
Burke and Gingras came right back with the $42,000 Harrisburg buy Yankee Moonshine, a Yankee Cruiser filly who looked sharp winning for the second time, this one in 1:56.2. Burke Racing, JT 45, Larry Karr and Weaver Bruscemi own her.
Western Dynasty was dead game to win in the 14th and last two-year-old race, holding off three closers after setting the pace in 1:57.2 (:27.3 final frame). Dave Miller drove the $100,000 Harrisburg purchase, a Western Ideal colt, for trainer Chris Ryder, who shares ownership with Craig Henderson and Bob Mondillo. Beach Ogre, Capital Builder and Mindtrip were across the track in pursuit.
To view Saturday's qualifying results from The Meadowlands, click on the following links: Baby Races / Qualifiers.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)