After a delayed start on the road to the Hambletonian, Maximus Mearas S will look to get into the fast lane on Saturday, July 12 when he makes his seasonal debut in a division of the Grade 3 Stanley Dancer Memorial for three-year-old male trotters at The Meadowlands.
Maximus Mearas S, a Grand Circuit stakes winner and Breeders Crown runner-up last year for trainer Lucas Wallin, entered the summer ranked No. 4 on Meadowlands announcer/analyst Ken Warkentin’s Road to the Hambletonian. Wallin hoped to have the colt ready to debut in the W.N. Reynolds Memorial on June 28 at The Big M but needed additional time.
“He trained down super and then I brought him to The Meadowlands and trained a little faster and we weren’t as happy with him,” said Wallin, who conditions Maximus Mearas S for owner Kjell Magne Andersen of Walchwil, Switzerland. “We had to treat a couple joints and gave him a little time off. It was nothing serious but it definitely put us behind schedule. There are a lot of good colts out there that are ahead of us right now.”
Maximus Mearas S heads to the second of Saturday’s two $119,500 USD Dancer divisions off a gate-to-wire 1:54.4 qualifier win June 27 at The Meadowlands with regular driver Scott Zeron in the sulky. He is 4-1 on the morning line in a seven-horse field that includes 9-5 favourite Maryland and 7-2 second choice Go Dog Go.
“He did it in a good way, so hopefully he gets better and better,” Wallin said about his colt’s qualifier. “He is a little bit bigger horse, and for me, it looks like the bigger ones sometimes need a couple races or qualifiers before they really hit their full trot. He was like that last year. He has talent enough to win on Saturday, but I don’t expect him to win right away. The most important thing is that he looks good and has a little trot at the end.”
Maximus Mearas S was lightly raced last year but made the most of his opportunities. He had four wins, including a Bluegrass division and Breeders Crown elimination, and two seconds in six starts. He missed by a neck against Maryland in the Breeders Crown final, when he sprinted home from seventh place with a :26.2 last quarter. The son of Chapter Seven-Darling Mearas S has earned $333,672.
“He’s very good at everything and he’s a real fighter,” said Wallin. “He’s got good stamina, speed and attitude. He wants to do it. He’s better chasing horses than cutting the mile, like he had to do in his qualifier, but it’s good to know he can cut it as well.”
Maximus Mearas S is No. 8 in the most recent Road to the Hambletonian rankings. The Dancer divisions feature eight of the Top 10, including No. 1 Super Chapter (the 9-5 choice in the first split) and second-rated Maryland.
Eliminations for the 100th edition of the Grade 1 Hambletonian Stakes, the sport’s premier event for three-year-old trotters, are scheduled for July 26 at The Meadowlands. The $1 million USD final is Aug. 2 at The Big M.
“It’s a very, very good group of colts this year; stronger than many years,” said Wallin. “It’s not going to be easy. Hopefully, he will have this race and then the [Hambletonian] eliminations and he can make the final. Then I’m pretty confident he’s going to be right there, but we’re a little behind the others right now.”
In addition to the two divisions of the Dancer, The Meadowlands on Saturday hosts two divisions of the Del Miller Memorial for three-year-old female trotters. Wallin will send out Delaney Hanover in the first group, an 11-horse field that will compete for a purse of $142,200 USD. Yo Tillie is the 3-1 morning line favourite.
Delaney Hanover will leave from post nine with Zeron in the sulky. She is 10-1.
“Post nine with 11 horses, it’s going to be tough to find a good spot there,” said Wallin. “Hopefully, she gets a good trip and we go into the [Hambletonian Oaks] elimination two weeks after that in good spirit.”
The Grade 1 Hambletonian Oaks, for three-year-old trotting fillies, will have eliminations the same day as the Hambletonian to determine the 10-horse field for the $500,000 USD final on Aug. 2.
Delaney Hanover, a daughter of Muscle Hill-Danielle Hanover, made her seasonal debut on June 28 in a division of the Reynolds. She finished third, beaten by three-quarters of a length by Conversano (the 3-1 favourite from post 10 in the second Miller division) in 1:52.1.
Last year, she won a leg of the Kindergarten Classic Series and finished second in the New Jersey Classic for freshman trotting fillies. For her career, she has hit the board in five of eight races and earned $171,776 for owners Wiesman Farms of Middle River, Maryland, Shermay Stables of Chester, New Jersey and Wallin Racing Stable of New Egypt, New Jersey.
“She was very good in the Reynolds,” said Wallin. “She is best if she can come from off the pace and follow one to the last eighth, but she came first-up and really raced good.
“I think she is going to have a great season if she stays healthy and sound. She had a lot of speed last year and she’s definitely stronger this year. She already was a big, beautiful filly last year and I feel like she grew into her body and can carry her speed a little longer. It’s going to be very exciting to watch her the next couple weeks. I think it is wide open with the fillies and I really think she is one of the better ones.”
Saturday is Meadowlands Pace Night at The Big M. Racing begins at 6:20 p.m. In addition to the 49th edition of the $656,000 USD Meadowlands Pace, seven other stakes events will be contested on a 14-race program that will dole out $2.3 million USD in purses. The Meadowlands Pace, along with a big handful of other major stakes, will be shown live on FOX Sports 2 (FS2) as part of NYRA’s “America’s Day at the Races” telecast, which begins at 8 p.m.
(USTA)