A world record mile was uncorked by Lifetime Dreamer in the $250,000 New Jersey Sires Stakes (NJSS) Platinum Series Division Final for freshman trotting males and Wall Of Fame bested her cohort in the $312,500 final for freshman trotting fillies during the Hambletonian undercard on Saturday, Aug. 8 at The Meadowlands.
In the final for two-year-old trotting colts and geldings, Yannick Gingras urged the Ake Svanstedt-trained Lifetime Dreamer to the top leaving from the outside of the five-horse field. He cut the first quarter in :27.4 but yielded for the pocket when Presidente (Andrew McCarthy) pulled and cleared command into the backstretch, gaining speed through a :55 half.
Gingras was in no rush behind Presidente but he put on the burners passing three-quarters in 1:23.3 to fly to the front and own the mile, winning in a scorching 1:51.1 – the fastest trotting mile ever by a two-year-old at The Meadowlands while also equalling the fastest mile ever by a two-year-old trotting male set in 2020 by colt Southwind Tyrion. Favourite Wrong Sounds Right (Todd McCarthy) hustled to get second with Easy Down Blonde picking up the show pieces.
The 1:51.1 mile by Lifetime Dreamer also lowers the 1:53.1 track record for two-year-old trotting geldings set by Real Cool Sam in 2019 and the 1:51.4 North American record for two-year-old trotting geldings set in 2024 by Memento Mori and matched in 2025 by Silverstein.
"He raced very well," said Sarah Svanstedt of Team Svanstedt. “If you asked me [if he could go] for a world record, I couldn't say he was up for that. But it's warm weather, a nice track and a nice horse so it was possible. He has been pretty uncomplicated since day one, so that helps big time. Today, he was just powerful and strong so it was just a pleasure to watch.”
Lifetime Dreamer, a son of Ecurie D DK out of the Walner mare Lifetime Gift, is owned by Ake Svanstedt Inc. of Wrightstown, New Jersey, breeder Brittany Farms of Versailles, Kentucky as well as Bruni Racing Team and Suleyman Yuksel Stables of Delray Beach, Florida.
Lifetime Dreamer paid $6 to win in his second victory from four starts -- all in NJSS action.
Odds-on favourite Wall Of Fame stayed undefeated in four NJSS career starts with a 1:52.3 victory in the Platinum Series final for two-year-old trotting fillies for the husband and wife, driving and training team of Andy and Julie Miller.
The daughter of Walner-Saadet floated out of post seven to land into sixth while Dejeuner (Andrew McCarthy) blasted from the outside in a five-wide bid into the first turn. Dejeuner crossed to the top but relinquished the lead past a :28 first quarter to pocket-popping Dandelion Wine (Ake Svanstedt). Nevis Peak (Yannick Gingras) then joined the fold with a brush out of third into a :56.2 half to snatch command just before the far turn. Once on the lead, Grandiflora (Todd McCarthy) took an uncovered shot with Wall Of Fame following with plenty of trot rounding towards three-quarters in 1:24. Wall Of Fame vaulted off cover and reached after Nevis Peak to put that one away to win by one length. Nevis Peak held for second and Orchestra (Dexter Dunn) rushed late to take third.
“We never expected that much [from her] but she just progressed really good all along,” said Andy Miller. “I was a little bit worried about being too far back, but I got carried into it good and she always trots through the wire.”
“She’s been really easy on herself training down and she had a super week going into it,” added Julie Miller. “There were great fillies in this race, so I was pretty proud we got over the wire first. When Andy and I discussed the race, we thought we might end up in the position we were in. I told Andy ‘Great drive!’ [but] you got to have a good horse, too.”
Wall Of Fame 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.
She paid $3.80 to win.
More Hambo Day Highlights
Bourbonista S ($8.40) beat the boys in the $83,333 Vincennes Preferred Trot, taking the lead from 2025 Hambletonian champion Nordic Catcher S then fending off 6-5 favourite Antognoni S in a heated stretch duel.
