On a night where sophomore trotters Karl and T C I made major strides toward a 2024 Hambletonian showdown, driver Dexter Dunn placed himself in the spotlight by winning three of the major stakes races on Saturday, June 29 at The Meadowlands while also hitting a driving milestone.
Dunn perched himself into a second-over tow with Abuckabett Hanover and vaulted to the lead in the stretch to grab the win in the $208,479 Dave Brower Memorial with a 1:47.3 mile.
Leaving from post five, Abuckabett Hanover landed into third past a :26.3 first quarter while Ruthless Hanover circled out of the pocket and passed early leader Allywag Hanover for the lead. Ken Hanover – the 9-5 favourite starting out of the second tier – then pulled off the pylons to make his attack for the lead, though Ruthless Hanover took none of it.
Ken Hanover raced stuck on the rim outside of a stubborn Ruthless Hanover past a :53.4 half, all while Dunn tipped Abuckabett Hanover off the cones and planted his charge second up. The duo duelled all through the last turn and to three-quarters in 1:21 until Dunn had enough and abandoned his cover. Like a shot, Abuckabett Hanover darted forward and scooted away to a widening 2-3/4-length win over fast-closing Charlie May. Ken Hanover was third and Allywag Hanover grabbed fourth.
A six-year-old stallion by Betting Line out of the Western Ideal mare All Tucked Up, Abuckabett Hanover has now won 17 races from 63 starts and earned $1,432,983. Harris co-owns Abuckabett Hanover with William Pollock and Bruce Areman.
In the $154,110 Perfect Sting for aged pacing mares, Twin B Joe Fresh racked another win against her longtime rival and last year’s champion sophomore filly Sylvia Hanover.
Dunn floated Twin B Joe Fresh away fourth, just behind Sylvia Hanover and driver Bob McClure, to a :27 first quarter carved out by Racine Bell. Dunn cemented Twin B Joe Fresh to McClure’s helmet up the backside and waited for their move, which came after a :56.1 half.
Sylvia Hanover blitzed Racine Bell through the far turn and seized the lead after three-quarters in 1:23.3. Meanwhile, Twin B Joe Fresh spun for home poised and primed to pounce off the helmet. Dunn angled to the center of the track as McClure called on Sylvia Hanover to fight in mid-stretch.
Twin B Joe Fresh cruised by her adversary to notch a neck win – and win No. 2,000 in North America for Dexter Dunn – at the end of a 1:49.1 mile. Sylvia Hanover settled for second, with Silver Label third and Valar Dohaeris rallying for fourth.
Chris Ryder trains and co-owns Twin B Joe Fresh, a four-year-old mare by Roll With Joe out of the Captaintreacherous mare Fresh Breeze, with partners Dexter Dunn, Peter Trevotica and Barry Spak. She has now won 23 races from 32 starts and has banked $1,775,207.
Defending champ Jiggy Jog S coasted in the $154,110 Six Pack, gliding home over her five foes with a rush to win in 1:52.1.
The short field presented a casual start, as the public's second choice, M Ms Dream, took the top from post five to a crawling :29 first panel. Longshot Tactical Mounds slid behind the leader and Jiggy Jog S floated into third. Positions remained unchanged through a lazy :58.2 half.
As M Ms Dream picked up the trot, Jiggy Jog S left the line to begin her challenge. By the 1:26.4 three-quarters, the five-year-old paved an outside path to meet the finish line first with a 1-3/4-length win in 1:52.1. M Ms Dream held for second, Tactical Mounds was third and Call Me Goo finished fourth.
Jiggy Jog S is trained and co-owned by Ake Svanstedt with Steve Stewart, John Lengacher and Hickory Hollow Stables. The Six Pack was her second win in two races this season. Her first was The Cutler Memorial on May 18 against males at The Meadowlands. She has won 20 times from 37 starts in her career. A daughter of Walner out of the dam Hot Mess Hanover, Jiggy Jog S has now won $2,475,237 lifetime.
Southwind Tyrion put forth an imposing performance winning the $179,795 Crawford Farms Open Trot. With trainer Ake Svanstedt in the bike, the son of Muscle Hill set a stakes-record mile of 1:49.2. The time was also the second-fastest trotting mile in Meadowlands history.
