The fields of two-year-old trotters that will be featured on the Hambletonian Day undercard are set as Meadowlands Racetrack hosted a pair of $20,000 Jim Doherty Memorial eliminations and a single Peter Haughton Memorial elim on Friday night (July 31).
The top five finishers from each Doherty elimination will advance to the $310,000 final.
Darlene Hanover scored a maiden-breaking victory at odds of 12-1 in the first Doherty elim for fillies despite being forced wide on the final turn when the undefeated favourite Insta Glam broke stride out of fourth.
Andrew McCarthy steered the Chapter Seven-Danielle Hanover filly, who sat near the back of the pack (sixth of seven fillies) through the first three-quarters, wide around the breaker and on to win in 1:54.4 for trainer Brett Bittle and owner Yankeeland Partners LLP.
A :27.4 final frame put her 1-1/2 lengths ahead of runner-up Material Girl, who also closed well, while Hot As Hill edged out late leader May Karp and pacesetter Ineffable (:28.1, :57.2, 1:26.1) in a photo for show.
Bred by Hanover Shoe Farms, Darlene Hanover was a $130,000 yearling purchase at the Harrisburg Sale last year.
Making her third career start, she returned $26.80 to win.
Mazzarati won the second Doherty elimination, which was marred with misbehaving fillies throughout the entire mile.
The Cantab Hall-Falls For You filly, who was bothered early on by a rough-gaited Avenir -- one of three rookies that ended up breaking stride by the :28 quarter pole -- but settled into third for Tim Tetrick.
Ixia Maculata S was challenged for the early lead by Dream Chapter, but the latter broke stride before she was seated and left 3-5 favourite Altar to inherit the pocket ahead of Mazzarati through a half in :58.1. Altar made her move approaching three-quarters in 1:27.4 and took over command into the stretch with Mazzarati following her lead and ready to steal the spoils when the front-runner ran near the wire. The winning time was 1:56 flat.
Avenir followed 1-1/4 lengths behind in second with Altar finishing third but placed fourth behind Ixia Maculata S for violating the breaking rules in the stretch. Sels Choice was a distant fifth following her early miscue.
Mazzarati paid $16.80 to win. Lucas Wallin trains the Fair Winds Farm-bred filly, now two-for-three after being purchased for $100,000 at Harrisburg by Mazza Racing Stables LLC and Stormi And Bruiser Stable.
In the lone Haughton elimination, Plumville Prince split rivals down the stretch and drew off to win in 1:54.2 with Scott Zeron aboard.
Plumville Prince got away fifth while Moonstone S, Venerate and 9-5 favourite Caruso took turns on the front through opening panels of :28.4 and :58. Venerate pulled pocket on Caruso for the retake past the 1:26.2 three-quarters mark, but Plumville Prince came shooting through that pair in convincing fashion, prevailing off a :27.1 final quarter.
Moonstone S chased in second-place, finishing 1-3/4 lengths behind. Venerate held on for third ahead of Media Mogul in a photo finish for third, with Caruso fifth. Zenith Stride and Incentive earned the final spots finishing sixth and seventh, respectively. These seven colts join Locatelli, Spy Booth and Type A in the $324,000 Peter Haughton final.
Plumville Prince returned $13 to win. The homebred Father Patrick-Lady Athens colt, who earned his first career win in his third start, is trained by Rick Zeron for owners Thomas Brice and Charles Receski.
Each elimination winner will draw from inside posts one through six for their starting spot in the finals.
Friday's card also included a pair of $40,000 divisions of the Home Grown. Caviart Audrey (Somebeachsomewhere-Darlins Delight) used a wicked late kick (:25.4 final quarter) to catch 3-5 favourite Grace Hill in taking her lifetime debut in 1:51.4 at odds of 2-1 for Yannick Gingras and Nancy Takter in the split for two-year-old pacing fillies.
The division for two-year-old colts and geldings on the pace saw Summa Cum Laude (the 6-5 slight second choice) blast directly down the road for Dexter Dunn and Ron Burke. The son of Somebeachsomewhere-Western Graduate hit the wire in 1:51.4, a lifetime best. Monterrey Jack, also 6-5, finished third.
Before the betting card, Shake That House, a son of American Ideal-Shake That Junk, went wire-to-wire in 1:49.1, taking the New Jersey Breeders Maturity Final for pacing four-year-old horses and geldings for trainer Tony Alagna and driver Joe Bongiorno. It was 1-1/4 lengths back to Hurrikane Emperor in second.
A Beach Cowgirl (Somebeachsomewhere-Limestone Cowgirl) sat a perfect pocket trip and got up as they hit the wire to gun down JK American Beauty by a nose in a lifetime-best 1:49.4 for Annie Stoebe and Andy McCarthy in the New Jersey Breeders Maturity Final for four-year-old mares on the pace.
Total wagering exceeded the $3 million mark for the eighth time this year at the Big M with $3,065,942 pushed through the windows on the 13-race card. That number represented a 34 per cent increase over the corresponding program from a year ago.
Racing resumes Saturday at 7:15 p.m., featuring two eliminations for the $1 million Hambletonian, which will be contested on August 8.