If you have been waiting for the seasonal bow from Artspeak, the 3-1 top choice in Trot Magazine’s 2015 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book, you will want to watch the action from the Meadowlands Racetrack this Saturday night (May 16).
Artspeak, last season’s two-year-old pacing colt award winner on both sides of the border, will be making his 2015 pari-mutuel debut in Race 4 during New Jersey Sires Stakes action.
The defending NJSS champ was the winner of both the Metro Pace and the Governor’s Cup last year at two in a season which saw him over $800,000 in purse earnings. Trainer Tony Alagna and owners Brittany Farms, Marvin Katz, Joe Sbrocco and In The Gym Partners embark on a season of high hopes for Artspeak and his young driver Scott Zeron.
To view Trot's complete Spring Book odds, click here.
In total, this weekend’s Saturday card at the Meadowlands will offer six stakes, including the $183,650 Arthur J. Cutler Memorial trot, the first TVG Open Pace of the season and the rest of the opening leg of the NJSS for three-year-old pacers.
The field for the Cutler (Race 7) is a stellar, yet evenly-matched field of 10 and promises to be an excellent betting affair.
The 2013 Horse of the Year, Bee A Magician, has begun the new season with great poise. After a track-record performance at Yonkers Raceway in her first start, she handled her foes with ease in last week’s Cutler prep, employing a forwardly-placed strategy from Post 10 in 1:51.4. She has drawn a touch better this week and will begin from Post 8 with regular driver Brian Sears back in the bike after Scott Zeron handled her so beautifully in the prep. The champion mare is conditioned by Richard ‘Nifty’ Norman for owners Mel Hartman, Herb Liverman and David McDuffee.
Both Wind Of The North and Meladys Monet acquitted themselves well last week in their first forays versus the top Open stakes types. Wind Of The North found a late seam to rally for second and Meladys Monet surviving a sustained grind for third behind ‘Queen Bee.’ Market Share had the look of a horse that ‘needed one,’ and with that now under his belt, he should be more of a factor in the final.
The $50,000 TVG Open Pace (Race 11) is a quality-over-quantity proposition, with six solid sidewheelers taking the stage. The race marks the four-year-old debut of last year’s North America Cup winner, JK Endofanera. He made over a million dollars while winning half of his 20 starts last season for owners 3 Brother Stable of New York and trainer Ron Burke. Yannick Gingras has the drive.
The competition includes last year’s Canadian Pacing Derby winner Modern Legend who is closing in on the $1 million mark in career earnings for his owner/trainer David Drew. Warrawee Needy is one of four pacers (the others being Holborn Hanover, Somebeachsomewhere and Hes Watching) that lay claim to the fastest race mile ever, a dazzling 1:46.4 accomplished over the Meadowlands strip in 2013. Doo Wop Hanover, Dovuto Hanover and Wake Up Peter complete the field.
First-race post time for the Meadowlands’ live card on Saturday is 7:15 p.m.
(With files from the Meadowlands)