This Friday's card at the Meadowlands Racetrack is filled with future stars, as five races dedicated to the popular Kindergarten series for two-year-old pacers and trotters will head postward.
Trotting colts will be most plentiful, as 19 entrants necessitated a pair of divisions, which have been carded as Races 3 and 8.
The third race will showcase another impressive Chapter Seven colt from the connections of Hambo favourite Walner. Seven Iron (PP8) has been improving with each start and trotted his best race in an overnight last week when he finished a close second in 1:56.3. Linda Toscano trains the $100,000 Harrisburg buy for Kenny Jacobs. Tim Tetrick has the drive.
There are several really nice colts in the eighth race and oddsmaker Dave Brower has tabbed Hill Street (PP6) as the 3-1 early choice. Hill Street is a product of the Jimmy Takter school of trotting and took a 1:56.3 record for driver Yannick Gingras in a Kindergarten leg two weeks ago. The $180,000 Lexington purchase by Brixton Medical, John Fielding, Herb Liverman and Bud Hatfield will look to keep his record perfect on Friday.
The fairier sex of freshman trotters will be represented in the fourth race where Takter holds a pat hand with favored Chanel Me who will start from the rail with Gingras. The homebred Muscle Hill lass is the first foal of the accomplished stakes winning mare To Dream On. She will make her debut in the Kindergarten for Marvin Katz and Al Libfeld.
Pacers? We got 'em. Ten colts are set to contest Race 9 where Im A Big Deal will attempt to live up to his adorably pretentious moniker and $300,000 price tag. He's raced in a pair of impressive qualifiers, although he's yet to taste victory for trainer Chris Ryder, who owns the colt in partnership with Craig Henderson and Bob Mondillo. He'll start from mid-pack in Post 6 for David Miller.
Pacing fillies will wrap up the 11-race card. Kissin In The Sand will look to score her second Kindergarten win from Post 8. She handled the opposition easily last week when she took her sharp 1:53 mark. Nancy Johansson trains the $130,000 yearling lass for Marvin Katz and Bud Hatfield. Gingras has the drive.
It's Corntastic weekend and the buffet theme is ‘Italian,’ so come early and enjoy the fun.
Post time is 7:15 p.m.
(Meadowlands Racetrack)