Canada’s pacing sweetheart Dreamfair Eternal headed south of the border to East Rutherford, New Jersey this week for a month-long stakes schedule, which kicks off with eliminations for the Lady Liberty tonight at Meadowlands Racetrack, and her regular reinsman, Randy Waples, will be joining her
.
Waples, whose last drive at the Meadowlands was a decade ago, told Trot Insider that he will be on hand to drive the six-year-old daughter of Camluck-J Cs Nathalie in the $40,000 elimination set for Race 11. Waples confirmed that he is now licensed to drive in both New Jersey and New York.
Dreamfair Eternal, the 5-2 second choice in the morning line who will leave from Post 4 tonight, is coming off a second-place effort to Tug River Princess in the Roses Are Red Stakes on July 24 at Mohawk Racetrack.
"The mare raced great, it was just that the other mare went a huge trip,” said Waples. “We had the rest of the field demolished."
“I thought she gave it her best, she always does,” added Dreamfair Eternal’s trainer, Pat Fletcher. “We were beat by a good horse. We were beat, we can take it," he laughed. "That’s horse racing. She came back a little dehydrated. We’re working on getting her hydration levels back up but we’re not too concerned.”
Fletcher and Dreamfair Eternal arrived in New Jersey at Kristie Leigh Farms on Monday evening at 5 o’clock.
“She actually trains everyday a little mile and everything seems to be right on schedule,” said Fletcher. “She seems to get a little more excited when she’s away from home. She knows what she’s down here for. She shipped down good, not a problem."
“Border crossings are always tough if there’s traffic and heat and humidity and stuff like but I think she takes it as well as any do. It’s hard on any horse really. Eight or nine hours in a trailer is never good for anybody.”
Fletcher says Dreamfair Eternal will stay in New Jersey for about a month’s time. Following the $246,000 Lady Liberty final on August 7, she will take a week off before the $200,000 Golden Girls on August 21.
“When we get back from the Golden Girls, she’s got a month without any stake races and we’re going to take advantage of that and give her a little bit of a break because we’ve gone eight or nine weeks in a row now. The Milton is coming up for her after that and then the Breeders Crown in the fall.”
Dreamfair Eternal, who is owned and bred by John Lamers of Ingersoll, ON, has developed quite a fan following with her eye-catching efforts on track. The 2009 Older Pacing Mare of the Year has won eight times this season, finishing no worse than second in her other three outings to bank $370,500.
“I just want to thank all the people that follow her and support her week to week,” said Fletcher. “I hope to see them on TV [Saturday night].”
“She'll be fine as long as she gets her kind of trip,” added Waples. “The bigger the track, the better it is for her.”
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