The Meadowlands hosted its first Breakfast With The Babies session of the season on Saturday, June 6, featuring 11 two-year-old qualifying races.
Breakfast With The Babies is sponsored by the Tactical Landing Syndicate, Ecurie D Syndicate and Karl Syndicate.
Trotters dominated the day, with nine of the 11 baby races dedicated to the square-gaited freshmen. Temperatures hovered around the 80 degree mark during the session with a light breeze from the southeast.
Wall Of Fame kicked off the baby races with an open-length crush for Team Orange Crush in the first two-year-old qualifier of the season. With Andy Miller at the controls, Wall of Fame comfortably cruised through opening fractions of :31.3 and 1:03, then kicked home with a :55.4 back half to trip the timer in 1:58.4 nearly five lengths the best. Two Day Hangover (Dexter Dunn) and Seven Thirds (Scott Zeron) completed the top trio.
Julie Miller trains Wall Of Fame, a daughter of Walner-Saadet bred by 30 Plus Stable and Klemmer Holdings Inc. of Trenton, Ont. The filly was a $83,333 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale purchase, now owned by Andy Miller Stable Inc. of Cream Ridge, N.J., Jean Goehlen of Franconia, N.H., Hutchison Harness LLC of North Ridgeville, Oh. and Rick Huffman of Sigourney, Ia.
Allure Kemp showed serious speed for driver Tim Tetrick in the second baby race, exploding with an impressive brush in the stretch to pick off tempo-setter Jyn Erso (Mattias Melander) at the wire to win by a neck in a 1:58 effort. Sitting fourth through fractions of :30.1, :59.3 and 1:29.2, Allure Kemp received her cue in the lane and got up to best Jyn Erso in the final strides. Halo Lindy (A. Miller) finished well to nab third.
A $70,423 Harrisburg yearling bred by Steve Stewart and Kemppi Stable of Paris, Ky., Allure Kemp (Calgary Games-Here Nor There) is trained by Rene Sejthen for owner Garbo Stables Inc. of Delray Beach, Fl.
Mats sat patiently in the pocket for trainer-driver Ake Svanstedt through the first seven-eighths of his initial test, watching Bigtime Chapter (Dunn) set fractions of :30.4, 1:01.4 and 1:32.2, then willingly trotted past that rival approaching the wire to score by a neck in 1:59.3. Kaws (Zeron) was next best.
Bred by Ab Svensk Reklamfinans of Del Ray Beach, Fl., Mats (Walner - Beautiful Sin) is now owned by S R F Stable of Del Ray Beach.
A Man Without Love might find some now that he's achieved a freshman mark of 1:58.4 from his first on-track appearance. The son of Captain Corey-Dusty Eighteen sat third for driver Jason Bartlett in the fourth qualifier as Octavius (Dunn) delivered uncontested panels of :30, 1:00.2 and 1:31 ahead of Gios Hope (Zeron). The rookie trotters fanned out in the stretch, with A Man Without Love besting Gios Hope by a half length. Octavious held third.
Rene Sejthen co-owns and trains A Man Without Love for co-owners Philip Steinberg of Weston, Fl. and Island Maan Stable of Brampton, Ont. The $55,556 Lexington Selected yearling was bred by Al Libfeld of Pickering, Ont.
Birr Castle (Captain Corey-Melania) bested her competition for driver Dunn and trainer Marcus Melander in the fifth baby race of the morning.
The Pheasant Hill Farm-owned homebred trotted in third as stablemate Offer Is Nothing (Zeron) handled fractions of :31, 1:02.1 and 1:33.1 on the front end. With a strong first-up attack around the final turn, Birr Castle kicked home confidently to best Exquis (Anthony MacDonald) by 1-3/4 lengths in 2:00.1. Chica Bonita (Lauren Tritton) completed the top trio.
Merry Zee merrily crossed the wire in 1:58.4 to capture the sixth baby race of the morning. Yannick Gingras sat second with the Ron Burke trainee as Final Stretch (Bartlett) fronted the field through fractions of :31.2, 1:01 and 1:31. Angled just before the third station, Merry Zee cruised home to best a pylon-skimming Luxe Lindy (Tyler Miller) by more than a length, with Final Stretch staying for third.