On a wet track downgraded to 'good,' Southwind Tyrion defied the public's dismissal at 7-1 from the moment the gate opened. He was in the lead when his six foes rounded the first turn, followed by the favourite, Asteroid, and outsider Helpfirstedition. A mighty brush by longshot Periculum landed him into second after the :26.4 first panel, but he could not find a seat and took back first over as Southwind Tyrion cut the half in :54.2.
The contest came to terms with a Southwind Tyrion romp after a 1:22.3 three-quarters, where Svanstedt let him loose and notched the lifetime-best win by 4-3/4 lengths. Venerate closed from a second-over trip for second. Helpfirstedition held for third and Its Academic came from last for fourth.
Southwind Tyrion paid $16 for his first win of the season in three starts. Saturday’s win was the 14th victory from 28 starts for the millionaire six-year-old stallion out of the Cantab Hall mare Taylor Jean. Ake and Sarah Svanstedt own Southwind Tyrion with S.R.F. Stable, Knutsson Trotting, Brittany Farms & Riverview.
His 1:49.2 mile came just a fifth of a second off the trotting track record for an older horse of 1:49.1 set by another Svanstedt pupil, Ecurie D DK, in the 2022 Arthur J. Cutler Memorial.
Karl and T C I entered their respective divisions of Saturday’s W.N. Reynolds Memorial for three-year-old male trotters at The Meadowlands ranked as the top two contenders for August’s $1 million USD Hambletonian Stakes. Both solidified their standing with victories.
Karl won the first $46,918 Reynolds division by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:51, equalling his career-best time. Bright Star finished second and French Kronos was third.
Three races later, T C I overcame rain and wind in his $47,603 division to win by 2-1/4 lengths in 1:53.1. Tony Adams S finished second and Caballero was third.
Undefeated in four races this season, Karl has won 13 of 14 career starts and earned $1,270,916 for trainer Nancy Takter. He has captured eight in a row since his lone setback, which came by a nose against T C I last October. Karl, a 2023 Dan Patch Award winner, is owned by Christina and Nancy Takter, Black Horse Racing, Crawford Farms Racing and Bender Sweden Inc. The son of Tactical Landing-Avalicious was bred by Crawford Farms.
Unbeaten in three races this year, T C I has won 13 of 15 career starts and earned $1,576,329. A 2023 O’Brien Award recipient, T C I is owned by Burke Racing Stable, Hatfield Stables, Knox Services Inc., and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. The son of Cantab Hall-Nicoles Promise was bred by Concord Stud Farm.
In addition to the two Reynolds divisions for the boys, there were three splits for the fillies on Saturday at the Big M.
Sunkist Beauty won the first of the three $35,160 divisions for the sophomore female trotters by three lengths in a career-best 1:52.2 for driver/trainer Ake Svanstedt. Sunkist Beauty, a daughter of Six Pack-Orange Bigi, is owned by Ake Svanstedt Inc. and Stall Kalmar Inc. She was bred by Kiefer Elite Bloodstock and Martin Michalik. She has won three of six career races and earned $115,329.
In the second division, 6-5 favourite Elista Hanover grabbed the lead after the opening quarter and never relinquished it as she extended her win streak to eight with a 3-1/2-length victory in 1:52.3. David Miller drove Elista Hanover for trainer Annie Stoebe, who co-owns the filly with Lynn Curry and Philomena Curry. The daughter of International Moni-Evermore was bred by Hanover Shoe Farms. She has won eight of nine races this year and nine of 18 lifetime, earning $234,325.
The third division went to Buy A Round by 3-3/4 lengths in a career-best 1:53.2. Buy A Round was driven by Andy McCarthy for trainer Noel Daley. The daughter of Walner-On Your Tab is owned by breeder Frederick Hertrich III. She has won two of three races this season and eight of 12 in her career, earning $404,001.
All three filly winners are eligible to August’s $500,000 USD Hambletonian Oaks at The Meadowlands.
Business bustled on the 14-race program as $3,549,002 USD was pushed through the windows, the biggest night of action since May 18 when betting totalled $3,584,315 USD. There have been 51 race cards conducted at The Big M during 2024, with the $3 million hurdle cleared in 37 of those.
In the Late 50-cent Pick-4, $113,627 was put in play, the biggest Pick-4 pool of the year. After a sequence with the winners' odds of 7-1, 5-2, 6-5 and 18-1, bettors with winning tickets collected $509.05.
Racing resumes on Friday at 6:20 p.m.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)