Hambletonian champion Apex made amends from a defeat in his New Jersey Classic elimination to win the $347,222 final for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings authoritatively with a 1:52.2 effort on a stakes-filled Friday, Sept. 11 at The Meadowlands.
Leaving from post six, driver Dexter Dunn eased Apex forward into a spot third while King Of The Wind (Joe Bongiorno), who beat Apex last week, pushed from an inside draw for the top to a :27.3 first quarter. Dunn floated off the pegs in the backstretch and inched Apex up the rim to take command without a sweat through a :57 half. From there, the Marcus Melander trainee coasted to three-quarters in 1:24.4 and kept all his foes to the rear for a 1-1/4-length win over stablemate Nix Nacken (Scott Zeron), who marched uncovered through the last turn for second. Longshot Practical Man (Andrew McCarthy) hugged the cones to take third from King Of The Wind in fourth.
“[His loss last week has] one simple answer: a bad trainer job,” said Melander after the race. “I didn’t have him tight enough. I’ve been very nice to him since the Hambo. He wasn’t ready because we didn’t find anything wrong with him and he felt good that night. He was just a little short. With that race under his belt, I could feel already on Monday that he was going to be right today.”
A son of Walner out of world champion Mission Brief, Apex collected his fifth win from seven starts in his second straight million-dollar season and his 11th victory from 16 starts. His earnings climbed past $2.4 million for owners Jeffrey Snyder of New York City, New York, S R F Stable of Delray Beach, Florida and Steve Stewart of Paris, Kentucky. He paid $2.80 to win.
Undefeated filly Wall Of Fame upped her record to eight wins from eight starts with a 1:53.1 victory in the $347,222 final for two-year-old trotting fillies.
Andy Miller planted the daughter of Walner-Saadet into fourth through a :28 first quarter and stayed put through a :57.2 half while Dandelion Wine (Ake Svanstedt) swooped out of third to take the lead from Rio De Janeiro (Joe Bongiorno). Miller activated Wall Of Fame into the last turn and swept to grab the lead to three-quarters in 1:25.4 while staying to task through the lane as Rio De Janeiro shook free to rally for second, beaten a half length. Dandelion Wine took third via disqualification of stablemate Gabriela Beatriz S (Yannick Gingras), who finished third skimming an inside seam but was placed fourth for going inside a pylon.
“I think she’s a pretty versatile mare,” said winning trainer Julie Miller of Wall Of Fame, “Andy was just going to sit patiently until he had to move her. I think she’s staked beautifully – she’s got Kentucky Sires, New Jersey Sires, we’ll dabble a bit with the Grand Circuit in Lexington and hopefully end it at the Goldsmith Maid at The Meadowlands in the fall.”
Wall Of Fame went over $500,000 in earnings competing solely in stakes races for owners 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 $2.40 to win.
Wrong Sounds Right ripped off a pocket ride to equal the track record for two-year-old trotting colts with a 1:51.4 victory in his cohort’s $347,222 New Jersey Classic.
Todd McCarthy secured a forward seat with Wrong Sounds Right when brushing past early leader Lifetime Dreamer (Yannick Gingras) through a :28 first quarter and yielding control to that rival when he tipped to retake command. Wrong Sounds Right tracked the leader steadily through the back half, with fractions clocked in :55.1 and 1:24, then angled outside in the stretch to motor away for a 3-1/2-length win over longshot Easy Down Blonde (Tim Tetrick), with first-up Free Scottie (Dexter Dunn) taking third and second-over Bentley Blue Chip (Ake Svanstedt).
“Todd’s done a terrific job having the horse where you can race him any way you want to race him,” said winning trainer Jim Campbell. “It’s a great feeling any time you win a race of a purse like this, especially at The Meadowlands.”
Equalling the track record set in 2018 by Dont Letem and matched in 2024 by Maryland, Wrong Sounds Right notched his fourth victory from six starts and more than doubled his bankroll, which stands at $328,665, for New Jersey-based owner/breeder Runthetable Stables, which famously teamed with Campbell to pull off a historic upset in the 2022 Hambletonian with Cool Papa Bell.
“I’ve been very lucky to breed some nice horses and he’s one of them,” said Scott Farber of Runthetable Stables. “I’ve told Jim, we’ve talked about this and this is going to be a little brash on my part, I don’t care; I’ve got the best two-year-old in America right now. We’re thinking Hambletonian, believe me. It’s all that’s on my mind. I’m focused on that.”
Wrong Sounds Right paid $3.40 to win.
Custom rolled down the road for a 1:51.2 victory in the $347,222 final for three-year-old trotting fillies.
