by Jay Bergman, for the Hambletonian Society

Cranbury, NJ — The smoke was supposed to clear and the dust settle following this past Saturday’s three Stanley Dancer divisions at the Meadowlands. With the $1.7 million Hambletonian eliminations scheduled for July 31, one clear favorite has emerged but no one is conceding the sport’s biggest prize just yet.

Holiday Road was a 1:54 winner in his Dancer division.

Holiday Road appears to be on the path of his former stablemate and 2009 Hambletonian champion Muscle Hill. In just his second start as a sophomore the Yankee Glide colt moved with purpose to the lead and pretty much toyed with the competition in his Dancer split. Among the vanquished on that night were two of last year’s better colts, Lucky Chucky and Pilgrims Taj.

Trainer Greg Peck is not quick to compare last year’s champ with this year’s contender just yet and that’s easy to understand. Make no mistake the 1:54 mile could have been faster had driver Brian Sears felt threatened. But glancing at Sears in the stretch, he seemed to be aware of his rivals and at the same time the capabilities of his colt.

Last year’s extraordinary colt Lucky Chucky was making his second start of his sophomore campaign as well in the Dancer and finished a solid second. The son of Hambletonian and Triple Crown winner Windsong’s Legacy is not the smoothest-gaited horse around but he did manage to flash a strong late burst to get second to Holiday Road. Only a half-length separated Lucky Chucky from the winner and that perhaps would be more encouraging had Sears been asking Holiday Road to trot a final quarter better than :27.4.

Trainer Chuck Sylvester has a storied history of getting his 3-year-old colts primed for the early August classic and it’s certainly conceivable that Lucky Chucky will be ready to show more speed when the curtain goes up on July 31.

Ron Pierce steered Muscle Massive to a 1:53.4 win in their Dancer division.

Muscle Massive was a 1:53.4 Dancer division winner but his performance didn’t have trainer Jimmy Takter smiling. That’s certainly something to be concerned about. The New Jersey Sire Stakes champion pretty much was able to set his own tempo and driver Ron Pierce didn’t have to offer much encouragement to get the Muscles Yankee colt home in a :28.1 final quarter.

Takter didn’t like the way the colt got over the track and he pulled no punches in his post race assessment that his team would have to figure a few things out in the next two weeks.

On appearance and pedigree Muscle Massive would seem to be positioned for a Hambletonian title. His championship pedigree extends back to Bill Haughton’s 1977 champion Green Speed.

Trainer Jonas Czernyson has sent out some Hambletonian contenders in the past few years and would appear to have another good one in Temple Of Doom. With just one victory in 19 lifetime starts, a trip to the winner’s circle on Hambo Day would appear a longshot. But Temple Of Doom has shown the speed and the soundness necessary to make noise in the big dance. The son of $400,000 winner Armbro Temple is from the direct maternal line responsible for 1989 dead-heat winner Park Avenue Joe.

There very well could be two Chuckie’s with chances on Hambletonian Day. Certainly Pilgrims Chuckie punched his ticket for entry in the eliminations on July 31 with his stellar closing effort in the Muscle Massive division. Driver Mike Lachance attempted to send the Pennsylvania-bred son of Broadway Hall to the front but had to take back when the two horses directly inside of him left the gate. That left the Scott Andrews-trained colt well back of the field through the opening half. The colt showed breathtaking speed charging on the far outside in the stretch to finish third and could easily have won the race had there been added distance to the mile event.

Lisa photos

He’s A Demon won the fastest Dancer division as he crossed the wire in 1:53.1.

Last year Ontario-based trainer Jeff Gillis came to East Rutherford for the Hambo with Federal Flex, a horse with plenty of talent and hype. The colt proved a big disappointment to his fans and followers but it didn’t leave Gillis any less hopeful upon his return with He’s A Demon. With Ontario’s finest, Jody Jamieson, in the bike the Muscles Yankee colt rallied sharply off cover to score in a career best 1:53.1 clocking, mowing down 1-5 favorite Cassis on the wire.

Much like Takter, trainer Gillis could hardly crack a smile when being interviewed. That’s because the lightly-raced colt had hinted at making a few breaks during the mile and did in fact go into a gallop a few steps past the wire. With four wins in six starts this season coming from off the pace there are plenty of reasons to like He’s a Demon in the weeks ahead.

Cassis had entered the Dancer with eight wins in 10 career starts. While not as impressive as Ray Schnittker’s 2008 Hambletonian champion Deweycheatumnhowe, Cassis had been virtually flawless racing in Pennsylvania and most recently had shattered the Goshen track mark with a scintillating 1:55.4 performance. Though driver Tim Tetrick appeared to be carving out reasonable fractions of :26.4, :55.4 and 1:24.2, the Cantab Hall colt did not respond in the final sixteenth to encouragement. He’ll have to pick up his game significantly on the big track to contend for the big money.

The Lindy Stable always appears to have a few contenders lurking in the background of any Hambletonian. This year’s crop includes Coco Lindy, a homebred who posted six wins in seven starts as a juvenile. Owned by Lindy Farms along with Robert Rudolph, the Frank Antonacci trainee made multiple moves and was digging in right to the wire in He’s A Demon’s division. He finished third and was timed in 1:53.2, the fastest he’s ever gone in a race.

These connections could have another “sleeper” in Pretty Boy Lindy. Also by Cantab Hall, the homebred charged from ninth in an overnight this past Thursday to a career best 1:54 victory at the Meadowlands. Winless in seven starts at two, Pretty Boy Lindy has improved with each start, winning three times in five appearances.

Trainer Bob McIntosh could have a serious Hambletonian contender in Text Me. The son of Kadabra has never ventured out of Ontario during his two years of racing, but look for him to join the fray after racing in the Canadian Breeders Championship final this coming weekend.