Grand Circuit competition makes its way to East Rutherford, NJ on Saturday, July 13 with the top harness racing prospects on the continent gathering to race on the Meadowlands Pace program.
North America Cup winner Captain Crunch fronts the $682,650 Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace off a 1:48.3 victory in his elimination over Workin Ona Mystery. The Nancy Johansson-trained son of Captaintreacherous, who passed $1 million in earnings with his “Cup” victory, starts from post 1 in the headlining event with Scott Zeron driving for owners 3 Brothers Stables, Christina Takter, Rojan Stables and Caviart Farms.
The other Meadowlands Pace elimination winner Bettors Wish—who finished runner-up in the Cup—starts from post 4. The Chris Ryder-trained Bettors Delight colt won his Meadowlands Pace elimination in 1:49.1 under wraps while chased by Best In Show and Hurrikane Emperor. Dexter Dunn will drive the winner of 10 races from 18 starts for owners Chris Ryder, Bella Racing, Fair Island Farm and Kenneth Solomon.
Hambletonian hopefuls will contest in two $153,000 divisions of the Stanley Dancer Memorial (Races 3 & 5) while Oaks hopefuls will start in two divisions of the Del Miller Memorial (Races 2 & 11).
Green Manalishi S—among Melander’s “G Boys”—starts from post 4 in the first division of the Stanley Dancer Memorial. The Muscle Hill colt enters off a third-place finish in the $500,000 Earl Beal Jr. Memorial, where he chased winner Marseille and stable-mate Greenshoe in a final-half sprint to the finish. With over $500,000 banked, the William Wellwood Memorial winner races for owner Courant Inc. and will have Tim Tetrick in the sulky.
Inside of Green Manalishi S, Swandre The Giant—who started his career undefeated from seven starts—competes from post 2 with David Miller driving for owners Diamond Creek Racing, J & T Silva Stables and Howard Taylor. The Ron Burke-trained Swan For All colt finished fourth in the Earl Beal Jr. Memorial Final and fourth in the $185,250 Goodtimes Trot to Pilot Discretion.
Division two of the Stanley Dancer draws Goodtimes winner Pilot Discretion as he puts his undefeated record on the line. Winning all six of his starts and earning over $100,000, the Tony Alagna-trainer Muscle Hill colt recently qualified in 1:51.4 at the Meadowlands ahead of post-1 starter Dont Letem with a :26.4 final quarter. Andrew McCarthy will steer Pilot Discretion from post 3 for owners Robert Lebland, David Anderson and John Fodera.
Pilot Discretion will have to best Greenshoe, who starts from post 7, to stay undefeated. The Father Patrick colt holds a 1:50.2 lifetime mark set at the Meadowlands in the New Jersey Sires Stakes final. The Marcus Melander trainee will try to rebound from the Beal Final for owners Courant Inc., Hans Backe, Lars Granqvist and Morten Langli. Brian Sears remains in the bike.
In the opening division of the Del Miller, New Jersey Sires Stakes champ Evident Beauty will make her second start in a month following a fifth-place finish as the odds-on favourite in the Reynolds. Richard “Nifty” Norman conditions the Trixton filly, who’s earned $374,825, for owners Melvin Hartman, Little E LLC and R A W Equine Inc. David Miller sits in the bike from post 5.
Millies Possesion will try to stay undefeated when she starts from post 3 in the second division of the Del Miller. The daughter of Possess The Will bested her peers in a lifetime-best 1:51.1 when winning a division of the Reynolds last week while parking the mile. Dexter Dunn sits in the bike for trainer Jim Campbell and owner Fashion Farms LLC.
Merrie Annabelle winner The Ice Dutchess makes her first Grand Circuit appearance in the same division. Off since June 28—when she finished third to Hambo contenders Soul Strong and Sheenas Boy—The Ice Dutchess won at the Meadowlands in her first start of the year, besting older foes to win in a career-best 1:52. Rapidly approaching $500,000 in earnings, The Ice Dutchess competes for owner Coyote Wynd Farms and will start from post 6 with Yannick Gingras driving.
