Pace Night laden with stars
July 11, 2014,from the Meadowlands Media Relations Department
East Rutherford, NJ — No fewer than seven major Grand Circuit stakes will populate the Saturday night (July 12) card at The Meadowlands, led by the track’s signature race, the Meadowlands Pace.
The all-star lineup begins with a pair of high-stakes preps for trotting’s top prizes, the August 2 Hambletonian and Hambletonian Oaks.
Race four is the $317,000 Stanley Dancer Memorial 3-year-old colt trot which will be the stage for last year’s top freshman Father Patrick to battle Trixton, who has emerged as a worthy adversary this season. It is the first time these two have met, the occasion made even more intriguing by the fact that both are trained in the Jimmy Takter stable.
Oddsmaker Darin Zoccali has Father Patrick (Yannick Gingras) listed as a strong morning line favorite at 4-5 from post nine, while Trixton is at 3-1 from post 12 in the second tier with trainer Takter aboard.
The $213,500 Delvin Miller Memorial for sophomore trotting fillies also pits last year’s finest against emerging talent. Shake It Cerry was clearly the best of a very talented crop last season, easily winning year end awards for the Takter stable and regular driver Ron Pierce. She has transitioned successfully to sophomore status, winning four of five starts this season and is the 9-5 choice from post seven.
Her only loss required the world record 1:51.3 effort by Designed To Be at Pocono last month. It was the second time Designed To Be has assaulted the record books, having taken the 2-year-old title with her 1:52.2 mile last fall in Lexington. She will have Brian Sears aboard for trainer Julie Miller on Saturday.
The remarkably fast Cooler Schooner is the fastest freshman trotter ever, regardless of sex, by virtue of her amazing 1:51.3 win last summer at Pocono. She is sometimes guilty of self-sabotage but can never be dismissed. The Campbell brothers, John and Jim, will conspire to manage that wicked speed toward its best use.
The new shooter in this division is Heaven’s Door, another who demonstrated great talent at two for Ross Croghan, but it took until this year for her mind to catch up to her speed. She was sold over the winter and moved into the Ake Svanstedt barn where she has flourished. She won last month’s NJSS final in a stakes record 1:52 with great ease and is facing the division’s best now for her new connections and adds another element of suspense.
Next up (race six) will be the $212,500 Mistletoe Shalee for sophomore pacing fillies, another contentious contest. Sandbetweenurtoes raced but once at two for Tony Alagna but showed such promise in her first few starts at three that the brothers Remmen, Ray and Larry, bought her for John Grant and she hasn’t lost since. She was the winner of last week’s elimination in 1:49.1 with Brett Miller aboard and will likely be the post time fave off a 5-2 morning line.
Precocious Beauty was the divisional leader last year for the McNair barn and has yet to find that form thus far at three, though last week’s race was encouraging. Takter’s Uffizi Hanover won the 2013 Breeders Crown and the Fan Hanover this year for her regular pilot, newly minted Hall of Famer David Miller.
The older dames race on the pace for $178,450 in the cleverly named Golden Girls stake in the seventh race. Joe Holloway has always had a way with the ladies, training several distaff champions over the years and has a formidable pair in this one. Somwherovarainbow has well over a million dollars in career earnings and has been in deadly form for Joe since early spring with six wins from ten starts, among those the Bluechip Matchmaker final. Brian Sears drives.
Her stablemate Shebestingin is the fastest female Standardbred ever, having seared The Red Mile clay in an eye-popping 1:47 last fall. She has yet to beat the best of this division since graduating into the open ranks but her speed make her a danger for David Miller.
The race favorite at 2-1 is the iron-tough mare Anndrovette. Her story has been told many times but never gets old, particularly for her connections. She vaults over $3 million lifetime with a win in this stake for trainer PJ Fraley and her constant racing companion Tim Tetrick.
Just when you think, “Well, this just can’t get any better,” you come to the meat of the card. Race eight contains the finest Free For All pacers in the land racing for $463,300 in the W.R. Haughton Memorial, one of the biggest events of their season. The lifetime earnings for these ten horses are just north of the $20 million mark.
Captaintreacherous is the two-time defending Pacer of the Year and a winner of more than $3 million in his racing career for trainer Tony Alagna. He’s developed into a fan favorite with his gritty, never give up style and he’ll need every bit of that heart, a large dose of speed and another clever steer from Tetrick on Saturday. He’s drawn a favorable post, starting just inside the 8-5 favorite, Sweet Lou.
