Hidalgo and Conversano both made the lead early in their respective $308,219 New Jersey Sire Stakes finals for three-year-old trotters at The Meadowlands on Friday, June 13 and were more than good enough to make those early advantages hold up to the finish line in impressive efforts.
Hidalgo (Muscle Hill-Brooklyn) won the division for colts and geldings after claiming the lead at the quarter in :27.1 and going down the road from there.
It was exactly what driver Yannick Gingras did not have in mind.
“It was the last place I wanted to be,” said Gingras. “He’s been there before and got beat. I really wanted to get away in the two- or three-hole. At the end of the day, he dug in and got the job done.”
After reaching the half in :56.3 and three-quarters in 1:25, Hidalgo had to deal with a three-pronged attack from Travolta Hanover (Dexter Dunn), Top Gun Hanover (David Miller) and Onajetplane (Andrew McCarthy) but was able to hold sway after trotting his final quarter in :27.4 to complete a one-length win over Onajetplane and Top Gun Hanover in 1:52.4. Even-money favourite Mr Walner Fashion (Todd McCarthy) went off stride approaching the top of the stretch and finished eighth before being disqualified and placed 10th.
After opening the season with a pair of starts where he went off stride, trainer Ron Burke added the trotting hopples, which have enabled Hidalgo to mind his manners, but Gingras didn’t rile his horse up in the final preliminary a week ago in a loss to Mr Walner Fashion because of his breaking issues. Or so it seemed.
“It’s not the whip,” said Gingras. “It’s really just holding him together. But I think that comes with maturity. Tonight, he dug in, but I still like him off a helmet. He’s a big, strong horse. It’s between the ears that sometimes gets to him.”
Hidalgo now has five wins from 16 lifetime tries and earnings of $452,307 for owners Brixton Medical Inc. of Matawan, New Jersey and Hatfield Stables of Columbus, Ohio. He returned $11 to win as the 9-2 third choice in the betting.
Conversano continued her superb campaign for trainer Juan Cano, as after brushing to the lead after the quarter, the Andy McCarthy-driven lass was an easy winner in the division for fillies.
“I knew I had a nice horse going into the Garden State [her second start, and win, of 2025],” said Cano. “She was nice at two but she wasn’t mature -- she needed time.”
Well, her time has come.
In what was the most wide-open race of the 14 on the program on paper, Conversano tore her opponents to shreds, blasting down the pike after making it to the half in :56.2 and three-quarters in 1:25.2.
From there, driver McCarthy coaxed a final quarter of :27.1 out of the daughter of Muscle Hill-Celebrity Ruth on the way to a one-length win over a pocket-sitting Torrisi (Todd McCarthy). Even-money favourite What A Bid Hanover (Ake Svanstedt), caught in a traffic jam that looked like the Lincoln Tunnel at 5 p.m., rallied for third after swinging four-wide from 10th with a quarter to go.
Conversano completed the mile in 1:52.3 and paid $9.40 as the 7-2 second choice on the tote board. She’s now won six of 13 career outings and earned $283,131 for her owner Hot Lead Farm of Allentown, New Jersey.
“She’s happy every day. She trains on the front end at home and always fights back,” said Cano, who couldn’t help but think about the first Saturday in August. “The dream all along has been the Hambletonian Oaks. She needed to mature and she has done that at 3.”
On the undercard were three divisions of the second leg of the Graduate Series for four-year-olds. Two of the dashes were for trotters and went for $68,493 each while the lone pace went for $102,740.
Sir Pinocchio flaunted his class in the first trotting split, grabbing the lead before the half after racing third to the quarter. He then opened up a 2-1/2-length lead at three-quarters on the way to a 1-1/4-length win over even-money favourite Gruesome Twosome (Dexter Dunn) in a lifetime-best 1:51.3. The four-year-old gelded son of Mets Hall-Lady Cromwell was driven by Jason Bartlett and is trained by Ed Hart for owner/breeder Carolyn Atherton of Scarsdale, New York. He paid $7.40 as the 5-2 second choice as he picked up his 14th win in 29 career tries while becoming harness racing's newest millionaire.
Private Access followed up his leg one Graduate score at Woodbine Mohawk Park with a flawless performance in the other trot. Driven by Louis-Philippe Roy, the Luc Blais trainee made it to the point at the half in :56.3 and held sway to the wire a safe neck ahead of a fast-closing Date Night Hanover (Scott Zeron) in 1:52.2. Private Access returned $5.20 to win as the 8-5 second choice. The son of Muscle Hill-Open Access now has five wins in 24 lifetime tries while raising his lifetime earnings to $565,683 for owner Determination of Montreal, Que. Highland Kismet (Yannick Gingras), the 7-5 public choice, made a break before the quarter and finished last in the field of seven.
Captain Albano, the Dan Patch Three-Year-Old Male Pacer of 2024, made a triumphant return to the races, winning the pacing division in 1:49.2. Driven by Todd McCarthy, the Noel Daley trainee found himself in the two-hole behind Funtime Bayama (David Miller) down the backside, but when the leader bore out off the far turn while tiring, ‘Albano’ cruised to an easy three-quarter-length score. Early leader Calicojack Hanover (Louis-Philippe Roy) was second. Captain Albano, a son of Captaintreacherous-Angelou, registered his 20th lifetime win in just 28 tries while surpassing the $2 million mark in earnings. He paid $5.20 to win as the 8-5 favourite. He is owned by Patricia Stable of Massapequa, New York, L A Express And Sjoblom Inc. of Chesterfield, New Jersey, Sjoblom Racing Inc. of Delray Beach, Florida and Michael Dolan of Sarasota, Florida.
Todd McCarthy led the driver colony with three wins on the night. Noel Daley paced the trainers with a pair of jaunts down victory lane.
All-source handle on the 14-race card totalled $3,129,595 USD.
Racing resumes on Saturday at 6:20 p.m.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)