from the Meadowlands Publicity Department

East Rutherford, NJ — Trainer Bill Gallagher and owner Joseph Chnapko have created a successful niche for themselves by purchasing older trotters that improve under patient handling.

Their latest is Cisco Hall, who steps into the Open ranks in the $46,500 fifth race trot on Friday night (June 15) at the Meadowlands. He is rated at 10-1 from post four with Cat Manzi listed to drive. Chnapko purchased Cisco Hall for $72,000 two years ago.

“I bought Cisco Hall at Harrisburg in 2005,” Gallagher said. “He had been lame, right front, and nobody could find it. He was always fast, but you had to grab him and he could only trot in 1:55-56. So, we did an exploratory. We found a fracture, and did the surgery. We’ve brought him along, and here he is.”

Cisco Hall made just three starts for Gallagher last season, but has steadily improved since making his 2007 debut on April 2 at Pompano Park. He finished fifth in his last start at the Meadowlands and was clocked in 1:53.1, the fastest mile he had ever been asked to trot. The son of Conway Hall raced for trainer Jimmy Takter at ages 2 and 3 and earned just under $175,000 while winning seven of 13 starts.

“He progressed at Pompano and improved in his second start at the Meadowlands,” said Gallagher, who is stabled at Showplace Farms in Englishtown, New Jersey. “I don’t know if he deserves to be in the Open, but we want to get him raced. We just don’t know where the bottom is and we really don’t want to find it. He’s doing everything we’ve asked him to do. You can see how his times have steadily progressed and every week he gets better.”

Gallagher and Chnapko’s most successful trotter has been Hellava Hush. Chnapko, who resides in Livingston, New Jersey, paid $155,000 for the trotter in 2004 and he went on to earn just under $800,000 in three years of racing. The 7-year-old son of Lindy Lane has a total career bankroll of $1,129,429.

Hellava Hush enjoyed his best season at age 5 in 2005, when he earned $522,720. He finished third in the Arthur J. Cutler Memorial, second in the Trotting Classic Final and took his mark of 1:51 in the $300,000 Nat Ray. Last year, he won the Mack Lobell Final at Pompano Park and finished second in the Cutler Memorial before his season was cut short by injury.

“After the Cutler last year, he was out in the field, got hung up in the fence and bruised a tendon,” Gallagher said. “There were no tears, but he needed a long time. His target date to qualify is probably the end of next month.

“(He) is 50-50 to race at the Meadowlands this season,” he continued. “I trained him here at Showplace (on June 13) and it looked like they were lined up on the fence watching. His prognosis is excellent. We did an ultrasound yesterday and everything was perfect.”

Gallagher also has a couple of young stakes hopefuls in training for John Liviakis of Mill Valley, California. The 3-year-old trotting filly Right On Renee finished second on Wednesday night at the Meadowlands, while Blessed Victory has yet to make his New Jersey debut.

“Right On Renee’s a real nice Andover Hall filly who’s going to develop into something special,” he said. “We protected her last year and we’re going to do the same with her this year.

“Blessed Victory is a promising Conway Hall 3-year-old with two easy wins in only three starts in Florida,” he continued. “He’s already trotted a half in 1:57 and change. He got a bar crack just before we left Florida and (on June 13) we finally trained him in 2:12. He’ll qualify in about 10 days. He’s a Hambletonian eligible, but I doubt whether he can go with Steve’s colt (Elliott, who trains Donato Hanover).”

Decision to buy Free pays off

Kelvin Harrison might have had a few reservations about arranging the purchase of Free one month ago, but they were quashed when she rolled to a 1:49.2 victory last week in the Mares Open at the Meadowlands.

She bids for a repeat in the $46,500 Mares Open on Friday night and is listed at 3-1 on the morning line from post two in the evening’s eighth race. David Miller has the driving assignment.

Harrison, a New Zealand transplant who trains a stable at Winner’s International in Chesterfield, New Jersey, got a call about the 4-year-old mare from Illinois-based horse agent Brian Walkington earlier this year. She was racing for trainer Stanley Miller in Chicago and had banked more than $250,000, while winning 19 of her races. Harrison contacted his longtime partner Joseph Alflen of Redondo Beach, California and a private purchase was arranged on May 5, 2007.

