Muscle Hill breezed to his twelfth straight victory in the last of three $70,000 eliminations for the Hambletonian during Saturday night's action-packed program at the Meadowlands Racetrack
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The colt is the overwhelming favourite heading into the $1.5 million Hambletonian, harness racing's most prestigious event, on Saturday, August 8.
Driver Brian Sears floated Muscle Hill [$2.20, $2.10] fifth off the gate and bided his time until picking up cover behind Triumphant Caviar and Luc Ouellette at the half. Sears angled Muscle Hill three-wide on the final turn and he drew off to a 2 3/4 length victory over Triumphant Caviar [$9.60] in 1:52.3. The Chancellor and Andy Miller held third after carving the fractions in the ninth race tilt.
The top three finishers in each elimination, plus the fourth-place finisher with the highest overall earnings, advanced to the final.
Muscle Hill - Hambletonian Elim #3
"He was always good at [racing off the pace] last year," Sears said. "After last week, leaving hard from the rail and being aggressive early, I was glad to remind him that we can race off the pace and he did it well. I didn't want anything silly to happen and just eased my way around the first turn. I thought Explosive Matter was very good tonight. It's going to be a horse race [next week], there's no doubt."
Muscle Hill, trained by Greg Peck, is undefeated in four starts this season. The 2008 Two-Year-Old Trotting Colt of the Year counts the $185,250 Stanley Dancer Memorial and $200,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes Championship among those wins. The son of 1998 Hambletonian winner Muscles Yankee is vying to become the third freshman Dan Patch champion in as many years to win the Hambletonian. Donato Hanover (2007) and Deweycheatumnhowe (2008) were able to duplicate their freshman success and win the Hambletonian on their way to Trotter of the Year honours.
Muscle Hill is owned by Jerry Silva of Long Beach, New York, TLP Stable of Kearny, Southwind Farm of Pennington and Muscle Hill Racing of Long Beach, New Jersey.
A shipping accident yesterday did not shake Explosive Matter's confidence. The colt won the first of the three Hambletonian eliminations under wraps in a career best 1:52.3.
Driver Ron Pierce carefully settled Explosive Matter [$2.60, $2.20, $2.10] into fifth off the gate before sending him up to clear the lead from Citation Lindy and Ray Schnittker before the half. Explosive Matter opened up on the final turn and held off Hot Shot Blue Chip [$7.80, $4.80] and Mike Lachance by 1 1/2 lengths in the seventh race. Reinsman Hanover [$2.80], with Brian Sears, was a distanced third.
Explosive Matter - Hambletonian Elim #1
Explosive Matter, trained by Noel Daley, was returning home from a training session in the pool Friday morning when his trailer encountered another vehicle on a narrow country road and overturned. The colt, who was traveling with his caretaker Emma Pettersson, came out of the accident with just minor scrapes.
"Yesterday he spent an hour in a ditch in the trailer," Daley said. "The trailer went off the road and the horse went down. We couldn't get him out for about an hour, but he came out of it pretty good. He was pretty hot when he came out of there, it was a pretty warm day, but he was pretty relaxed. He ate up [all his food] last night and this morning. We gave him a jog this morning to make sure everything was all right and he seemed pretty good."
Explosive Matter, bred and owned by Adam Victor & Son Stable of New York, New York, improved his record to three wins in five starts this season. The son of Cantab Hall was one of the top colts of his freshman class last year, winning six of eight starts and $363,415.
Symphonic Hanover [$33.30, $13.40, $22.60] and driver David Miller pulled off the upset in the second of the eliminations with a game first over effort.
Symphonic Hanover sat fourth as Federal Flex and Jody Jamieson, the 1-5 favourite, crossed over to take the lead from Judge Joe and Doug Ackerman in a :56.2 half before angling off the pylons. He reached the wheel of the leader on the final turn and drew off to three-length margin over Judge Joe [$7.60, $15.20] in 1:54.1. Calchips Brute [$31.60], with Brian Sears, completed a $2,631 trifecta in the eighth race.
Federal Flex's $730,000 bankroll advanced him to the final as the top fourth-place money earner.
Symphonic Hanover - Hambletonian Elim #2
Symphonic Hanover has now won three of five starts this season for trainer Jonas Czernyson, who also qualified Hot Shot Blue Chip for the Hambletonian Final. The son of Cantab Hall was a $65,000 yearling purchase by the Symphonic Hanover Stable of Delray Beach, Florida.
