Ken Weingartner

Hightstown, NJ — Lisa and Bob McNerney have bred a stakes-winning trotter in Frau Blucher. Now they aim to own a stakes-winning homebred and have a trio of hopefuls, including Frau Blucher’s half-brother Big Poppy.

Big Poppy, a 3-year-old gelding, was unraced last season but is among several Hambletonian Stakes-eligible trotters competing in the Walner Series at the Meadowlands Racetrack. He is a son of Donato Hanover out of Lisa McNerney’s mare My Angel, who produced Frau Blucher (originally named Bella Lisanti).

Frau Blucher was a two-time Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champion and won the Buckette Stakes in 1:53.1 at the 2013 Delaware County Fair, a time that remains a world-record for a 3-year-old filly trotter on a half-mile track. She also won a division of the Bluegrass Stakes as a freshman and finished second as a sophomore to Horse of the Year Bee A Magician in the Breeders Crown. She closed her career with $988,264 in purses.

“She was a great introduction to breeding, but my wife will never let me forget that we sold the horse for $21,000 and she ended up making almost a million dollars,” Bob McNerney said with a laugh. “We sold her at (the Standardbred Horse Sale in) Harrisburg. Tim Hauser ended up buying her and changed the name.

“We became partners on some future horses. It was nice to see that happen. It’s been a good experience and we’re just hoping for the best.”

Big Poppy was unraced last season but is Hambletonian Stakes-eligible. USTA/Ken Weingartner photo.

One of those “future horses” is Big Poppy. McNerney and Tim Hauser’s Hauser Bros. Racing also bred Hambletonian Oaks hopeful Mother Bonnie, who won her career debut in 1:55 last year in a division of the New Jersey Sire Stakes before being limited to four races because of various issues, and her 2-year-old full sister Spoiled Princess, who has received high marks while preparing for her season.

“We really have some high expectations,” said McNerney, who bought his first horse in 1987. “We really love the harness racing. Once you get bitten (by the sport) you’re bit. You’re always chasing that dream. Maybe this year we’ll have something to talk about.”

McNerney, who is in commercial real estate, and his wife have a small farm in northern New Jersey and live 25 miles from the Meadowlands.

“We have some Pennsylvania (horses), we have some New York, but New Jersey is where we want to be,” McNerney said. “Now with the ($100 million) appropriation coming in it’s going to help us a little bit more. I like to go and watch my horses race and grew up with the Meadowlands; that’s what we like. Jersey is where it’s at.”

There is one division of the Walner Series this week, with an 11-horse field going one mile. Big Poppy and driver Eric Abbatiello start from post one and are 15-1 on the morning line. Richard “Nifty” Norman trains Big Poppy.

“We don’t know if he’s going to be a Hambletonian horse, but he’ll be a racehorse,” McNerney said. “We’re hoping he’s got some of that (Frau Blucher) blood in him. We’re taking a shot this year and see what happens.

“This business can be disappointing at times, but it can be so rewarding. We’re hoping for a good year. We try to do everything we can from an owner’s perspective to get them to that point.”

Goes Down Smooth, another Hambletonian eligible, is the 3-1 morning-line pick in the Walner. He starts from post nine with Yannick Gingras at the lines for trainer Ron Burke.

Friday’s card also includes three divisions of the Wiggle It Jiggleit Series for 3-year-old male pacers. Two Meadowlands Pace eligibles are among the morning-line favorites: World On Edge, 5-2 in the first division for the Gingras-Burke tandem, and newly-minted Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund champion Goldberg, 9-5 in the third split for driver Montrell Teague and trainer Brenda Teague.

World On Edge heads to the second round of the Wiggle It Jiggleit off a 1:54.1 win in last week’s opener. It was World On Edge’s seasonal debut. The gelding is by Roll With Joe out of Inanotherworld. His family includes two-time Dan Patch Award winner Worldly Beauty and Worldly Treasure, who is the dam of two-time Pacer of the Year Captaintreacherous.

“He improved greatly last year when we put him on the big track,” Burke said about World On Edge, who capped his freshman season with a third-place finish in a division of the International Stallion Stakes at Lexington’s Red Mile. “I’m hoping he’ll come back this year and have a good year. He’s big and strong and comes from a good family. I think he is going to be a good horse; I don’t know if he is a great horse.”

Goldberg is 9-5 in the third split of the Wiggle It Jiggleit Series for driver Montrell Teague and trainer Brenda Teague. Fotowon photo.

Goldberg also was stakes-placed last year, finishing second to eventual Dan Patch Award-winner Captain Crunch in a division of the Nassagaweya and third behind Captain Ahab and De Los Cielos Deo in his elimination of the Metro Pace. A virus knocked the colt out of the Metro final and sidelined him the remainder of the year.

“He’s a little bigger, stronger,” said Montrell Teague, who bred and owns Goldberg. “He’s a lot smarter, he’s quieted down a lot. Last year he was pretty rank and this year I’ve opened him up a little bit and it’s worked pretty good so far. He’s letting me drive him; last year he was a little more aggressive and didn’t really know what he was doing.”

The morning-line favorite in the remaining division of the Wiggle It Jiggleit is Rollwithpapajoe, who is 3-1 with David Miller driving for trainer Jennifer Bongiorno.

Round three of the Wiggle It Jiggleit and Walner will be April 19. The finals are April 27.

Racing begins at 7:15 p.m. (EDT). For Friday’s complete entries, click here.