'Breakfast With The Babies' began at 9:30 a.m. on a perfect windless, morning with the temperature at 82°F. Gabe Prewitt called the action.
Owner Ken Jacobs has discovered the key to trotting success. He seeks out and buys a nice-looking Chapter Seven yearling, turns it over to Linda Toscano to train then sits back and collects the proceeds. It would appear they've done it again with the filly Seven Karats, a Diamond Creek-bred lass Jacobs bought for $75,000 in Lexington last fall. Tim Tetrick put her right on the front and let the filly trot home in :28.3 on the end of the 1:58.1 mile in her very first start. Lima Charisma (Ake Svanstedt) followed along the whole way to be second while Kyles Sweetheart (Andy McCarthy) was third.
Trond Smedshammer has a nice Explosive Matter filly named Phaetosive for the Purple Haze stable. Trond sat her in behind the front-running Endless Flirt (Andy Miller), when he tipped her out in the stretch she roared by in the 28-second end to the 1:57.4 mile with plenty left. Phaetosive was a $75,000 Standardbred Horse Sale yearling.
Jimmy Takter drove Samo Different Day to a sparkling 1:56.2 win in the third race. He sat just behind leader Chucky De Vie (Chris Ryder) as that one put up honest fractions then sailed by and kept going, widening to a six or seven length win with the final quarter in 28.3. The winner was a $130,000 LindyFarms-bred Lexington yearling and is owned by Christina Takter and Samo Partners.
Perfetto won in 1:59.4 for Brian Sears, converting a pocket trip to a narrow decision over With Presence (Svanstedt). Nifty Norman trains the $32,000 Harrisburg yearling for his interests as Enzed Racing along with Dave McDuffee and Joe Hansford.
Marcus Johansson drove MS Triple J to a 2:01 win for trainer/wife Nancy. MS Triple J cut the mile and held sway over Gemologist (Svanstedt). Nancy owns the Cantab Hall filly, a $20,000 Lexington bargain, with Rojan Stable and Joyce Mc Clelland.
Ake Svanstedt broke through with pacing filly Python Blue Chip, sailing along through fast fractions and lasting under mild encouragement in 1:54. Ake owns the $34,000 Goshen yearling with Blue Chip Bloodstock, Our Horse Cents and Rossie Smith. Odds On Stephanie (Sears) towed along with a pocket ride for second.
Babes Dig Me (Joe Bongiorno) was a 1:54.3 winner for trainer Tony Alagna today, setting a solid pace holding sway over a closing California Cruisin (Johansson) through a :27.1 final quarter. Babes Dig Me is a $100,000 Lexington Somebeachsomewhere colt owned by Brad Grant, Joe Sbrocco, Rob LeBlanc and In The Gym Partners.
Rush To Judgement set sail and kept going this morning for the Alagna / Bongiorno tandem. Joe pointed the American Ideal colt to the front, set honest fractions on a long lead and paced strong through the lane on his own ending the 1:55.2 mile in :29. Rush To Judgement is a Riverview Racing / Alagna Racing homebred. Bohemian Rock (Andy Miller) was a wide second and Surfing Tide (Sears) third.
QUALIFIERS
Sortie has been torturing his connections of late by making breaks in the big stakes and clouding his Hambletonian chances. Trainer Noel Daley sent him out with regular driver Andy McCarthy to go a good mile, and he did, setting fast fraction on his way to a 1:52.3 win with the greatest of ease.
Some of the world’s best trotters gathered for the tenth race qualifier and the millionaire stakes winning Crazy Wow actually equaled his lifetime mark of 1:51.1 for Bongiorno. He cut the mile, equal 55.3 halves, then held that pretty Tuonoblu Rex (A. Miller) off through the :27 last quarter. All-time Meadowlands track record holder JL Cruze (A. McCarthy) gained late to be third.
Post time for tonight's live card is 7:15 p.m. To view charted results from the qualifiers, click one of the following links:
► Saturday Baby Races - Meadowlands Racetrack
► Saturday Qualifiers - Meadowlands Racetrack
(with files from The Meadowlands)