Braving the three-wide path through the first turn to grab the top long after a :27.2 first quarter, Custom and driver Jason Bartlett cruised on the point through middle fractions of :55.3 and 1:24.1 before kicking home and staving off pocket-popping Leading Lady (Dexter Dunn) for the win by three-quarters of a length. Sparks (Yannick Gingras) rallied from second-over for third.
“I knew with the post tonight I was able to gradually get her out of there, and there was a lot of action early, but she kept plugging away,” said Bartlett. “We were last to the front; that’s where I wanted to be. She’s just such a good horse. She’s been knocking all year and she really does deserve this. I look forward to driving her every time I sit behind her.”
Petter Engblom trains Custom, a filly by Walner out of Goldy Mary FR, for owner TLH Racing of Delray Beach, Florida. She won her fourth race from nine starts this season and her seventh race from 17 starts in her career, pushing her earnings to $471,907. She paid $3.80 to win.
Before teaming Hambletonian champion Apex to victory in the New Jersey Classic for three-year-old male trotters, Dexter Dunn swept the event's sophomore pacing divisions, piloting New Jersey Sire Stakes Platinum champions Be Perfect BG and Bookie J to odds-on scores in their respective $208,333 New Jersey Classic finals.
Following third-place finishes in the Grade 3 Shady Daisy and the Grade 1 James Lynch Memorial, Be Perfect BG found her way back to the winner's circle with a decisive 1:49.2 score in the three-year-old filly pace for trainer Anthony Beaton.
Dunn put 1-20 favourite Be Perfect BG in play from post six in the field of seven and the Perfect Sting-JK Mardi Says filly pushed clear of early leader Car Keys (Jason Bartlett) after a :27 first quarter only to yield control to 6-1 second choice Perfect Thought (Scott Zeron), whose middle move from third landed her in front beyond the :55 half-mile station. Be Perfect BG made her second move with five-sixteenths to go, angling out of the pocket to engage Perfect Thought as the pace quickened to three-quarters in 1:22.1. She made easy work of the pacesetter turning for home and she sprinted clear under a Dunn line drive to win by 4-3/4 lengths. Perfect Thought held Car Keys another length at bay to save second.
"I was surprised to see Scottie move [with Perfect Thought], but it was nice to get the filly covered up for a little bit and not on the front all the time," said Beaton, who trains Be Perfect BG for Sylvain Descheneaux's Ecurie CSL of Sorel-Tracy, Que. "Dex said he actually didn't even try to move her [coming off the far turn]; she just kind of moved herself, and she just exploded."
A two-time New Jersey Sire Stakes champion, Be Perfect BG is now an 11-time winner with more than $700,000 in career earnings from 15 starts. She paid $2.10 to win.
Dunn came right back one race later to capture the three-year-old male pace with Bookie J, who dug deep to parry a sustained first-over charge from Dancin Daddy by a neck in 1:51.4.
After protecting pole position and strolling through a :57.2 half with their five foes in single-file formation behind them, Bookie J and Dunn picked up the pace on the far turn with Dancin Daddy (Tim Tetrick) — who angled out from fourth with three-eighths to go and made steady ground — prompting a :28.2 third split and setting up for a stretch showdown. The two threw down off the turn for home and Bookie J held sway as the 1-10 favourite while driven out. Dancin Daddy held second despite drifting in the final yards. Callmebigpapi (Todd McCarthy) split foes to finish third, missing by just a half length.
"I don't think he's a particularly good sprinter; he's more of a grinder," said trainer Chris Ryder of Bookie J, who was forced to shift gears into a :26.1 closing quarter to seal victory. "I think he's a little better if he goes a little faster [earlier in the mile]. ...The horse has got a lot of heart. He tries hard and he got there."
The Perfect Sting-Skyy gelding is now a 10-time winner in 22 starts with more than $650,000 in the bank for owner Kenneth Jacobs of Baldwinsville, New York. Bookie J paid $2.20 to win.
While odds-on choices took top honours in the sophomore splits, favourite Aintmyfirstro Deo got his first-ever taste of defeat in the $208,333 New Jersey Classic for two-year-old male pacers when Five Alarm Fire lifted from the pocket to nab him in the final strides of a lifetime-best 1:51.4 mile for trainer Dr. Ian Moore.
Scott Zeron floated Aintmyfirstro Deo forward from the outside post nine and took a brief tuck in fourth on the first turn as 5-1 second choice Five Alarm Fire and Todd McCarthy brushed from third to take control just past a :27.2 quarter. Five Alarm Fire slowed the tempo through a :56.1 half before yielding to Aintmyfirstro Deo on approach to the far turn past three-quarters in 1:24.1, only to be briefly boxed by Yellow Jacket (Vinny Ginsburg), who took first-over aim from third before fizzling out off the turn for home. With clear sailing at the eighth pole but two lengths to make up on an accelerating Aintmyfirstro Deo, McCarthy fed Five Alarm Fire racetrack and the Always B Miki-Fiery Beauty colt emerged to stick a head in front of Aintmyfirstro Deo at the winning post. Goal Oriented (Andy Miller) made late inroads at 109-1 to finish third, beaten 2-1/4 lengths.
