A pair of stars shined bright on Friday night at The Meadowlands as the New Jersey Classic had nine $33,784 eliminations for two and three-year-olds of each sex and gait.
The eight event finals take place on Friday, Sept. 6, with estimated purses totalling $1.7 million USD.
Sig Sauer, the Noel Daley trainee who took down Karl on July 13 in the Stanley Dancer, followed up his win in the Beal 13 days ago at Pocono Downs with a strong performance in his Classic elim for three-year-old male trotters.
Driver Andy McCarthy had the son of Muscle Hill-Sigilwig in the four-hole past the quarter before using a swift brush to grab the front at the half in :57. From there, Sig Sauer powered clear at three-quarters by 2-3/4 lengths on the way to a safe 2-1/4-length score in 1:52. Bellas Musclehill was second with Mr Bluebird third.
“Yeah, he’s great,” said Daley. “He's really come along. He's doing everything very professionally.
“He's not a front-end horse; he'd rather chase someone down. But, you know, I'm glad that he's shown that he can do it his last two starts. That's not his preferred mode, so I'm real happy with him.”
Now seven-for-11 lifetime, Sig Sauer went over the $700,000 mark in career earnings. He returned $2.10 to his backers as the 1-20 favourite.
In what was the most impressive rally of the night, Hambletonian Oaks champ Warrawee Michelle upped her win streak to three in an elim for three-year-old fillies on the trot, storming home to score in 1:53 for trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt.
Kept well off the action in the early stages, ‘Michelle’ found herself seventh at three-quarters with seven lengths to make up as 95-1 chance Tandem Hanover hit that station in 1:24.1. Svanstedt tipped the daughter of Walner-Sound Check wide off the far turn for the stretch drive and got up after a furious rally just in the nick of time to best Tandem Hanover by a head. Miss I La was right there with the top two at the wire, finishing third.
Warrawee Michelle, who paid $2.20 to win as the 1-9 public choice, upped her lifetime stats to seven wins from 15 starts. The millionaire filly will undoubtedly be a short price in next week’s $275,000 USD (est.) final.
In what was another eye-popping performance, Chaparmbro spotted her foes seven lengths after a tardy start in the other elim for three-year-old filly trotters, then Yannick Gingras worked his partner back into it with a second-over trip before prevailing by a head over 6-5 favourite Buy A Round as the 4-1 third choice for trainer Ron Burke. The daughter of Chapter Seven-Armbro Deja Vu stopped the clock in 1:54.4.
The other elim for sophomore male trotters went to Benny J in 1:52.1 with Joe Bongiorno driving for trainer Tony Alagna.
In the two-year-old male trot elims, the Canadian-campaigned Go Ahead Makemyday made his stateside debut a winning one in 1:54.4 for trainer Blake MacIntosh and Hidalgo, a $600,000 yearling purchase, gave Gingras and Burke another elim win, scoring in 1:54.3.
The two-year-old trotting filly elim winners were Lady Landia in 1:54.1 for trainer/driver Svanstedt and the Lucas Wallin stable's Delaney Hanover in 1:54 in rein to Todd McCarthy.
Gingras also drove the Nancy Takter-trained two-year-old pacing filly My Sweet Lily to a 1:52.4 elim win.
All-source handle on the 14-race card totalled $2,692,999 USD.
Racing resumes on Saturday at 6:20 p.m.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)