The return of the defending Horse of the Year and the season’s-fastest trotting and pacing miles highlighted the Friday night action at the Meadowlands.
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Hannelore Hanover, the 2017 Horse of the Year in the U.S., came back to her favourite track and was an easy winner by 2-3/4 lengths in the $20,000 Preferred Handicap for trotters.
The six-year-old daughter of Swan For All used a quick burst of speed to clear the top before the half and had little trouble from there, stopping the clock in 1:50.3, which equaled the fastest trotting mile of the year in the sport. Pinkman was second with Celebrity Ruth third.
Hannelore Hanover, who returned $2.40 as the 1-5 public choice, was driven by Yannick Gingras and is trained by Ron Burke. She now has 41 wins from 63 lifetime starts and earnings in excess of $2.9 million.
Less than an hour later, Muscle Diamond, driven by Andy McCarthy and trained by Brett Bittle, established a new season’s best on the trot of 1:50.1 while winning a conditioned event.
The six-year-old son of Muscle Hill ($4.80 to win as the 7-5 favourite) was on the point at the half, shrugged off bitter pressure from longshot Celebrity Express heading to three-quarters, and hit the wire 1=1/4 lengths clear of You Know You Do. He now has 13 wins in 44 career starts and earnings in excess of $730,000.
The fireworks show was still going strong in the 12th-race finale, as the Tony Alagna-trained American History prepped for next week’s Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace Eliminations with a season's-fastest 1:47 win in a conditioned pace. The victory was Gingras’ fifth of the night.
The three-year-old son of American Ideal sat off torrid early fractions of :26.3 and :53, which were set by All It Takes. After Hayden Hanover popped the pocket at three-quarters (1:20.1) and came after the leader, right behind him was American History, who got up in deep stretch to record a neck victory, and in the process, lowered his previous lifetime best by two-and-one-fifth seconds. As the 4-5 favourite, he returned $3.60 to win in taking his fifth lifetime victory in 10 starts.
The program also featured first leg New Jersey Sire Stakes action for two-year-olds, and one performance stood out from the rest.
Greenshoe ($2.80 as the 2-5 public choice) broke at the start, got back on gait, made an explosive move heading to three-quarters and won a division of the colts and geldings trot in 1:56.2. The son of Father Patrick was driven by Brian Sears.
(With files from The Meadowlands; Photo, clokwise from top left: Greenshoe, American History, Muscle Diamond, Hannelore Hanover))