Polo Bar didn't come with the hefty price tag of his full brother Maverick, but his connections are hopeful that his on-track accomplishments mirror that of another full sibling, 2019 U.S. Trotter of the Year Greenshoe.
On Saturday (July 16) Polo Bar made his two-year-old debut during the Meadowlands Pace Day edition of Breakfast With The Babies at The Meadowlands. Two-year-old qualifiers commenced at 9:00 a.m. on a very still, humid morning with temperatures in the high 70's / around 25°C.
Polo Bar was out for the fist time and a winner for driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Nancy Takter. Polo Bar stalked Go Rev (Greg Wright, Jr.) through comfortable fractions then edged by through the :28.2 end to the 1:57.4 mile. Ontario's John Fielding and Steve Heimbecker share ownership of the Father Patrick - Designed To Be colt along with Matt Morrison of Pennsylvania and Brian Gordon of N.J. Polo Bar was a $140,000 Lexington yearling, sold by Ontario's Marvin Katz & Al Libfeld.
Pacing fillies opened the card and Quick E (Todd McCarthy) was a 1:58 winner from the pocket trainer Brett Pelling. Ute Blue Chip (Tim Tetrick) cut the mile and held second over a very comfortable Southwind Guiness (Dexter Dunn). The Sweet Lou filly is a Let It Ride & Bottom Line Racing homebred.
The Always B Miki filly Falana Hanover (Dunn) emerged from the pocket and edged by a stubborn Mind Blowing through the 27-second end to the 1:55.1 mile. The Hanover bred sold at the Lexington sale last fall for $100,000 with Pinske Stable, Enzed Stable, Means & Kovach the buyers and Nifty Norman the trainer.
Trainer Tom Fanning sent out a winner in the third qualifier, the colt pacer Southwind Sambuca, who went all the way in 1:55.3 for Tim Tetrick. Combustion (T. McCarthy) closed well from fifth and last into the fast final quarter while under his own power. Southwind Farms sold the son of American Ideal for $72,000 to Fanning and partner David Van Wort at Lexington.
Wallop (Scott Zeron) was a 1:56 winner, moving through on the inside as stablemate Harko bore out abruptly mid-stretch. Talkin Bout You (James O’Donnell) was along for second with Harko (Domenico Cecere) staying on for third. Cecere trains Wallop, a KR Breeding LLC homebred son of Walner.
Scott Zeron drove Destinys Darling to a 1:56.2 win for Linda Toscano, emerging from the pocket and getting by mile cutter Exile (Gingras) late. The Chapter Seven colt is a Richard Gutnick & TLP Stable homebred.
Honest Money (Dunn) looked she was going by the leader Defacement when that rival went off stride late stretch. Up close throughout in her debut, Honest Money tripped the timer in 1:58.4. Nifty Norman trains the daughter of Father Patrick for Pinske Stable, Curly Tall Curly Small and Triple Play Trotters, who made a winning bid of $35,000 at Harrisburg. Fred Hertrich III is the breeder.
Tonight is “The Greatest Party in Harness Racing” at The Meadowlands with $2.5 million in purses up for grabs on Meadowlands Pace night with a great undercard of stakes.
Free T-shirts to the first 5,000 in the door, free programs for the full card and if you can’t make it, the races will be carried on Fox Sports 2 as part of “America’s Day at the Races” from 8:00 to 11:00 p.m. First post time is 6:20 p.m.
Meadowlands Race Office News
The Meadowlands upcoming condition sheet for July 22 & 23 is much lighter on stakes than the past few have been. The NJSS finals for two-year-olds and the Tompkins-Geers stakes for sophomore trotters are it for this week's stakes.
Consolations will be written for the NJSS two-year-old trots & two-year-old filly pace. Those horses not eligible to final but raced in prelims receive preference. If needed non-starters that are NJ-sired will be used next.
There will be a few "Pop Up" series with inflated purses next week, among those a three-year-old pace for non-winners of two, TrackMaster and mid-higher money conditions. The condition sheet will be posted online later today (July 16).
Meadowlands Pace tonight, be aware that there is a concert in Met Life tonight that may complicate traffic so prepare accordingly.
(Meadowlands)