Bar Hopping and Trolley, the respective runner-ups in the Stanley Dancer and Earl Beal Memorial, are set to square off in the $300,000 ‘main event’ of the Dr. Harry M. Zweig Memorial stakes, which will take place this Sunday evening (July 24) at Vernon Downs.
Bar Hopping, one of three Jimmy Takter trainees to make the ninth-race main event, will arrive at ‘the Miracle Mile’ after having chased Marion Marauder to take second in a $153,250 Dancer Memorial split at the Meadowlands Racetrack during the Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace undercard. While just a two-time winner from 16 career tries, the son of Muscle Hill has amassed nearly a quarter million dollars in career earnings and top-four placings in the Beal and Goodtimes stakes, as well. Tim Tetrick has gotten the call to drive Bar Hopping once again for the partnership of Christina Takter, the Hatfield Stables, Marvin Katz, and Al Libfeld.
Among the eight three-year-old colts and geldings Bar Hopping will square off against is the lightly-raced, but mighty impressive, Trolley, who is a son of Donato Hanover from the Erv Miller stable. Trolley finished a relatively close second to Southwind Frank in the $500,000 Earl Beal Memorial at Pocono Downs on July 2. Trolley followed that up with a significant closing effort from the backfield against Southwind Frank in their Dancer split on July 16 at the Meadowlands Racetrack. In just six starts, Trolley has amassed over $173,000 in career earnings. Marcus Miller will drive once again for Paymaq Racing, Mathias, Gillis, and Willinger.
Pennsylvania Sire Stakes standouts Hititoutofthepark (Corey Callahan has been listed to drive) and Love Matters (Brett Miller), Ontario invader Blenheim (Chris Christoforou), and New York Sire Stakes contender Smalltownthrowdown (Dan Daley) are other notable entrants.
Trotting fillies will contest a $140,000 main event in Race 7. Six of the nine entered have campaigned on the New York Sire Stakes mainly thus far this season, including Empire Breeders Classic runner-up Swinging Royalty. The marquee filly of the group is the seven-time winner Womans Will (Andy Miller), who was a dead-heat winner in the $95,250 Delvin Miller Memorial at the Meadowlands last week (she shared victory in 1:54.2 after having made all the pace). Julie Miller trains the Donato Hanover filly for Al Libfeld and Marvin Katz.
In addition to the Zweig events, 14 New York-sired three-year-old pacing fillies will vie for a combined $120,400 in twin sire stakes events. Multiple stakes winners American Ivy (Andy Miller) and Soft Idea (Jason Bartlett) are set to square off in Race 5, while Time On My Hands (Bartlett) headlines the seventh race.
Post time for the 14-race Zweig card on Sunday evening is 6:45 p.m. (Eastern).
The field for the $300,000 ‘main event’ appears below.
(PP – Horse – Listed Driver - Trainer)
1 – Love Matters – Br. Miller – J. Takter
2 – Hititoutofthepark – C. Callahan – J. Butenschoen
3 – Bar Hopping – Ti. Tetrick – J. Takter
4 – Milligans School – A. Miller – J. Miller
5 – Trolley – M. Miller – E. Miller
6 – Hollywood Highway – J. Campbell – S. Lind
7 – Lagerfeld – Y. Gingras – J. Takter
8 – Blenheim – C. Christoforou – P. Henriksen
9 – Smalltownthrowdown – D. Daley – D. Daley
AE1 – Steed – M. Kakaley – R. Johnson
AE2 – Sutton – A. Miller – J. Miller
(Vernon Downs)