Fresh from a 1:49.4 trotting world record, Darling Mearas S leads a single division of trotting mares for a preliminary of the Miss Versatility. The Ake Svanstedt trainee broke in her first stateside start—an elimination for the Armbro Flight—and came back a month later to set her speed mark. Earning over three-quarters of a million dollars, Darling Mearas S will have Sexter Dunn in the bike from post 3 for owner Snogarps Gard.
Aged pacing mares open the added-distance action with the $179,550 Golden Girls, which goes one-and-one-eighth miles. Division-leader Shartin N enters the 11-horse affair with only one loss from 10 starts this season and over $1.6 million earned in her career. The Jim King Jr.-trained six-year-old Tintin In America mare enters off a 1:49 victory in a division of the Great Northeastern Open Series at Harrah’s Philadelphia with regular-driver Tim Tetrick in the bike. She’ll start from post 4 for owners Richard Poillucci, Joanne Looney-King and Tim Tetrick LLC.
The $450,000 Hambletonian Maturity, a four-year-old open that follows the Golden Girls, attracts Atlanta off a 1:49.1 mile in the $250,000 Graduate Final. The daughter of Chapter Seven has not lost from six starts this season, which includes wins in the elimination and final of the Armbro Flight. Ron Burke conditions the earner of $1.4 million for owners Crawford Farms, Brad Grant and Howard Taylor.
Drawing the second tier in the Maturity, Six Pack—who trotted a 1:49.1 mile in the Kentucky Futurity Final last year—has another shot to beat Atlanta after losing by a neck last week. Owned by trainer-driver Ake Svanstedt, Little E LLC, Knutsson Trotting, Stall Kalmar and L Berg Inc., Six Pack has accrued $1.4 million in earnings.
Equaling the all-time mile record when winning the $250,000 Graduate Pace Final in 1:46, Lather Up returns to the track to go an extra eighth in the $423,000 William Haughton Memorial. Earning over $1 million, the Clyde Francis trainee has five wins from eight starts this season and 20 from 33 overall. The four-year-old Im Gorgeous stallion flanks 2018 Horse of the Year Mcwicked from post 5 with Montrell Teague in the bike.
The companion event to the Meadowlands Pace, the $207,700 will start 12 going an added distance while also congregating the top-three Lynch finishers. Warrawee Ubeaut, who set a 1:48.3 world record for her division last year at The Red Mile, starts from post 2 for owners Burke Racing Stable, Phil Collura, J & T Silva Stables, Purnel & Libby and Weaver Bruscemi. Yannick Gingras drives the Ron Burke trainee as she continues her campaign towards $1 million in earnings.
Zero Tolerance, finishing second in the Lynch Final, starts from post 7 for owners Val D’Or Farms and Ted Gewertz. David Miller drives the daughter of Heston Blue Chip for trainer Joe Holloway as the New York Sires Stakes star makes her second Grand Circuit-final start of the season.
Stonebridge Soul, who won the James Lynch Memorial after finishing fourth in the Fan Hanover, draws post 8 for owners Hendesron Farms and Robert Mondillo. The win in the Lynch pushed the daughter of Somebeachsomewhere’s earnings over a quarter-million dollars. Tim Tetrick stays in the sulky for trainer Chris Ryder.
The Meadowlands Pace program features 13 races total with the main event going as Race 8. First-race post time for the Saturday card is 7:15 p.m.
To view the proof for Saturday's program at the Meadowlands, click this link: Saturday Proof - Meadowlands Racetrack.
The horses and post positions for the major events on Meadowlands Pace Night, Saturday, July 13, at the Meadowlands Racetrack, appear below.