“Even though this might seem like the season for 4-year-olds in this division, one of my concerns about buying her was not all of those mares tend to make that jump into the older ranks,” Harrison said. “Joe (Alflen) was looking to buy a nice horse and we put together this deal. We had her vetted out and Joe usually never buys what I go there to check out, but not this time. Maybe he got tired of turning me down. We gave $200,000 for her.

“When you go looking for a top colt, they’re too hard to find,” he continued. “If you can buy one they’re usually way more money. Free is a mare who can hopefully go at the top level, and every week she can be a contender going for good money. I also told Joe it’s not like when the Meadowlands closes, you’re finished. You’re going to go for $35,000 at Yonkers and at least that at Chester Downs. You have a chance to get yourself out even if she’s not quite at the top level. She was very consistent, a hard hitter and it looked like she could dance every dance.”

The daughter of Armbro Mackintosh has been a model of consistency over the past two years, finishing first or second in 27 of 30 starts. She has won three of six starts in 2007. Her victory last Friday night was the first since she made her Meadowlands debut for Harrison on May 18. Driven by David Miller, she moved first-over to put away the pacesetter with a furlong to go and pulled away to a 2-1/4 length win over Ideal Weather in a career best 1:49.2.

“She’s improved since she’s been here, yet she won’t go an ounce by herself,” Harrison said. “She raced a couple of times on the front here, they were tough races for her and, believe me, she’s terrible that way. I told Dave (Miller), if you get caught first-over with her, just sit and ride with her. She’ll go with anybody right to the wire. If she clears, she’ll pull herself up and you have to chase her. She might’ve won first-over in 1:49.2 last week, but that was her easiest race so far. If you race a horse the way they like it you can get away with putting them in every seven days week after week.

“She’s not staked to anything here, but she has some stakes in Illinois,” he added. “If she shapes up good, I can put her in the Breeders Crown. The last time I did that, I spent $40,000 and Frightening P drew the 10 hole.”

Harrison, a 57-year-old native of Metheun, New Zealand who came to the States in 1972, is no stranger to good horses, many of which have been Down Under imports.

“Back in, I believe, 1974 when I was coming over to America with horses from Down Under, we once had 53 head on one plane,” he recalled. “One time, we had a bunch of them, including Young Quinn, and we overshot the runway at Kennedy Airport. Now that was quite a feeling. They’re still bringing them over because there’s obviously a big market for racehorses.”

He and Alflen partnered up 20 years ago and have had a string of top flight pacers together.

“Joe and I have been together since the eighties,” he said. “We had Dare You To (1:50.4, $755,729), Direct Flight (1:51, $825,052) and Falcon’s Icon (1:50.4, $406,176). He’s semi-retired now and he was in the auto dealership industry. I was home one day back then and the phone rang. He asked me if I was taking any horses and I had too many at the time. Then, he told me the horse was Dare You To, so I told him to send him on and the rest is history. He’s like a brother to me.”

Top Sonoma wineries share spotlight at June 29 dinner

Two award-winning Sonoma County wineries make for a winning exacta at Pegasus Restaurant’s next wine dinner on Friday, June 29.

The cost per person is $74.95 and includes a four-course dinner with wine pairings, racetrack admission, program and $5 betting voucher (excludes tax and gratuity). Winery representatives will be on hand to discuss the evening’s selections. Dinner seating from 6:30 p.m. The money-winning excitement of live harness racing starts at 7:30 p.m. Call 201-THE-BIGM for reservations.

Specializing in organic viticulture, Bonterra Vineyards is committed to creating world-class wines that are a direct reflection of the organic vineyards in which they grow. Each varietal is a unique, individual expression of organically grown fruit and the winemaker’s art. The historic 378-acre vineyard, located in the Russian River benchlands of Mendocino County, is widely celebrated for consistently excellent Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and unique Rhone varietals such as Viognier and Roussanne.

Devoted to the Grand Cru philosophy, Sonoma-Cutrer combines Burgundian winemaking methods with American insights and technologies to produce intensely flavored wines that clearly reveal a sense of place. Sonoma-Cutrer is renowned for its Chardonnay, which has often held the top spot as the most requested in American restaurants in Wine & Spirits Magazine’s annual survey.

Located atop the Meadowlands Racetrack, Pegasus Restaurant has received Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence each year since 2002. For more information, visit www.meadowlandsracetrack.com.