The first edition of the popular Breakfast With The Babies two-year-old qualifying races at The Meadowlands took the stage with Larry Fox at the mic at 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 7 under overcast skies with a negligible breeze and temps in the mid 70s.
Jules Siegel is the title sponsor again this season under his Fashion Farms nom de course.
There was a bit of poetic justice for Mr. Siegel, the breeder and owner of Waldon Fashion, who kicked off baby season quite impressively with a 1:58.3 win.
Driver Todd McCarthy let the colt spring from the wings and crossed over immediately, then released Grace In Heaven (Scott Zeron), who set a :30 beat throughout. As the field turned home, Waldon Fashion shifted out a path, engaged the leader and went by late on his own through the :27.2 final panel to take the record. Grace In Fashion held grimly but could not resist the winner’s close.
The Walner colt is out of Breeders Crown winner Broadway Donna, who earned more than $1.4 million for Fashion Farms. The fourth foal of the great mare -- first Walner -- he just might be the one they’ve been waiting for. Jimmy Campbell trains the winner.
Race two was a four-filly trot with all contestants being trained in the Marcus Melander barn. The winner here was the Courant Inc., Chapter Seven homebred Nezuko Kamada S, who was quietly sat last throughout then rallied sharply through the inside for Zeron, like it was Hambletonian, then drew clear in a :27.3 end while on her own for the 1:59.4 score. Isotta Bi (Brett Beckwith) had some late trot to be second.
The third was a Melander brothers exacta as Lainey W (Mattias Melander) rode a snug pocket while Naachtun (Marcus Melander) reeled off :30 splits, then fanned off the back of that one and ground by late after a spirited :28.2 stretch duel for the 1:58.2 record.
The Bar Hopping filly was a $168,919 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale purchase by Brittany Farms and Marvin Katz from breeders Kentuckiana Farms and Perry Soderberg.
The Melander stable also sent out the winner of the fourth, an impressive Bar Hopping colt called Neighver Punt (Dexter Dunn), who set all of the fractions and ended the 1:59.1 mile in :27.4 to hold stablemate Chapel (Zeron) at bay by a half-length. Both colts finished strong under minimal encouragement.
Anders Strom’s Courant, Inc. owns the winner, a $33,784 Lexington bargain buy from breeder Brittany Farms.
Diabolic Hill (Toddy McCarthy) was a powerful winner of the fifth and last of today’s freshman tests for owner Mazza Racing Stables and trainer Annie Stoebe. McCarthy took the colt off the gate and settled last of the four through the early stages as Exactly (Mattis Melander) set lively fractions while on a loose lead, taking the field by a 1:29.2 three-quarters when Diabolic Hill rolled on by and drew clear in :27.1 to win as he pleased. Exactly held the place. Mr. Mazza paid $405,405 in Lexington to acquire this handsome Muscle Hill colt from breeder AM Bloodstock.
There is live harness racing tonight at The Meadowlands at 6:20 p.m., and it’s Beerfest.
(Meadowlands Racetrack)