Meadowlands Racetrack hosted leg three of the New Jersey Sire Stakes for two-year-olds of each sex and gait on Friday, July 31. Platinum division races went for a purse of $35,211 while Silver dashes were contested for $14,085.
Wall Of Fame, a product of Walner-Saadet, remained perfect in three Platinum-level filly trots for the driver and trainer, husband and wife team of Andy and Julie Miller, and stamped herself as one of the major players in the six-figure final, which takes place on Hambletonian Day, Aug. 8.
Racing in the four-hole down the backstretch, Wall Of Fame vacated the rail at the five-eighths, made up ground on leader Loves Passion (Dexter Dunn) nearing the far turn, had to swerve into the three-lane when Dandelion Wine (Ake Svanstedt) popped out of the pocket for the stretch drive, but continued to gain through the lane – after a slight stall – before going on to half-length win over Dandelion Wine. Dejeuner (Andy McCarthy) rounded out the top three.
“We’re just taking it race-by-race for now,” said Andy Miller. “She was kind of staying alongside [Dandelion Wine through the stretch], but when I hollered at her, she got going again. She’ll be in the Sire Stakes final next week and then we’ll decide from there [what we are going to do].”
As the 1-9 favourite, Wall Of Fame returned $2.20 to win after completing the mile in 1:52.3.
A $83,333 Lexington Select Yearling Sale purchase, the filly is owned by Andy Miller Stable of Cream Ridge, New Jersey, Jean Goehlen of Franconia, New Hampshire, Hutchison Harness of North Ridgeville, Ohio and Rick Huffman of Sigourney, Iowa.
In the other Platinum filly trot, Nevis Peak improved to two-for-two as she lowered her lifetime mark to 1:53.4, prevailing off a pocket trip from behind tempo-setter Rio De Janeiro (Scott Zeron) and going on to win by 2-3/4 lengths over favoured Grandiflora (Todd McCarthy) and Caught Speeding (Tim Tetrick). She paid $5.80 as the 9-5 second choice.
Yannick Gingras drove the Walner-Ramona Hill filly, a $352,113 yearling purchase from the Standardbred Horse Sale, for trainer Ron Burke and owners Burke Racing Stable of Fredericktown, Pennsylvania, Crawford Farms Racing of Syracuse, New York, Brad Grant of Milton, Ont., and Lawrence Karr of Boca Raton, Florida.
Wrong Sounds Right recorded his second victory in three tries after taking a split for Platinum-level colts and geldings on the trot for driver Todd McCarthy, trainer Jim Campbell and owner Runthetable Stables of Montvale, New Jersey.
The homebred colt by Tactical Landing-Broadway Jo Ell used a wicked brush onto and around the far turn to challenge leader Lifetime Dreamer (Ake Svanstedt) and was strong through the stretch to record a one-length score over Presidente (Scott Zeron) in a lifetime-best 1:53. Mats (Yannick Gingras), the odds-on favourite, finished third.
“He’s come along very nicely,” said Todd McCarthy. “We’re really happy with him. He was pretty quiet in his qualifiers but now we’ve been able to kind of open him up a little bit and now he’s coming along quite nicely. Jim’s doing a great job with him. He’s showing a lot of talent right now and we’re just looking forward to next week and hopefully he comes out of tonight happy and healthy and we are hoping for a good draw next week [in the final].”
Sent off as the 12-1 fourth choice, Wrong Sounds Right returned $26 to win.
Aintmyfirstro Deo in now undefeated in three Platinum tilts for male pacers after leading wire-to-wire in a career-best 1:52 non-betting division. Driven by Scott Zeron for trainer Megan Scan, the Perfect Sting-Some Renditions gelding held off pocket-pursuer Velvet Ditch (Tim Tetrick) by half a length while We Want Eazy (Todd McCarthy) completed the field.
Another winner for owner Hutchison Harness, Aintmyfirstro Deo surpassed his $37,500 Lexington price tag in his third successful start.
In the Platinum filly pace, Perfect Hope Deo outsprinted Perfect Body (Brett Beckwith) to win by a head in 1:52 and break her maiden in her third start for driver Andy McCarthy and trainer Noel Daley. Sterl The Pearl (Joe Bongiorno) finished a length behind in third. The winner paid $12.60 as the 5-1 fourth choice in the betting.
The Perfect Sting-Machnhope miss, who went through the Lexington ring for a $76,389 price, is owned by Daley and partners Deo Volente Farms of Flemington, New Jersey, Joe Sbrocco And Jaf Racing of Staten Island, New York and L A Express Stable of Lincoln University, Pennsylvania.
Trainer Linda Toscano sent out a pair of Silver division winners, including filly pacer Perfect Kiss (Perfect Sting-Dr Js Kiss), a 1:53.4 first-time winner in rein to Todd McCarthy, and trotting colt Maxman (Walner-Lovely Lindy), who lowered his mark to 1:55.2 in his second win with Tim Tetrick in the driver's seat.
Tetrick also drove the Richard Johnson-trained filly trotter Declan Shea (Tactical Landing-Mymomsablizzard) to a 1:56 maiden-breaking score in the Silver section.
Another first winner in the Silver filly trots, Day One Dandy (Walner-Delilah Hanover) scored in 1:54 with Scott Zeron aboard for the Nifty Norman stable.
Driven by Yannick Gingras for trainer Ake Svanstedt, Wyoming (Walner-Wahoo Broline S) became a winner with a 1:55.2 effort in a split for the male trotters.
Another non-wagering dash was a Silver colt and gelding pace won by Jerzy George (Lazarus N-Holy Trinity), with Andy McCarthy in the sulky for trainer Chris Freck. He won for the second time and dropped his lifetime mark to 1:53.3.
All-source betting on the 15-race program totalled $2,500,176 USD.
Racing resumes on Saturday at 6:20 p.m. with a 14-race card that features eliminations for the $1 million USD Hambletonian and $500,000 USD Hambletonian Oaks.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack; photo of Wall Of Fame winning on July 31)