from the Meadowlands Publicity Department

East Rutherford, NJ — A veteran caretaker and the trainer he works for share in the ownership of one of the most successful pacers campaigning at the Meadowlands this spring.

Landmark Hall, winner of five straight races, faces his toughest challenge in Saturday night’s fifth race, a $40,000 open. The five-year-old gelded son of Cambest is rated 9-5 in the morning line from post seven with Jim Morrill, Jr. driving.

He is owned by Mark Silva, currently ranked third in the trainer standings at the Meadowlands, and his employee of five years, Jose Luis Alejandre.

“It was totally Mark’s decision to buy the horse,” said the 33-year-old Alejandre. “I told him I wanted to claim a horse and go partners. But when we went to look at Landmark Hall, he decided, and I agreed, to take a chance. I remember he was in our barn last year — on the other side (of the shedrow). His groom was in front of his stall sometimes yelling at him.

“This has been a big thrill for my wife and daughter, Rebecca,” he noted. “She’s nine, and she draws pictures of him and gives him pep talks before the race. She also braids his hair before he goes out onto the track. She wants him to look as good as he can out there.”

Landmark Hall has looked remarkably good — with a record of seven wins, two seconds and two thirds from 18 starts (15 for Silva and Alejandre) this year for earnings of $94,627 toward a career bankroll of $281,263. Last week he posted his second 1:49 flat mile in three weeks.

Alejandre, who is from Michoacin, Mexico, works two jobs to make ends meet. Mark Silva and his wife, Tammy, have employed him for the last five years.

“He works early in the morning (for the Silvas), and then around 8:00 a.m. or so he goes to his job at the feed company (Mid-State Feed), then he comes back,” Mark Silva explained. “He asked me and Tammy last year about buying a horse and going in with us. I told him sure, and he said that he would get some money together — he and his wife, Belinda — and go in on a horse. He said he would have it ready for this meet, and he did early on. I looked at Landmark Hall — he was a four-year-old $50,000 claimer last year for us — and decided to buy him privately for $30,000 in February. He didn’t have good form. He was getting beat 15 to 20 lengths every start. But we bought him and here we are. The horse has responded to our training program, and he’s real good right now. This horse tries very hard every time out there. And the Cambests have shown that a lot of them get better as they get older.”

Alejandre, who has worked for Mid-State Feed Company for six years, also has experience caring for Thoroughbred racehorses.

“I worked for (trainer) Pat Bottazzi for three years,” he said, recalling his Thoroughbred background. “We raced at the Meadowlands, Garden State, Monmouth and in New York. We claimed a cheaper horse together once but only wound up having him for two weeks. That was the only other time I owned a horse. When I started rubbing horses for Mark and Tammy, I didn’t know much about the (Standardbred) business. I started to like it more and more. I got excited watching them race, the way they went. I liked everything about the sport. The more I worked with Mark and Tammy, the more I learned to like the sport.

“We’re having the time of our lives — my wife and daughter and I,” Alejandre said. “We see him (Landmark Hall) all the time. I see him every morning, and then I go to my other job to deliver grain and wood chips. This is the most exciting time we’ve ever had in racing. This week, he’s in the feature on Saturday night. I told Mark I thought he deserved a chance to race against the champions, the best. I hope he can do it. My whole family will be rooting him on, you can be sure of that.”

Hambletonian hopeful Rocky Balboa sold for $450,000

Rocky Balboa, a three-year-old trotting colt being pointed toward the $1.2 million Hambletonian on August 7 at the Meadowlands, has been sold for $450,000.

This is the second Hambletonian hopeful sold in the last few weeks by Chuck Sylvester, who last month completed a transaction sending Southwind Elian to New York Jets wide receiver Wayne Chrebet’s Double Down Stable.

Delaware-based trainer Chuck Crissman, who handled the acquisition of Rocky Balboa, had been considering Southwind Elian initially.

“We bought the colt last week,” said Crissman. “We were actually looking to buy Southwind Elian but as we were vetting him out, (trainer) Kevin McDermott bought the horse (for Chrebet). While I was waiting for the truck to come back and pick me up, Chuck and I got to talking, he mentioned Rocky Balboa, and we ended up buying him instead.”

