Saturday night racing at the Meadowlands Racetrack will feature the $25,000 second leg of the New Jersey Sire Stakes for sophomore pacers. Unlike the trots on Friday, both of last week’s winners are back in the race this week.
Boston Red Rocks will face five of the six he vanquished in 1:50.2 a week ago. He will begin from the outside Post 6 in the second race. His rivals will include Ideal Rocky, who closed to within a head of the winner with a sustained rally into a :26.2 final quarter, and Katies Rocker, another who was inching in late.
Boston Red Rocks is the early favourite for the July 16 Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace. He has come back from his award-winning freshman season in fine form for owners Peter Blood and Rick Berks, who have turned the colt over to Steve Elliott for the racing season. That practice worked to perfection last year, particularly when Tim Tetrick joined the team for the Breeders Crown.
On the feminine side, it's Blue Moon Stride's tiara to lose. She was the winner of last year's final and took up right where she left off by scoring a convincing win in Leg 1 against many of the same rivals she'll face from Post 6 in Saturday's eleventh race. The filly has the speed and power to do it from any position, as evidenced by her relentless uncovered romp last week. Her team has a distinct international flavour; owners Emilio and Maria Rosati and driver Andrew McCarthy hail from Australia, while trainer, Mark Harder, is a New Zealand native.
The weekend promotions include the Sports Jersey and Ticket Palooza giveaway and box seats for the June 4 Belmont Stakes. The doors will open at 9:30 on Sunday morning so you may watch and wager on the Elitlopp simulcast from Solvalla, Sweden.
The Meadowlands is also welcoming contestants for the June 24 Miss Hot to Trot contest. Sign up now, beat the rush.
First-race post time on Saturday will be 7:15 p.m.
(Meadowlands Racetrack)