Hambletonian Day is nearly here and Canadian connections are plastered all over Saturday’s spectacular card at The Meadowlands.
A total of 11 stakes will be contested on the 16-race program on Saturday afternoon (August 6) at The Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Hambletonian card is stacked from top to bottom and here is a breakdown of what Canadian racing fans can keep an eye on. While there are many ex-patriots and Canadian-born participants present throughout the program, the current Canadian-based connections have been highlighted below.
For a free Hambletonian program courtesy The Meadowlands and TrackMaster, click the following link: 2016 Hambletonian Program
Canadian Hambletonian Hopefuls
The main event is the 91st edition of the Hambletonian for three-year-old trotters. A group of 18 sophomore trotters have been split into a pair of $70,000 eliminations with the top five finishers from each heat returning for the $1 million final later in the afternoon.
Marion Marauder will carry the Canadian flag in this year’s Hambletonian for trainers Mike Keeling and Paula Wellwood of Cambridge, Ont. Owned by Marion Jean Wellwood of Stratford, Ont. and Devin Keeling of Cambridge, Ont., Marion Marauder has won four of five starts this season, including the $268,000 Goodtimes at Mohawk Racetrack.
Former WEG top driver Scott Zeron will handle the driving duties behind Marion Marauder, who will square off against Hambletonian favourite Southwind Frank in the second elimination.
Marion Marauder will look to become the first Ontario-trained winner of the Hambletonian since Glidemaster won America’s most prestigious trotting race in 2006 for Blair Burgess.
Marion Marauder may be the only horse fully-owned and trained on this side of the border, but horses with Canadian ties can be found throughout the Hambletonian field.
Marvin Katz of Toronto and Al Libfeld of Pickering, Ont. co-own Jimmy Takter trainee Bar Hopping in the first elimination and their homebred Hollywood Highway of the Staffan Lind barn in the second split.
As always, one of the top owners in the sport, John Fielding of Toronto, will be well represented. He co-owns Lagerfeld, along with brother Jim, in the first elimination and Jimmy William and Love Matters in the second. All three horses are trained by Takter.
Additionally, Edward Wilson of Seaforth, Ont. is one of the breeders of The Royal Harry, who will compete from the Ake Svanstedt stable in the second elimination.
O'Brien Award Winner Among Oaks Hopefuls
Caprice Hill has dominated the Ontario Sires Stakes and now she will look to add the Hambletonian Oaks to her list of accomplishments. The Tony Alagna-trained trotting filly was last year’s O’Brien Award winner and this season she has won three of five starts. After finishing second in last week’s elimination, she will start from the rail on Saturday for owner Tom Hill of Hamilton, Ont.
Katz and Libfeld will send out their Takter-trained homebred filly All The Time from post six in the Oaks while Alagna trainee Double Exposure will try to overcome an outside post in the field of 10 for co-owner Melvin Hartman of Ottawa, Ont. Wildflower was bred in partnership by Doug Millard of Woodstock, Ont., and the Svandstedt trainee has drawn post eight.
Shamballa Tackles The Big Three
Shamballa has been a fan favourite on the WEG Circuit for the past couple seasons and on Saturday the six-year-old will tackle harness racing’s “Big Three.” Always B Miki, Wiggle It Jiggleit and Freaky Feet Pete headline the U.S. Pacing Championship, but Shamballa will look to spoil the party for trainer/co-owner Rick Zeron of Oakville, Ont.
Shamballa, who finished third by a nose in last week’s Preferred at Mohawk, was a game second to Always B Miki in the William Haughton Memorial on July 16 at The Meadowlands. Zeron's son Scott will drive Shamballa, who was bred by Gestionspauldeslauriers I of Saint-Apollinaire, Que. He has drawn post two.
Starting outside from post seven, Melmerby Beach has Canadian breeding ties. Now trained by Ettore Annunziata, the five-year-old pacer was bred by the Schooner Ii Stable of Bible Hill, N.S. and began his career north of the border.
Flanagan Memory To Defend Cashman Title?
Flanagan Memory has dominated the Mohawk Preferred Trot over recent weeks and now the son of Kadabra heads back to the site of one of his biggest career victories. The six-year-old millionaire trotter scored a 9-1 upset victory in last year’s edition of the John Cashman Memorial.
Flanagan Memory, who has won four of seven starts this season (all in the Mohawk Preferred), will team up with his regular driver Chris Christoforou of Campbellville, Ont. in Saturday’s Cashman for trainer Rene Dion of Saint-Lazare, Que., and co-owner Liette Flanagan of Repentigny, Que. Flanagan is the daughter of the trotter's late breeder Michel Flanagan.
The Svanstedt stable's O'Brien Award winner Resolve, who was bred in part by Edward Wilson, will leave from mid-pack while JL Cruze starts from post seven with Il Sogno Dream to his outside and Canepa Hanover in the 10-hole for their Canadian-based connections. The Eric Ell stable's JL Cruze was bred by Joanne Morrison of Beeton, Ont. and Glengate Farms of Campbellville, Ont. The Chris Beaver-trained Il Sogno Dream is campaigned by Ontario owners Bill Manes of Rockwood, Dan Manes of Erin, Leonard Christopher of Acton and Randy Christopher of Rockwood. The five-year-old trotter was bred by Reve Avec Moi Dreamwithme of Grand Valley, Ont. The Katz-Libfeld connection are joined by Toronto's Sam Goldband among the partners on Canepa Hanover.
Local Mares Going For Signature Victory
The Fresh Yankee for older trotting mares and Lady Liberty for older pacing mares both feature overflow fields of 12 and both will have a pair of Canadian-trained and owned starters.