Burke trains Merry Zee (Gimpanzee-Merry Ann) for breeders and owners Burke Racing Stable LLC of Fredericktown, Pa., Knox Services Inc. of Mt. Vernon, Oh. and Weaver Bruscemi LLC of Canonsburg, Pa.
Though driver Scott Zeron didn't put him there, Wrong Sounds Right found himself on the lead turning for home in the morning's seventh qualifier and the son of Tactical Landing-Broadway Jo Ell earned a 2:01 speed badge in victory. Oil Jack (Dunn) trotted on top through fractions of :31.3, 102.2 and 1:33.1, then blew a gasket on the far turn and drifted into the three path before rolling offstride. Pocket-sitting Wrong Sounds Right inherited the lead, then outsprinted Dream Shaq (Mattias Melander) in a strong tussle to the wire to win by just less than a length. Sign Of The Cross (Bartlett) was third.
Jim Campbell trains Wrong Sounds Right, a homebred owned by Runthetable Stables of Montvale, N.J.
Carbon Fiber was the strongest of the four rookies in the eighth dash, going all the way to deliver a 1:59.2 score. Gingras asked the son of Gimpanzee-Brunella to front the field through fractions of :32.3, 1:02.2 and 1:31.3 before Carbon Fiber confidently shot home in :27.4 for the winning effort. Gustav Vasa (Dunn) was no threat in second, more than three lengths back, with Offenbach (Zeron) recovering from an early miscue to finish third.
Bred by Goran Falk of Allentown and Christina Takter of East Windsor, N.J., Carbon Fiber was a $28,169 Harrisburg purchase of Burke Racing Stable LLC, Phil Collura of Mountain Top, Pa., Knox Services Inc. and Frank Baldachino of Harvey Cedars, N.J.
Super Way delivered on his blue-blooded pedigree with a handy 2:01 victory on debut. Driver Anthony MacDonald got Super Way away in second behind Kountry Infusion (Svanstedt) through fractions of :32.1, 1:02.3 and 1:32.1, then angled the freshman out in the stretch for the open-length tally. Kountry Infusion finished second, more than three lengths off the winner, while Detonate (Zeron) blew up and made a second break across the wire in third.
A son of Walner and the accomplished award winner Ariana G, Super Way is trained by Jason McGinnis for Thestable Super Way Group of Brunswick, Oh. The colt was a $66,667 Lexington Selected purchase, bred by Marvin Katz of Toronto and Al Libfeld of Pickering, Ont.
Over to the pace, Totally Tyler totally delivered for his connections at first asking. Bred and owned by Brad Grant of Milton, Ont., Totally Tyler and driver Yannick Gingras cleared to the lead after a :31.3 opening quarter from Call Me Crazy (Stacy Chiodo) and made every call a winning one from there. After a 1:01 half and third station reached in 1:29.1, Totally Tyler tore home in :27.1 to trip the timer in 1:56.2. Call Me Crazy and Phillys Sting (Lauren Tritton) were next to cross the wire, separated by double digits.
Ron Burke trains Totally Tyler (Bulldog Hanover - Band Stand), the full brother to 2025 Three Diamonds winner and Burke pupil Shes A Bulldog.
Crunchstyle closed out the session of baby races with a solid wire-to-wire tally in 1:57.2. Lauren Tritton guided the son of Captain Crunch - Ideal Lifestyle A away from the inner most starting spot, and Crunchstyle delivered on his front-end mission from there. After fractions of :31, 1:01.2 and 1:30.2, Crunchstyle sprinted home in :27 to fend off the late bid of pocket-sitting Atomix Hanover (MacDonald) to win by roughly a neck. Boomshakalaka (Gingras) finished third.
A $10,417 yearling purchase from the Goshen Yearling Sale, Crunchstyle is trained by Juan Cano — also the co-owner (as Cano Racing Stable LLC) with Ernie Davis LLC of Hamilton, N.J. Hot Lead Farm of Allentown, N.J. is the breeder.
Live harness racing resumes at The Meadowlands on Saturday night, with first post time at 6:35 p.m. Racing at The Big M shifts its schedule next week, with cards contested on Thursday, June 11 and Friday, June 12. A double draw for the Thursday and Friday cards will be held on Monday, June 8.
Qualifiers and the next Breakfast With The Babies session also land on a different day next week, moving to Thursday, June 11 at 9 a.m. The entry box for qualifiers and baby races closes on Wednesday, June 10 at 10 a.m.
(Meadowlands)