Nevis Peak and Top Reacher were two good-looking debut winners at The Meadowlands on Friday, July 11 when the mile oval carded one dozen first leg New Jersey Sire Stakes events for two-year-olds of each sex and gait on the program.
Platinum division races went for a purse of $35,714, while Silver splits were contested for $14,286.
Nevis Peak, despite going off as the even-money favourite, wasn’t on the gate at the start and was actually last in the field of seven out of the first turn in a Platinum division dash for filly trotters, but the daughter of Walner-Ramona Hill had little trouble overcoming that handicap.
Driver Yannick Gingras managed to get into a live flow after the half as Special Orchid (Andrew McCarthy) towed her into contention heading to the far turn. At the head of the stretch, Gingras swung the Ron Burke trainee into the three-path for the stretch drive and she responded with explosive trot.
Nevis Peak was in full flight when she took over at the eighth pole and went on to a 2-3/4-length victory in 1:54.3. Caught Speeding (Scott Zeron) rallied well for second, with Sweetest Of All (Dexter Dunn) third. Nevis Peak returned $4.20 to win.
“She baby raced [from off the pace] and delivered tonight,” said Gingras of the $352,113 Standardbred Horse Sale acquisition. “[Her connections] loved her all along. She did it well in hand tonight for sure. Her gait is really good. She’s a natural.”
The filly out of the 2020 Hambletonian winner is owned by Burke Racing Stable of Fredericktown, Pennsylvania, Crawford Farms Racing of Syracuse, New York, Brad Grant of Milton, Ont., and Lawrence Karr of Boca Raton, Florida.
Dexter Dunn worked out a second-over trip with 6-5 favourite Top Reacher in a Platinum split for colt and gelding trotters before roaring past leader Pul Biber (Zeron) inside the sixteenth pole in a 1:56.2 effort. A homebred for owner Daniel Plouffe of Bromont, Que., the Muscle Hill colt out of Grand Circuit stakes winner Top Expectations is trained by Marcus Melander. He returned $4.40 to his backers after defeating Pul Biber by one length. Pearl Of Hanover (Gingras) was third.
“We were sort of moving along pretty good, he’s a really nice colt,” said Dunn. “With his manners and his attitude, I think he can have a really good season.”
Two other Platinum divisions for filly trotters were won by Rio De Janeiro (Walner-Devilish Delight) in 1:55.4 with Zeron driving for trainer Nancy Takter, and Wall Of Fame (Walner-Saadet) in 1:54.1 for the husband and wife team of driver Andy Miller and trainer Julie Miller.
Gingras had a Platinum driving double, taking the other division for male trotters with the Ake Svanstedt-trained Mats (Walner-Beautiful Sin) scoring in 1:54.1 by 4-3/4 lengths over stablemate Lifetime Dreamer and Johnathan Ahle.
The Platinum paces went to filly Sterl The Pearl (Lazarus N-Cloud Diva) and trainer/driver Joe Bongiorno in 1:53.2 by a nose over the Tetrick-driven Butterfly Effect, and gelding Aintmyfirstro Deo (Perfect Sting-Some Renditions) in 1:54.1 with Zeron driving for trainer Megan Scran.
There was a dead heat in the Silver set among filly trotters Olbia (Muscle Hill-Graceful Lady), with Dunn in the bike for Melander, and Irish Faith (Walner-Irish Melody Fr), driven by Jason Bartlett for Petter Engblom. The mile time was 1:55.3. Team Miller took the other split with Mrs Rattigan (Walner-Flyer Mel), a 1:57.3 winner.
The Takter-trained Celebrini (Tactical Landing-Wheely Quick) took one of the Silver divisions for male trotters with Tetrick guiding him to a 1:57.3 score. The other division was won by Jazzy Blues (Muscle Hill-Bare My Soul) from the Carter Pinske stable, with Todd McCarthy working out the winning trip in a 1:56.1 mile.
She Stings Twice (Perfect Sting-Shesgoingoinggone) won the Silver division for pacing fillies in 1:54.1 with Brett Beckwith aboard for trainer Cory Stratton.
All-source handle on the 15-race card totalled $2,059,515 USD.
Racing resumes on Saturday at 6:35 p.m. with a stakes-filled 14-race program featuring the 50th edition of the $810,000 USD Meadowlands Pace, presented by Genova Burns LLC.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)