A son of Muscles Yankee, Rocky Balboa was a $50,000 Harrisburg yearling purchase for Sylvester and his partner, Neal Goldman of Washington Township, New Jersey. The same duo campaigned 2002 Hambletonian winner Chip Chip Hooray, the last of Sylvester’s four Hambletonian winners. Sylvester also won in 1998 with Muscles Yankee, 1989 with Park Avenue Joe and 1987 with Mack Lobell.

Rocky Balboa made eight starts at two, posting three wins, two seconds, and a third for earnings of $21,691, taking a record of 1:59¹.

He qualified on May 29 at the Meadowlands, finishing fourth, clocked in 1:59⁴. He qualified again on June 4, finishing second in a time of 1:57².

He will now race for the Rojan Stable of Bob and Buddy Aerenson of Wilmington, Delaware, and the Doc & Me Stable, the partnership of Crissman’s wife, Wendy, and Dr. Jack Wilkes of Camden, Delaware.

Bob Aerenson is a real estate developer who owns several shopping malls while Buddy Aerenson is an attorney. The Aerensons have been Crissman’s clients for the past eight months.

Despite the success Crissman has enjoyed training his own stable, Rocky Balboa remains in the care of Sylvester at the present time.

“Chuck is awfully good with trotters,” said Crissman. “We might leave the colt with him but haven’t made up our minds yet. He’s in to qualify again Friday (June 4). We’ll decide after that whether we bring him down here or leave him with Chuck.”

While Sylvester has sold two of his trotters for six-figure sums, he still has another pair of Hambletonian prospects in his barn, Ever To Excel and Steakhouse.

Around The Meadowlands for June 4, 2004

The two members of the Bush Cabinet were on display Friday morning at Meadowlands’ qualifiers. The three-year-old trotter Tom Ridge, named for the Secretary of Homeland Security, finished second in the third race qualifier, timed in 1:56². Another trotter, Rumsfeld (Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld), broke stride and finished last in his qualifier.

Respectednbeloved, who has the rail and Ron Pierce in the sulky for Friday night’s (June 4) third race, brings a five race winning streak into the $25,000 New Jersey Sires Stakes. She is racing out of the stable of trainer Noel Daley.

“Joe Stutzman trained her up here, and she won the Princess Series Final at Mohawk (on May 17),” said the filly’s Ontario-based pilot Steve Condren. “It was actually quite a race. A bunch of horses made breaks, and she had to overcome a lot of adversity to get the job done. I think she was immature and might’ve baby raced once or twice as a two-year-old. She wasn’t a real big filly, and they probably just gave her the time. She’s come around pretty quickly. She’s not a bad little filly. She’s still on the frail side and not a big, robust filly. She’s got a good attitude and not a bad engine, too. She’s also a very versatile filly. She can do it either way. They’ll likely race her sporadically and aim more towards the fall with her.”

Patrick Lachance won the sixth race on Thursday night with Exit Hanover, triggering the highest win payoff at the Meadowlands in 2004 and the 14th highest ever — $249.80. Four times the payoff has exceeded $300: Delvin G Hanover on June 15, 1984 paid $367.20; Saunders Bret on February 15, 1982 paid $337.40; Union Papez on January 27, 1992 paid $319.60; and Deleson on June 5, 1986 paid $317.

Ross Wolfenden, who has drives in all 13 races on Saturday night, makes his return to the Meadowlands after an absence of nearly two years. The 41-year-old New Zealander has settled in Felton, Delaware, and has been racing in that state the last two years. He has more than 2,500 career victories and earnings of nearly $20 million.

There were a total of 85 driver changes for Saturday night’s card as several drivers, including John Campbell, Daniel Dube, Brian Sears, George Brennan, Howard Parker, Richard Silverman, Cat Manzi and Ron Pierce, head to Mohawk for the Burlington Stakes and other commitments.

Cat Manzi, the leading dash-winning driver in North America (302) and turning 54 on June 27, has 10,368 career wins and $96,911,945 in earnings through June 3.

“I’m driving as well now, or better, than I ever have,” he acknowledged.

Allamerican Theory, the 2003 Meadowlands Pace winner, makes his four-year-old debut in the first race on Saturday night at Mohawk. He is being pointed toward the elims for the William R. Haughton Memorial on July 3 at the Meadowlands.