Both Mohawk Racetrack and The Meadowlands hosted double-digit sessions of two-year-old qualifiers on Saturday morning.
Horses sent out by trainer Carl Jamieson were first across the wire in four of the morning's 10 two-year-old qualifiers at Mohawk Racetrack, including the fastest freshman of the morning.
Imsporty, a $33,000 purchase from the 2014 Canadian Yearling Sale, sprinted home in a sizzling :26.3 to take the fastest pacing mile of the baby race session. Jody Jamieson sat Imsporty off the pace early but unleashed the colt in the stretch to trip the timer in 1:56.4, a half-length better than Real Kid (Doug McNair) with First Car (Trevor Henry) another four lengths back.
Imsporty, a son of Sportswriter out of former Ontario Sires Stakes standout Mach You And Me, is owned by Carl Jamieson and Tom Kyron.
Another trio of Jamieson trainees also finished first in their respective baby races: The Big Digger (Up The Credit - Lone Mystic) won his split in 2:01.4, Noone To Depend On (Santanna Blue Chip - Tipsy Taters) was victorious in 1:58.4 and Flaherty (Up The Credit - Ingrid Bergrin) engineered a 1:59 score.
On the trotting side, the fastest freshman was the first two-year-old across the wire for Mohawk's 2015 meet. Dia Monde (Tom Durand) just got up to best pacesetter Deweylovernleaver (Chris Beaver) by a head in 2:00.4. Nofear Blue Chip (Henry) was three-parts of a length back in third.
A $70,000 Harrisburg yearling purchase, Dia Monde is a son of Deweycheatumnhowe out of Lady Bar, a Malabar Man sister to recently-retired millionaire Looking Hanover. Durand co-owns along with June Durand and Allan Smith.
To view the charted results from Mohawk's first session of baby races, click the following link: Saturday Baby Races - Mohawk Racetrack.
For trainer Jimmy Takter, one of his favourite days of the year is the first day he brings his two-year-olds to their first qualifiers. After his stable captured seven of Saturday morning’s 11 events for the newcomers at The Meadowlands, it is easy to understand his enthusiasm.
Takter won with two-year-old female trotters Sunset Glider and Twice Is Right, two-year-old male trotters Earn And Burn and Bar Hopping, two-year-old female pacers Pure Country and Sonoma Valley, and two-year-old male pacer Youth.
“I love this,” Takter said. “When you’re sitting all winter and you develop these horses, it’s a little bit like a report card when you go out there. I know it doesn’t mean anything to win, but I like the horses to go out there and perform. Some horses you have to teach to race from behind, but I want them to go out there and stay on top of their game.”
Bar Hopping (Muscle Hill-Cocktail Hour) posted the fastest time among the two-year-old trotters, winning by a half-length over stablemate Jimmy William (Cantab Hall-Solveig) in 1:58.2 with a :28.3 last quarter. The colt was purchased for $190,000 at the Standardbred Horse Sale. He is a full brother to 2014 New Jersey Sire Stakes runner-up Martiniwithmuscle and his family includes Dan Patch Award winner Jefs Spice and stakes winner Cumin.
Jimmy William is a homebred half-brother to Trotter of the Year Shake It Cerry as well as Uncle Lasse, and full brother to stakes winner Dontyouforgetit.
Sunset Glider (Cantab Hall-Highland Glider) won by a neck over Charlie Norris trainee Stage Presence (Muscle Massive-Stage Fright) in 2:00.1. Twice Is Right (Donato Hanover-Think Twice) was a neck better than stablemate All The Time (Muscle Hill-Cantab It All), also stopping the timer in 2:00.1.
Earn And Burn (Donato Hanover-Borrow And Spend) won by five lengths over stablemate Dominus Hanover (Muscle Massive-Dornello) in 2:01.4.
Marcus Melander won two qualifiers for the two-year-old trotters.