RACE 2
$124,000 Del Miller Memorial
(three-year-old filly trot – 1st division)
(Post – Horse)
1 – Miss Trixton
2 – Beautiful Sin
3 – Sonnet Grace
4 – Cloud Nine Fashion
5 – Evident Beauty
6 – Special Honor
RACE 3
$153,000 Stanley Dancer Memorial
(three-year-old open trot – 1st division)
(Post – Horse)
1 – Sheer Muscle
2 – Swandre The Giant
3 – Gerry
4 – Green Manalishi S
5 – Summit In Sight
6 – Reign Of Honor
7 – Osterc
RACE 4
$40,000 Miss Versatility
(mares open trot – 2nd leg)
(Post – Horse)
1 – Ice Attraction
2 – The Erm
3 – Darling Mearas S
4 – Hannelore Hanover
5 – Top Expectations
6 – Pat Matters
7 – Plunge Blue Chip
8 – Satin Dancer
RACE 5
$153,000 Stanley Dancer Memorial
(three-year-old open trot – 2nd division)
(Post – Horse)
1 – Dont LetEm
2 – Final Claim
3 – Pilot Discretion
4 – Mass Fortune K
5 – Super Schissel
6 – Southwind Avenger
7 – Greenshoe
RACE 6
$179,550 Golden Girls
(free-for-all mares pace – contested at 1 1/8 miles)
(Post – Horse)
1 – Reclamation
2 – Divas Image
3 – Kissin In The Sand
4 – Shartin N
5 – Apple Bottom Jeans
6 – Seaswift Joy N
7 – Wisdom Tree
8 – Youaremycandygirl
9 – Alexas Power
10 – Caviart Ally
11 – Bettor Joy N
RACE 7
$450,000 Hambletonian Maturity
(four-year-old open trot – contested at 1 1/8 miles)
(Post – Horse)
1 – Run Director
2 – Phaetosive
3 – Fiftydallarbill
4 – Atlanta
5 – Manchego
6 – Custom Cantab
7 – Crystal Fashion
8 – Muscle M Up
9 – Southwind Chrome
10 – Mission Accepted
11 – Six Pack
RACE 8
$682,650 Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace
(three-year-old open, with morning-line odds)
(Post – Horse – Morning Line Odds)
1 – Captain Crunch – 2-1
2 – Escapetothebeach – 15-1
3 – Captain Ahab – 12-1
4 – Bettors Wish – 3-1
5 – Hurrikane Emperor – 10-1
6 – Reigning Deo – 15-1
7 – Best In Show – 10-1
8 – U S Captain – 12-1
9 – Workin Ona Mystery – 5-1
10 – Captain Trevor – 15-1
RACE 9
$423,000 William Haughton Memorial
(free-for-all pace – contested at 1 1/8 miles)
(Post – Horse)
1 – Endeavor
2 – Duplicated N
3 – Beckhams Z Tam
4 – Always A Prince
5 – Lather Up
6 – McWicked
7 – Western Joe
8 – Highalator
9 – Dorsoduro Hanover
10 – This Is The Plan
11 – Dealt A Winner
12 – Filibuster Hanover
RACE 10
$207,700 Mistletoe Shalee
(three-year-old filly pace – contested at 1 1/8 miles)
(Post – Horse)
1 – Sylph Hanover
2 – Warrawee Ubeaut
3 – Tall Drink Hanover
4 – Trillions Hanover
5 – Rose Run Uptowngal
6 – Philly Hanover
7 – Zero Tolerance
8 – Stonebridge Soul
9 – St Somewhere
10 – Sweet Lucy Lou
11 – Shes Allright
12 – Renaissance Lady K
RACE 11
$126,500 Del Miller Memorial
(three-year-old filly trot – 2nd division)
(Post – Horse)
1 – Sisters Promise
2 – Princess Deo
3 – Millies Possesion
4 – Asiago
5 – Queen Of Trixs
6 – The Ice Dutchess
7 – Starita
The 13-race card will get underway at 7:15 p.m. and purses will total $2,597,900. The Meadowlands Pace is scheduled to head to post at 10:10 p.m.