Elegant Serenity (post 10) and Rockin With Dewey (post two) will try their best to take down monster mare Hannelore Hanover in the Fresh Yankee.
Doug Millard's homebred Kadabra mare Elegant Serenity has a Grand Circuit victory this season in a leg of the Miss Versatility for trainer/driver Roger Mayotte of Mississauga, Ont. Rockin With Dewey also has a Miss Versatility victory this season for trainer Ben Baillargeon of Guelph, Ont., and his co-owner Diane Ingham of Mount Pleasant, Ont. Ingham also bred the mare with Harry Rutherford of Mount Pleasant, Ont.
Co-owned by John Fielding, the Takter-trained double millionaress Shake It Cerry will start from post nine in the Fresh Yankee while the Ron Burke stable's Kelseys Keepsake, co-owned by David Heffering of Port Perry, Ont., and Patti Harmon trainee Swishnflick, bred by Allen Colquhoun of Guelph, Ont. and Dr. J. Keith Colquhoun, of Rockwood, Ont., will both start from the trailing tier.
O'Brien Award winners Solar Sister (post five) and Lady Shadow (post 12) will headline the Lady Liberty.
Four-year-old Mach Three mare Solar Sister has transitioned well to the older ranks this season and most recently finished second in the Golden Girls for Guelph, Ont. trainer Gregg McNair and owners/breeders David Willmot of King City, Ont. and Clay Harland Horner of Toronto.
Trained by Ron Adams of Lasalle, Ont., Lady Shadow is the mare to beat in the Lady Liberty from the second tier. The reigning divisional champion was the Golden Girls winner at The Meadowlands and also won the Roses Are Red earlier at Mohawk. The millionaire daughter of Shadow Play is owned in part by David Kryway of Amherstburg, Ont.
Making Another Moment
Fresh off his Meadowlands Pace victory, Control The Moment will look for another signature victory in the Cane Pace. Last year’s O’Brien Award winner and Metro Pace champion has won three of seven starts this season and over $555,000 for Guelph-based conditioner and co-owner Brad Maxwell. The millionaire sophomore colt has post four in the oversized field that will compete in the first leg of Pacing's Triple Crown. Control The Moment's owners include Toronto's Ben Mudry and Tara Hills Stud of Port Perry, Ont. He was bred by Dr. Fred S. Kruszelnicki of Brooks, Alta.
Other Cane contenders with Canadian-based connections are Adrian Hanover, Manhattan Beach and Highlandbeachycove, who will all be leaving just to the outside of Control The Moment. Adrian Hanover, who hails from the Chris Oakes stable, is owned by John Craig of North York, Ont. The Burke-trained Manhattan Beach was bred by Gregory Martin of Calgary, Alta., and his ownership group includes Geoffrey Lyons Mound of Brantford, Ont. The Alagna-campaigned Highlandbeachcove was bred by Highland Thoroughbred Farm of Inglewood, Ont., and he is co-owned by Alan Alber of Thornhill, Ont.
Undefeated Two-Year-Old Trotters
Katz and Libfeld's homebred trotting filly Ariana G will aim to keep her perfect record in tact in the Jim Doherty Memorial. The Takter-trained freshman is three-for-three with prior wins in the New Jersey Sire Stakes and Doherty elimination. She will start from the inside post position in Saturday's final.
The Katz-Libfeld duo are also part of the ownership contingent of Ariana G's stablemate Thats All Moni, who was a $230,000 Lexington Selected Sale yearling. An elimination runner-up, Thats All Moni has two prior wins in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes. She will start from post eight as she looks to accomplish something her world champion sister Snow White could not do: win a stakes race on Hambletonian Day.
Two-year-old trotting colt Rubio enters the Peter Haughton Memorial with a four-for-four record, including a dead-heat elimination win. The Takter trainee will look to keep his winning momentum rolling in the final, leaving from post six, for the Fielding brothers.
The Canadian-bred What The Hill starts from post two for the Burke stable. The New Jersey Sire Stakes champion, who was a runner-up in his Haughton elimination, was bred by Stan Klemencic of Trenton, Ont.
Invitational Trotters Face Off
On paper, the Vincennes Invitational looks to be a battle between two Canadian-connected trotters: O'Brien Award winner Pinkman (post two) and the red-hot Musical Rhythm (post three).
Pinkman is the richest overall earner in the field ($2,686,574) and Musical Rhythm is the richest horse this year of the 10 starters ($322,887).
The 2015 Hambletonian champion Pinkman, who counts John and Jim Fielding among his owners, returns to The Meadowlands after his spring trip to Sweden in search of more Hambo Day glory for the Takter stable.
Musical Rhythm boasts 12 wins from 15 starts this year, including a victory in the Graduate Series final at The Meadowlands for Baillargeon and partners Santo Vena of Brampton, Ont., Nunzio Vena of Bolton, Ont., and Claude Hamel of Ayer's Cliff, Que.
Owned by the Toronto-based Synerco Ventures Inc., Muscle Up The Goal will try to pull off the upset, leaving from post eight out of the Beaver stable.
The CBS Sports Network will have a 90-minute live broadcast including the $1 million Hambletonian final, the $225,550 U.S. Pacing Championship, and the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks beginning at 4:00 p.m. The first post for Hambletonian Day at The Meadowlands is noon.
(With files from WEG)
Good luck to all the
Good luck to all the connections in the Hambletonian. Once again I'll be focusing my attention on the open pacers in the U.S. Pacing Championship. As much as I'd like to see track and world record, what would excite me more is a dead heat world record, one of the horses being Shamballa and driver Scott Zeron.