Racing Under Saddle will return to Meadowlands Racetrack on Saturday evening (November 5), as six trotters as set to face the starting gate in a late-season contest.
The $6,500 RUS America Trot, presented by Back on Track and Knutsson Trotting, will be contested as a non-wagering event immediately after the first race on the wagering card. Following the race, a meet and greet will be held near the winner’s circle where fans will be able to meet riders who will be signing autographs and answering questions about racing under saddle.
The RUS America Trot features a first-time starter, Modest Prince, who figures to be one of the main contenders in the one-mile contest based on his 1:58.2 qualifier this past Friday at the Meadowlands over a ‘sloppy’ track. Looking to be the main challenger is Hyway Marcus, who came home a 1:59.1 winner at Tioga Downs in his last RUS start back on August 7.
A rundown of the field for Saturday evening’s race appears below.
1 – Bosak – A winner of his only start at Goshen’s Historic Track last year during the Grand Circuit meet, the five-year-old gelding by Crazed comes into the race off of a qualifier last week at the Meadowlands. With a tightener under his belt, he should be competitive. Boask is ridden by Vanessa Karlewicz, who has compiled a record of three wins, a place, and a show out of eight starts this year.
2 – My Friend Charlie – Winless this year but always a threat on the RUS-NY fair circuit with four seconds out of eight starts this year, My Friend Charlie moves up to compete against tougher stock. The five-year-old altered son of RC Royalty will be ridden by his owner, Andrea Pratt, who has a .296 URR.
3 – Funny Photo – The seven-year-old son of Classic Photo, who makes up one half of the Patti Harmon trained entry, has been one of the stars of the New York fair circuit with a record of 8-4-1-1. With a 1:59.1 mark at Vernon Downs, he should benefit from the mile oval. Sophie Engerran, the leading rider in North America in wins this year, once again has the ride.
4 – Hyway Marcus – The other half of the Harmon-trained entry, Hyway Marcus finished second in the RUS America Trot conduced at Ocean Downs this past summer, and finished less than a length behind the winner, Mr Protab, who is the king of RUS at the Berlin, Maryland oval. The five-year-old gelding last raced in a RUS event at Tioga Downs and scored an easy victory in 1:59.1. Maria Buchanan, who has a win and a second-place finish this year from two starts, will once again get the ride.
5 – One True Friend – The only mare in the race was defeated soundly at Saratoga in October. No doubt her connections are hoping for a better performance over the mile oval. Hillary Hartnett comes into the race with a UDR of .333.
6 – Modest Prince – The Linda Toscano trainee’s first qualifying start in two years was an eye-opening one: a 1:58.2 mile over a ‘sloppy’ Meadowlands oval that carried a two-second allowance. If he comes back with a similar race this week, he will be hard to beat. While having only one ride thus far this year, veteran Helene Gregory is a rider who must be feared.
With the Breeders Cup being simulcast to the Meadowlands, RUS America look forward to showing thoroughbred fans on-track the versatility of the Standardbred and a form of Standardbred racing which may be more familiar to them. RUS riders look forward to meeting with fans of all forms of horse racing after the race. RUS America concludes its season ten days later on November 15 at Rosecroft Raceway.
(RUS America)