Nordic Catcher S (Ake Svanstedt), a two-time Hambo Day winner as a New Jersey Sire Stakes freshman champion and last year's headline-grabber, trotted to the top from post eight into a :27.3 quarter in his return to The Big M. But driver Dexter Dunn sent Bourbonista S from third to first down the backstretch on the way to the half in :55.3 while favoured Antognoni S (Yannick Gingras) began to advance first-over to challenge the leading lady past three-quarters in 1:23.1. The top two battled all the way through the stretch with the Marcus Melander-trained Bourbonista S holding on by a neck in 1:50.2. The late-flying Private Access (James MacDonald), ninth with a quarter-mile to go, had to trot a :26 final frame to catch a game Nordic Catcher S in a show photo.
A five-year-old daughter of Face Time Bourbon-Affinity Kronos S, Bourbonista S followed up back-to-back stakes wins in the Armbro Flight at Woodbine Mohawk Park in mid-June and the Six Pack at The Meadowlands where she set a North American record for older trotting mares of 1:48.4 last time out over a month ago on July 4.
She is owned by Deo Volente Farms of Flemington, New Jersey and Panamera Racing of Delray Beach, Florida.
Putting his best foot forward on the biggest race days this year at The Meadowlands, Best Chip followed up his 1:46.4 stunning mile on Meadowlands Pace Night with another big mile in a $55,556 Open Pace on Hambletonian Day, lowering his lifetime mark to 1:46.1 in rein to Tim Tetrick.
Fifth And Five (James MacDonald), among a five-wide cavalry charge to the opening turn, made front in a :26.3 first quarter but Captinhammerhead A (Dexter Dunn) then 2-5 favourite Best Chip went by into a :53.3 half. The bettors' choice blazed by three-quarters in 1:20 with Captinhammerhead A popping the pocket off the final turn and going all out after him in the stretch, but unable to gain ground as Best Chip powered home two lengths clear in a North America season's record mile.
The four-year-old son of Heston Blue Chip-Place Your Best has won seven of his 10 starts while finishing no worse than third since being acquired by El Dorado Stables of Ft. Myers, Florida and joining the Joe Bongiorno stable in late April. The speedster has paced sub-1:50 in seven of his last 10 races with six sub-1:49 miles.
Best Chip is now a 12-time career winner in 50 starts with earnings totalling $242,397.
Hambletonian Day kicked off with Southwind Chaska ($2.60) winning a $41,667 division of the Continentalvictory Stakes for three-year-old trotting fillies in a career-best 1:51.2 for trainer Jim Oscarsson. Driver Tim Tetrick left with Southwind Chaska and landed in third as Sharp Seven (James MacDonald) and I Take The Cake (Dexter Dunn) traded turns on the lead early on then made the winning move with the 1-5 favourite from third in the final turn. Southwind Chaska forged ahead in the stretch to win by a length, with Nuance (Todd McCarthy) shooting through along the pylons for second and Whatarace Hanover (Ake Svanstedt) closing outside for third.
The Tactical Landing-Southwind Chai filly, who was a six-time stakes winner as a freshman, earned her first sophomore score following a runner-up finish in a division of the Del Miller Memorial behind Hambletonian Oaks favourite Nezuko Kamado S and a fifth in her Oaks elimination. With the victory, she surpassed $400,000 in career earnings for owners Oscarsson Racing Stable of Delray Beach, Florida, John Cummins of Lexington, Kentucky and Sven H Racing of Delray Beach, Florida.
Yonkers Trot champion Inexpressable ($4.40) prevailed in a photo finish for a bounce-back victory in $69,444 Muscle Hill Stakes division on Hambo Day, taking a new lifetime mark of 1:52 with Matt Kakaley catch-driving for trainer Lucas Wallin. Kingmen (Andrew McCarthy) journeyed first-over to take command in the stretch but the late closers swarmed him with Inexpressable, rallying from third-over and getting up in the middle of the outside closing trio for the victory. Surrounding him just heads apart, Ardonne (Ake Svanstedt) and Jim Beam (Tim Tetrick) finished second and third, respectively.
The Walner-Ineffable colt, who led into the stretch of his Hambletonian elimination last week before finishing seventh, has accumulated more than $360,000 in purse earnings for owners Wallin Racing Stable of New Egypt, New Jersey and Germany's Karin Walter-Mommert.
(Meadowlands Racetrack & Standardbred Canada)