Canadian Fillies Fierce In Oaks Elims
The field for the $783,042 Hambletonian Oaks for three-year-old trotting fillies was decided by a quartet of elimination races on Saturday night at the Meadowlands Racetrack, and three of those fillies have solid Canadian connections
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The top two finishers, plus the two third-place fillies with the highest career earnings, advanced to the Oaks Final, the companion to harness racing's most prestigious event, the $1.5 million Hambletonian, on Saturday, August 8.
Just a few hours after capturing The Adios at The Meadows with Vintage Master, Dan Dube steered Ok To Play to a sparkling wire-to-wire score in the first of the $35,000 Oaks splits. Ok To Play posted her first win in nine starts this year with a 1:53.3 mile. It was 4 3/4 lengths back to Jersey AS (Tim Tetrick) in second. I Wanted Wings (Brian Sears) rallied from second-over to finish third and also advance to the final.
Ok To Play is trained by Marcus Johansson, the son-in-law of Vintage Master's conditioner, Jimmy Takter. The daughter of Yankee Glide-Olympic Light was a $105,000 yearling purchase by Daniel Plouffe of Bedford and Jean Claude Dessureault of Candiac, Que.
Elusive Desire, one of the top fillies of the sophomore class in Canada, continued her winning ways south of the border as she rolled to her fifth straight victory in the second Oaks elim. John Campbell steered the Angus Hall lass to a career best 1:53.2 effort, the fastest of the elim clockings. Moonlight Kronos (Tim Tetrick) finished 3 1/2 lengths behind in second.
Mike Keeling trains Elusive Desire for Paula Wellwood of Cambridge, Charlie Armstrong of Brampton and Robert Fasken of Oakville, Ont.
Raising Rachel prevailed in a duel to the wire with the 2008 divisional champion Honorable Daughter (John Campbell) in the third Oaks elim. Driven by Jack Moiseyev, Raising Rachel posted her third win in six starts this season with the 1:54.1 score.
John Kopas trains the daughter of Yankee Glide for Melvin Hartman of Ottawa, Kr Stable of Milton and Doug Millard of Woodstock, Ont. and the estate of George Hempt of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.
Broadway Schooner made a bold brush to the lead down the backstretch and sailed to a 6 1/4-length victory in the final Oaks elimination. Driven by Brian Sears, Broadway Schooner trotted to a career best 1:53.3.
Jim Campbell trains the homebred daughter of Broadway Hall for Arlene and Jules Siegel of New Hope, Pennsylvania. Margarita Momma (Ron Pierce) and Timelesswinner Two (Andy Miller), the respective second and third-place finishers, also qualified for the Oaks Final.
Southwind Tempo Is ‘Golden’
Southwind Tempo added another trophy to her mantle when she won the $200,000 Golden Girls free for all mares pace during the Hambletonian elimination undercard on Saturday night at the Meadowlands Racetrack.
Tim Tetrick took the Bettors Delight-Tsunami Hanover mare from third to the front of the field ahead of Hana Hanover (George Brennan) after a :28-second first quarter. The 1-5 favourite led the way past the remaining panels of :55.2 and 1:23.2 before hustling home in :26.4 to seal the deal. Southwind Tempo prevailed by three-quarters of a length in 1:50.1 over Hana Hanover with A And Gs Confusion (David Miller) finishing third.
Southwind Tempo is trained by Darren McCall for owners Jerry Silva of Long Beach, New York and the Let It Ride Stables of Delray Beach, Florida. The five-year-old mare, who sports a 2009 record reading 6-3-2 in 11 starts with $697,705 earned, also won the Betsy Ross final, Classic Distaff and Lady Liberty earlier this year. The winner of 32 races lifetime is nearing the $2 million mark in earnings and has banked $1,993,131 to date.
Jeremys Successor Takes Invite
Fresh off a victory in Yonkers Raceway’s Open Pace last Saturday, Jeremys Successor pulled off a 10-1 upset in this week’s $31,500 Invitational Pace featured on the Meadowlands Racetrack’s Hambletonian elimination undercard.
With George Brennan at the lines, the Mach Three son out of Gentle Audrey gunned off the gate and put up a :26.3 opening quarter before settling for a pocket trip behind Shadow Play (David Miller). After reaching the half in :54.3, Shadow Play turned back a challenge from the favoured Shark Gesture (Tim Tetrick), but was unable to fend off a quick-closing Jeremys Successor. The Dean Eckley pupil found room at the rail and paced home in :26.2 to capture the win by a head in a life’s best 1:48.4. Montecito N (Ron Pierce) came on for third.
Andrea Hill of San Di Ego, California owns the winner of seven races in 15 starts this year and $135,720. The five-year-old bay gelding’s 11th lifetime score bumped his earnings over the $200,000 plateau.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click here.
(With files from NJSEA)