from the Meadowlands Publicity Department

East Rutherford, NJ — Patient handling and a change in scenery have helped American Lane move up the trotting ranks at the Meadowlands.

The 6-year-old gelding bids for his fifth straight win in the $42,000 featured trot on Friday night, Feb. 1. Trained by Carl Cito, Jr., he is the 9-5 morning line favorite from post two in the fifth race. Cat Manzi has the driving assignment.

David Scharf and Jerry Silva purchased American Lane from Chicago-based trainer Homer Hochstetler last February. Hochstetler and his wife, Connie, bred the son of Primrose Lane-Colors Of The Wind. He is a half-brother to Sauce Two K, who was an undefeated seven-for-seven before his narrow loss in last week’s Super Bowl Final.

“Around the end of February of last year there was an agent, a guy named Gary Brown from Las Vegas, who mentioned the horse to David Scharf,” Cito explained. “David called me to go look at the horse. I went up to the Meadowlands to vet him out and jog him. He had gone some good miles and was eligible to some series. Those were initially too tough for him but he was a big, good looking and sound horse, and it’s hard to find one like that. Apparently, nobody wanted to pay the money for him because, from what I hear, he was for sale for a while. He certainly turned out okay for us.”

American Lane did not race at two and was only lightly raced as a sophomore, though he did finish first or second in five of six starts. At four, he hit the board in 14 of 27 starts and counted a leg of the Super Bowl Series at the Meadowlands among his five wins. He made seven starts for Hochstetler in 2007 before moving into Cito’s barn.

“When I got him it didn’t seem like he had been racing too hard,” Cito said. “He was treated conservatively, as a matter of fact. He was stabled at the racetrack and I brought him to my own farm in Jackson, New Jersey. That alone contributed to his longevity.”

American Lane closed out his 5-year-old season with 15 wins in 42 starts and $278,517. After a modest start at the Meadowlands, he became a prolific presence in the open ranks at Harrah’s Chester Downs and Yonkers. He is three-for-three in 2008 at the Meadowlands.

“The initial plan was to try and recoup some money right away in series races and he just wasn’t real sharp,” he said. “Then, we agreed he was in it for the long haul. One thing led to another and he started getting better. It was a combination of things. He won 15 races, which gave him confidence. I put the hopples on him and put him on Lasix. Also, the sand track here helped his feet, so did the Equisizor and being turned out in a paddock. He just likes the farm life more than the track. Plus, he grew up and matured. He always had speed, but it was tough to get it out of him.

“He’s in all the series this year, yet we’ll play it by ear,” he added. “At some point he’s going to need somewhat of a break when he shows signs of fatigue.”

Cito, 44, has 13 horses in training, including recent claim Grin Some More who will race on Saturday night.

“I prefer quality over quantity and I try to keep them classified right,” he said. “I have a 3-year-old filly pacer named See And Be Seen I like a lot. She was a $300,000 purchase at Harrisburg. I also have a lightly raced 3-year-old trotting colt by Andover Hall named Unshakable. Benear is in to go at Yonkers on Saturday. She was good in her first start and has a big chance.”

Stonebridge Kisses approaches earnings mark

Stonebridge Kisses could become harness racing’s next millionairess in the $42,000 featured mare pace on Friday night at the Meadowlands.

The 8-year-old daughter of Artiscape has earnings of $985,393 entering Friday night’s tenth race. Although she has been a formidable competitor in both stakes and open company, the toughest test she faced was recovering from a racing accident at age six.

Stonebridge Kisses fell during a Cape & Cutter Series division on Feb. 17, 2006 and gashed herself on her race bike. It took two surgeries by renowned veterinarian Dr. Patty Hogan of the New Jersey Equine Clinic in Clarksburg to repair the wounds. The gutsy mare returned six months later and has since earned $400,000. She is trained by Mark Ford and owned by Martin Scharf.