Seventeen enter Hambletonian Oaks
July 24, 2018,by Moira Fanning, for the Hambletonian Society
East Rutherford, NJ — Seventeen 3-year-old trotters have entered the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks, the filly division of the Hambletonian.
Hambletonian Festival week kicks off on Saturday (July 28) with two $50,000 eliminations to narrow the field to 10 for the $500,000 Oaks final on Hambletonian Day (Saturday, Aug. 4) at The Meadowlands Racetrack.
The recent battle between Dan Patch Award champion Manchego and rival Plunge Blue Chip in a division of the Del Miller Memorial at The Meadowlands resulted in a near dead-heat with Plunge Blue Chip emerging a nostril ahead in a world-record 1:49.4. The two fillies were seeded into different Oaks eliminations, with Plunge Blue Chip receiving post eight in one and Manchego receiving post seven in the other. The other Del Miller Memorial winner, Phaetosive, will start inside of Plunge Blue Chip with post five in their elimination.
Manchego has lost just two of 17 career starts, breaking against males in the Beal Memorial final on June 30, and the aforementioned nose loss to Plunge Blue Chip. Her career earnings stand at $961,170 for trainer Jimmy Takter and owners Black Horse Racing, John Fielding and Herb Liverman.
Plunge Blue Chip, driven and trained by Ake Svanstedt, has a record of 5-3-2-0 in 2018 for an ownership comprised of Svanstedt Stable, Blue Chip Bloodstock, Zeron Racing Stables and Tomas Andersson. Her only losses this year have come in meetings with Atlanta, the top filly in the division, whose connections opted to race the males in the $1 million Hambletonian Open. The daughter of Muscle Mass-Dunk The Donut became the fastest 3-year-old of any gender with her recent 1:49.4 score.
For the first time this year Plunge Blue Chip will face Phaetosive, driven and trained by Trond Smedshammer and owned by Purple Haze Stables. The daughter of Explosive Matter-Phaeton was a $65,000 purchase at the Standardbred Horse Sale in 2016 and has earned her connections $352,358 in just 10 lifetime starts.
The Oaks elimination fields are as follows:
Post Position-Horse-Trainer-Driver
1-Blonde Magic-Thomas Durand-Thomas Durand
2-Lima Novelty-Linda Toscano-Scott Zeron
3-Winbak Noelle-Lucas Wallin-Andrew McCarthy
4-Perfect Summer K-Andrew Harris-Louis Roy
5-Phaetosive-Trond Smedshammer-Trond Smedshammer
6-Live Laugh Love-R. Nifty Norman-David Miller
7-Nixie Volo-John Butenschoen-Corey Callahan
8-Plunge Blue Chip-Ake Svanstedt-Ake Svanstedt
Post Position-Horse-Trainer-Driver
1-What A Knockout-Marcus Melander-David Miller
2-Bill’s Lady-John Butenschoen-Corey Callahan
3-Lily Stride-Mark Harder-Tim Tetrick
4-Hey Blondie-Chuck Sylvester-Andrew McCarthy
5-Fly Fly Selena-Dustin Jones-Brett Miler
6-Courtney Hanover-Rick Zeron-Scott Zeron
7-Manchego-Jimmy Takter-Yannick Gingras
8-Piranha Fury-R. Nifty Norman-Tim Tetrick
9-Seviyorum-Julie Miller-Andy Miller
The top five finishers in each elimination will advance to the final on Aug. 4. There is no Lasix or any race day medication permitted in the eliminations or finals of the Hambletonian Oaks or Open. Elimination winners draw for inside posts 1-5 and all other finalists will then be placed in an open draw. The winner of the final on Aug. 4 is the Oaks winner, regardless of elimination finish on July 28.
Post positions for the $500,000 final will be drawn and morning lines assigned on Tuesday (July 31), on a Facebook live post position draw at 2 p.m. on the Meadowlands Facebook page and also streamed live on the Meadowlands YouTube channel.
The $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks and $1 million Hambletonian will be featured on a live 90-minute broadcast on CBS Sports Network from 4-5:30 p.m. (EDT) on Aug. 4.
Hambletonian Day is closing day with a post time of 12 noon, and the zenith of the Championship Meet. Fans can follow the next two action-filled weekends at www.Hambletonian.com, www.meadowlandsracetrack.com and on Twitter at #Hambo18.
- Oaks, Peter Haughton and Jim Doherty Memorial details (Tuesday, July 24, 2018)
The Meadowlands is drawing for several major stakes Tuesday morning to be raced the upcoming weekend of July 27 and 28. The Hambletonian Oaks box held 17 fillies entered for the stake. Eliminations will be on Saturday (July 28) and the top 10 will move on to the $500,000 final on Hambletonian Day, Aug. 4.
- Svanstedt looks to ‘Plunge’ into Oaks (Thursday, July 26, 2018)
When she is training or warming up, Plunge Blue Chip can be a handful for driver Ake Svanstedt. Once a race begins, she is a handful for her rivals. A dozen days ago Plunge Blue Chip became the fastest 3-year-old trotter in history when she won her division of the Delvin Miller Memorial for 3-year-old female trotters by a nose over Manchego in 1:49.4 at The Meadowlands Racetrack. On Saturday, she returns to action in the second of two eliminations for the Hambletonian Oaks at the Big M.
- Major Grand Circuit stakes this weekend at The Meadowlands (Friday, July 27, 2018)
The Meadowlands hits its best stride in the final two weekends of live racing with many of the marquee Grand Circuit stakes desired by the connections of the top horses in harness racing taking place over the New Jersey mile oval.