"Off the turn, I was asking my guy pretty good," said Todd McCarthy. "At that point, I was I was kind of racing to be second, but I figured we'd be able to shake loose down the stretch. Once I got him straightened up, he swelled back up for me. I tipped him out, and he dug right in."
Five Alarm Fire is a two-time winner who has earned $127,085 from six outings for owners Sally MacDonald of Souris, P.E.I., and Paul MacDonald of Toronto, Ont. He paid $12 to win.
Perfect Body completed the quartet of New Jersey Classic pacing champions, posting a front-end 1:51 score in the two-year-old filly pace.
Brett Beckwith brushed the Perfect Sting-Sweet Body filly to the fore out of third after a :27.1 quarter and controlled a :56.2 middle half before bracing for a host of late pursuers. Perfect Hope Deo (Andy McCarthy), who yielded for a pocket ride up the backstretch, took aim off the turn for home but faded at once; runner-up Real Choice (Jason Bartlett) was blocked until mid-stretch but found a lane up the pegs to lunge at Perfect Body; and third-place finisher Butterfly Effect (Tim Tetrick) cascaded down the grandstand side around cover with the best late pace of any. Perfect Body had enough left to keep them all at bay, icing her third career win by three-quarters of a length.
"It's always tough to win these kinds of races, but she's really strong and felt good going underneath the wire," said Beckwith. "Right when we straightened up, I called on her a little bit and she sprinted away pretty good. I just wanted to make sure she minded her manners the rest of the way."
Chris Choate trains Perfect Body, who has earned more than $300,000 from eight starts for owners Randall Beach of Sparta, New Jersey, Craig Smith of Warwick, New York, Charles Rowe of Port Murray, New Jersey and Carl Austin Jr. of Stewartsville, New Jersey. As the lukewarm 5-2 favourite, she paid $7.20 to win.
R Dutchess scored a mild upset after bursting free from traffic in the homestretch for a 1:50.3 win in the $261,389 Girl Power Mare Trot also featured on Friday's stakes card.
Driven by Tim Tetrick, the John Butenschoen-trained daughter of Father Patrick-The Ice Dutchess was quick to challenge the early leaving longshots Warrawee Michelle (Ake Svanstedt) and Woman Of Passion (Scott Zeron), both of whom flashed speed from the gate out of outside posts to take the front early. R Dutchess left the pylons with 7-5 favourite Walspea (Yannick Gingras) drafting behind her and Tactical Moni (Dexter Dunn) third-over in tow as they scorched the first quarter in :26.2.
Walspea shook loose among the crowd heading for a :54.2 half and took the top before Tactical Moni brushed up in the shuffle to snatch control. The two tiers rustled along, sharing the way to three-quarters in 1:22.1 with Tactical Moni fronting the field for home. Uncovered Conversano (Andy McCarthy) faltered while Yo Tillie (Todd McCarthy) kicked into gear from second-over and Warrawee Michelle soared back into contention down the center of the track. R Dutchess then sprung seamlessly between horses in the closing stages and spurted away to a 1-1/4-length win. Warrawee Michelle took second with Yo Tillie finishing third and Walspea settling for fourth.
“It was looking like a pretty good spot for a while. Nothing wrong with sitting on Walspea’s back,” said Butenschoen, “and then next thing you know we’re sitting third on the wood turning for home. It took about halfway down the stretch before things shook out where she was able to find some room and she responded really well for us tonight. She had four consecutive weeks here where she never saw [the pylons] and she was closing in [:]26, trotted [a mile] in [1:]49.3 to end up third. [The draw] got her into play and she still threw that big last quarter at us.”
R Dutchess won for the fourth time from 14 starts this season and for the 11th time from 40 starts in her career. The four-year-old mare leased by M And L of Delaware/Armitage Farm went over the $1 million earnings milestone. She paid $13 to win.
There were three New Jersey Classic Consolations won by two-year-old trotting filly Promises To Keep (Todd McCarthy) in 1:55 for trainer Dan Daley; two-year-old pacing filly Good Tides (Yannick Gingras) in 1:53.2 for Ron Burke; and three-year-old trotting gelding Rambo Hanover (Tim Tetrick) in 1:55.2 via a disqualification for Ake Svanstedt.
Rambo Hanover, who was the longest shot on the board in the five-horse field at odds of 18-1, keyed a 20-cent Pick-6 that returned $36,223.22.
All-source betting on the 14-race program totalled $2,448,285 USD.
Racing resumes on Saturday at 6:20 p.m.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack; photo of Apex winning on Sept. 11)