Sweet Lou has flashed brilliance from the start for his connections and still holds the freshman pacing world record. Now a 5-year-old, he’s in the best form of his career and has been invincible since paired with driver Ron Pierce in May. Together they are five-for-five, all in 1:48.3 or faster, culminating with a world record 1:47 the hard way at Pocono in the Franklin, the fastest mile on a five-eighths track in history.
Sweet Lou is one of a formidable four horse armada sent out in the Haughton by Meadowlands and national leading trainer Ron Burke. The four Burke horses alone have amassed a staggering $12 million in career earnings, led by the richest pacer in history, ageless wonder Foiled Again at $6.3 million. Foiled Again will have to overcome the extreme outside post for his regular driver Yannick Gingras in this battle.
The $776,000 Meadowlands Pace is race nine on the star studded extravaganza and has been well covered in many arenas, so for our purposes let’s just say it shapes up to be a very exciting and contentious race, as is usually the case in the absence of a clear division leader.
Among the deepest and most contentious divisions this season is the older trotting mares. The returning Horse of the Year, Bee A Magician, last year’s division leader, Maven, and pair of 4-year-old mares that have blossomed into trotting divas, Perfect Alliance and Classic Martine, will all meet among a field of eight in the $40,000 Miss Versatility in race ten.
It’s one for the ages this Saturday night at The Meadowlands with more than $2.5 million in purses offered over the 13-race card, including four $100,000 finals for state bred freshmen. Post time is 6:30 p.m. and it’s going to be well attended, so if you’re thinking of coming out make your reservations now. If not, the Haughton and Pace will be carried live on the CBS Sports Network and the TVG Racing network.
- JK Endofanera, He’s Watching win Meadowlands Pace elims (Saturday, July 05, 2014)
JK Endofanera will be the 2-1 favorite for the $776,000 Meadowlands Pace final with He’s Watching a close 5-2 second choice. The two standout colts won their $50,000 Pace eliminations on Saturday night.
- Menary is once again enjoying the ride with He’s Watching (Monday, July 07, 2014)
Dave Menary might have been concerned when He’s Watching lost for the first time in his career earlier this season, but the setback was something of a blessing for the 35-year-old trainer.
- JK Endofanera has been giving his owners a thrill (Tuesday, July 08, 2014)
Alan Katz was hesitant to go to Ontario for the North America Cup last month, but he is glad he made the trip. It is unlikely he will have any similar reservations about crossing the Hudson River from New York and heading to Saturday’s Meadowlands Pace.
- Dancer Memorial pits top Hambletonian contenders (Wednesday, July 09, 2014)
The hotly anticipated match-up between Father Patrick and Trixton will take place this Saturday night at The Meadowlands in the $317,000 Stanley Dancer Memorial.
- Big Grand Circuit week highlighted by Meadowlands stakes (Wednesday, July 09, 2014)
The Grand Circuit schedule continues to be a busy one and this week the spotlight shines on several racetracks, beginning with the Meadowlands.
- ‘The wild one, the ornery one and the sweetie’ (Wednesday, July 09, 2014)
Trainer Julie Miller will need some good peripheral vision Saturday as she will have her eyes all over the Meadowlands Racetrack.
- Underrated Bettor’s Edge seeks Haughton glory (Wednesday, July 09, 2014)
Bettor’s Edge is not the highest profile pacer in the Ron Burke Stable, but he is holding his own against the best in the sport. It’s something he has done pretty much throughout his million-dollar-earning career.
- Another tough assignment for Father Patrick (Thursday, July 10, 2014)
Father Patrick is no stranger to overcoming difficult starting spots, and no stranger to providing fantastic finishes.
- Meadowlands Pace featured on ‘Eye on Harness Racing Weekend Preview’ (Thursday, July 10, 2014)
Saturday’s (July 12) Meadowlands Pace will be highlighted on this week’s edition of “Eye on Harness Racing Weekend Preview,” the United States Trotting Association’s bi-weekly online video news magazine.
- CBS Sports Network to broadcast Meadowlands Pace Saturday at 9 p.m. (Thursday, July 10, 2014)
Harness racing fans can tune in to CBS Sports Network on Saturday (July 12) from 9–10 p.m. (EDT) to watch the live broadcast of the $776,000 Meadowlands Pace and $463,300 William R. Haughton Memorial, as well as taped coverage of the $317,000 Stanley Dancer Memorial.
- Antonacci is looking forward to racing Aunt Caroline in Golden Girls (Friday, July 11, 2014)
When you look at the program and see Frank Antonacci’s name as the conditioner, it jumps off the page that Aunt Caroline is a pacer. Long associated with trotters, the Lindy Racing Stable was not steering away from its specialty when it purchased this mare as a yearling at Harrisburg three years ago. It was actually bringing a member of the extended family home.