A pair of renowned distaffers turned in strong tightening miles amid their current stakes campaigns during the Saturday morning (Sept. 5) qualifying session at The Meadowlands.
Two weeks after her triumph in the Zweig Memorial at Vernon Downs, Hambletonian champion Ramona Hill stayed sharp with a 1:53.1 qualifying win. The Tony Alagna trainee drafted comfortably behind stablemate Thunder through splits of :28, :56.3 and 1:25.2 before Andy McCarthy aimed her through an opening at the pegs to win by a measured neck.
Ramona Hill, a winner of four straight races and over $1.2 million in her career, is owned by Ontarian Brad Grant in partnership with Crawford Farms Racing, Robert LeBlanc and In The Gym Partners.
McCarthy also drove Caviart Ally — who had been off since a lacklustre seventh-place effort in a winners-over event at Harrah's Philadelphia on Aug. 2 — to a qualifying win, riding the pocket behind Snobbytown before unleashing a :26 final sectional to win in 1:51. Brett Pelling trains the six-year-old daughter of Bettors Delight for Caviart Farms.
To view Saturday's full qualifying results, click the following link: Saturday Results – The Meadowlands (Qualifiers).