Magical Acres hosted a 21-race qualifying session on Tuesday (June 23), and the first 16 dashes on the docket featured aspiring two-year-olds of both genders and gaits.
Magical Acres' five-eighths-mile course was listed as 'fast' for the duration of the session.
Five of the 'baby races' were reserved for pacing colts and geldings, and the fastest win time from that division of performers was recorded by the David Miller-driven and Linda Toscano-trained Crunch Hanover. The son of Captaintreacherous--Code One Hanover started from Post 5 in Race 14 and went on to record a gate-to-wire victory in 1:55.1. The bay cut the fractions in :28.3, :58.2, and 1:26.4 before coming home with a :28.2 final quarter. The colt's margin of victory was an expanding six and a half lengths. Crunch Hanover was a $115,000 purchase at last fall's Harrisburg yearling sale. He is owned by Enviro Stables Ltd., South Mountain Stables, R And I Farms LLC, and The Bays Stable LLC.
The session also featured five dashes for the young pacing fillies, and the quickest of those miles was recorded by the Scott Zeron-driven and Linda Toscano-trained Marsala Hanover. The daughter of Captaintreacherous--Marinade Hanover started from Post 2 in Race 3 and went on to record a wire-to-wire win in 1:55.2. The bay cut the fractions in :28.4, :59.1, and 1:27.2, and paced home with a 28-second final quarter to notch a two and a half-length win. Marsala Hanover was a $100,000 purchase at last fall's Harrisburg yearling sale, and she is owned by Enviro Stables Ltd., South Mountain Stables, Little E LLC, and Westminster Road LLC.
The qualifying session only featured a pair of races for the freshman trotting colts and geldings, and the quickest of those races was won by the Brian Sears-driven and Tom Cancelliere-trained Muscle Mex. The bay colt by Muscle Hill--Lei Trevino started from Post 3 in Race 2 and sat third early through the :29.4 opening quarter and 1:01.3 opening half. Sears and his charge were on the engine by the time they clicked off the three-quarters timer in 1:30.1. Muscle Mex trotted home with a :28.3 final quarter and won going away by three and a half lengths. The win time was 1:58.4. John Cancelliere owns Muscle Mex, who was a $150,000 purchase during last fall's Lexington Selected Yearling Sale.
The session also featured four races for juvenile trotting fillies, and the fastest winner of that division was the Andrew McCarty-driven and Jonas Czernyson-trained Chablis. The daughter of Muscle Hill--Dorsay lined up in Post 2 for Race 3, which was a tilt that only housed three starters. The homebred of Consus Racing Stable Inc. went to the top early, cut all of the fractions (:31, 1:02.4, 1:32.1), and trotted home in :28.4. The win time was 2:01 and the margin of victory was an expanding three and one-quarter lengths.