Filly Lucky Kristen (Lucky Chucky-Ms Kristin) benefitted when Takter’s Kathy Parker went off stride in the stretch. Lucky Kristen won by a half-length over Sharons Luck (Lucky Chucky-Southwind Flanders) in 2:02. Melander’s colt Brownie Hanover (Donato Hanover-Born To Love) needed no help, winning by seven lengths over Takter’s Ducci (Cantab Hall-Nothing But Moni) in 1:59.
“They both qualified great; I was happy with them,” Melander said. “I’ve got seven babies and the three that I had in here today have been training very good all winter. I think they’re pretty good horses. I think they’ll make some money this year.
“They’re staked to a lot of races. I think they’ll be there in some big final. The Lucky Chucky filly will be a great New York horse. She can go around half-mile tracks with no problem. The Donato colt just does everything so easy. Of course, there are many good horses, but he’s a good horse too.”
Also winning among the two-year-old female trotters was Synonymous Hanover (Andover Hall-Sweetr By The Bone) in 1:59.3 for trainer Norris.
Takter’s female pacer Pure Country posted the fastest time of the day for the pacers, winning in 1:55.4. Pure Country (Somebeachsomewhere-Western Montana) won by two lengths over stablemate My Lady Love (Well Said-Trim Hanover).
Sonoma Valley (Rocknroll Hanover-Arts Vintage), who was purchased for $325,000 at the Lexington Selected Sale, won by a nose over stablemate Ivy League (Somebeachsomewhere-See You At Peelers) in 1:56.3. Sonoma Valley is a three-quarter sister to $2 million-earner Vintage Master.
Youth (Western Ideal-Societys Child) captured his qualifier by one and a quarter lengths over Nancy Johansson’s Macs Star (Somebeachsomewhere-Knock Three Times) in 1:58.3.
“I was happy with most of them,” Takter said of his two-year-olds. “All the trotting colts were very, very good; and the pacing fillies. Pure Country is scary. She’s a scary horse.”
Jeff Gregory’s colt Fast N Victorious (Art Major-Yankee Luck) wrapped up the day for the two-year-olds by winning by one and a half lengths over Joe Holloway’s Brooklynite (Somebeachsomewhere-Sunone) in 1:56.4.
Winning qualifiers among the three-year-olds and older horses were star pacers Foiled Again and JK Shesalady.
Eleven-year-old male pacer Foiled Again prepped for his return to action by winning his qualifier by 14-1/2 lengths in 1:51. He will go to the Battle of Lake Erie on June 12 at Northfield Park.
“I was happy,” trainer Ron Burke said. “That’s a good mile out there today. Nobody is really pacing home good because of the wind. I think people will see all these qualifiers were better than they originally thought when the horses come back and race. Overall, I was very pleased with Foiled.
“On to Northfield.”
Three-year-old female pacer JK Shesalady, the 2014 Horse of the Year, also prepped for a road trip. She won her qualifier by one and three-quarter lengths over Better Said in 1:51.3 and will head to Ontario’s Mohawk Racetrack for the Fan Hanover Stakes eliminations on June 13.
“Get your passports out,” trainer Nancy Johansson said with a laugh. “She’s coming into it good. She’s not very tired [from the qualifier]. She’s only raced once, so she needed the work. She was good.”
In another anticipated qualifier, this one for older trotters, Swedish invader Mr Picolit finished third behind Handover Belle and Aggressive, timed in 1:55, in his first North American appearance. Mr Picolit, an eight-year-old trained and driven by Ake Svanstedt, was a stakes winner overseas, earning $533,949. He will join Sebastian K in Svanstedt’s stable.
“He’s good,” Svanstedt said. “The only thing is he’s pulling too much. Maybe he was a little nervous; it’s his first race in a long time. That was the only thing that was bad; he just never relaxed today. But he feels good and he raced good. I don’t want to race fast today.”
For Saturday’s complete qualifying charts from the Meadowlands, click on the following links: Baby Races / Qualifiers.
(With files from HRC)