by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications
Freehold, NJ — Classic Pro might be the easiest horse to identify in Saturday’s $738,550 Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace for 3-year-old pacers, but not because of any markings or equipment — or even a number — on the colt.
It is because what Classic Pro will be missing: hobbles.
Classic Pro, trained by Dr. Ian Moore, has raced free legged this year and enjoyed a fair amount of success along the way. The son of former Moore standout Shadow Play has won three of seven races and earned $101,975 this season for owners Moore, R G McGroup Ltd., and hockey legend Serge Savard.
In fact, excluding one race in which Classic Pro went off stride prior to the start, the only 3-year-olds to finish ahead of the colt this season are Fear The Dragon, Huntsville, and Downbytheseaside. Those three horses are ranked Nos. 1, 6 and 7, respectively, in the sport’s Top 10 poll.
Last year, Classic Pro was winless in 11 races but finished third on six occasions and earned $93,272.
“He was a nice colt last year,” Moore said. “He raced against some of the best ones last year. He just drew bad or just the way things went in the race. He never had a win but he still made a nice bit of money for us.
“He’s filled out more and got bigger and stronger. I trained him down free legged and he seemed good so we thought we’d try it. He seemed so much happier and had a big longer gait to him, especially behind. So we just left him alone and that’s the way he’s been.”
Moore can recall racing two other horses free legged during his training career. The first was in the mid-1970s. The second, Astronomical, was a decade ago. In 2007, Astronomical became the fastest free-legged pacer in history when he won in 1:50 at Georgian Downs.
Classic Pro has a mark of 1:52.1 this year, which came in a conditioned race at Mohawk.
Moore accepted a bye for Classic Pro to advance directly to the Meadowlands Pace final rather than race in last weekend’s elimination for the event. The bye was based on seasonal earnings. The connections of Downbytheseaside and Miso Fast also accepted byes.
Huntsville won the Meadowlands Pace elimination by 2-1/4 lengths over Blood Line in 1:48.4. Ray Schnittker, who trains and co-owns Huntsville, turned down a bye.
“At first I thought we would go and race,” Moore said. “Then I got thinking about it. He’s free legged and you never know if something might happen and he might not make the final. And I figured Huntsville was going to race because he hadn’t raced in two weeks, so I decided to take the bye. I trained him on Saturday and he should be ready to roll.”
Moore’s decision to race Classic Pro without hobbles is not without trepidation since the colt went off stride in a division of the Somebeachsomewhere Stakes on June 3 at Mohawk. Moore drove the horse in a qualifier three days later and the horse made a break behind the gate again, this time wearing hobbles.
“The little bump we did have, he started to get pretty hot behind the gate,” Moore said. “After he got a few wins this year, it seemed to change his temperament a little bit. He’s getting a bit more aggressive now.
“He started getting geared up behind the gate. He hit the stirrups of the bike (sulky) and it was driving him crazy. We got a big bike for him now and have got ear plugs in him. He seems much better. But it’s still kind of an adventure at that level with that speed.”
Classic Pro will start the Meadowlands Pace from post nine with Trevor Henry in the sulky. The horse is Moore’s second Meadowlands Pace finalist and Henry’s first. Moore finished seventh with State Treasurer in 2012.
“That’s the way it goes,” Moore said about drawing post nine in the 10-horse field. “It would have been nice to draw better. There are at least three good ones there in Huntsville, Downbytheseaside and Miso Fast. After that it’s kind of open a bit. We’ll just hope to get a little bit of racing there.”
Following is the field for the $738,550 Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace for 3-year-old pacers in post order with drivers, trainers and morning line.
PP-Horse-Driver-Trainer-Line
1-Blood Line-Mark MacDonald-Jimmy Takter-5/1
2-Mac’s Jackpot-David Miller-Jim Campbell-15/1
3-Boogie Shuffle-Scott Zeron-Mark Harder-30/1
4-Huntsville-Tim Tetrick-Ray Schnittker-1/1
5-Downbytheseaside-Brian Sears-Brian Brown-4/1
6-Miso Fast-Matt Kakaley-Ron Burke-10/1
7-Filibuster Hanover-Yannick Gingras-Ron Burke-10/1
8-Santafe’s Coach-Corey Callahan-Leo Iordan-20/1
9-Classic Pro-Trevor Henry-Dr. Ian Moore-15/1
10-Talent Soup-Eric Abbatiello-Bruce Saunders-30/1
Scheduled post time: 9:34 p.m.
- Powerful Huntsville Pace ready (Saturday, July 08, 2017)
Huntsville is ready for The Pace.The Ray Schnittker trainee had no trouble winning the Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace Elimination Saturday night (June 8) at The Meadowlands, stopping the clock in 1:48.4. It was 2-1/4 lengths back to Blood Line with Santafe’s Coach third. Earlier on the card Walner equaled Ariana G’s seasonal mark of 1:51.1 for 3-year-old trotters.
- Marion Marauder, Lady Shadow, and Walner headline Pace undercard stakes (Tuesday, July 11, 2017)
Nearly $3 million in Grand Circuit stakes will be contested on Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace night, Saturday (July 15) with an early post time of 6:30 p.m.
- Bowden hopes for no bad “Blood” in Meadowlands Pace (Tuesday, July 11, 2017)
Adam Bowden is never quite sure what to expect from Blood Line. Last weekend, the colt finished second to award-winning Huntsville in the Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace elimination, completing the mile in 1:49.1 with a :26.3 last quarter. In his previous start, Blood Line went off stride at odds of 2-1 in his elimination of the Hempt Memorial and failed to advance to the final. Needless to say, Bowden is hoping for more of the former than the latter in Saturday’s $738,550 Meadowlands Pace final for 3-year-old pacers at the Meadowlands Racetrack in New Jersey.
- SNY to provide live coverage of Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace (Tuesday, July 11, 2017)
The 41st Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace will air live on SNY, Saturday (July 15) from 9–10 p.m.
- Bigger, stronger Marion Marauder ready for Hambletonian Maturity (Wednesday, July 12, 2017)
While some trainers might be upset they were unable to get their prized horse to the breeding shed, Paula Wellwood and Mike Keeling feel it’s a pretty good consolation prize that Marion Marauder can still race and will be on the track in Saturday’s $458,750 Hambletonian Maturity for 4-year-olds at the Meadowlands.
- Off-the-track excitement on Pace Night at The Meadowlands (Wednesday, July 12, 2017)
While the action on the track Saturday night (July 15) at the Meadowlands will be hot, with nearly $3 million in purses headlined by the $738,550 Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace, there will be plenty of action off the track as well.
- Meadowlands Pace card leads big Grand Circuit weekend (Wednesday, July 12, 2017)
The stakes heavy Saturday (July 15) Grand Circuit card at the Meadowlands features the $738,550 Meadowlands Pace for 3-year-olds.
- Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace Night at a glance (Wednesday, July 12, 2017)
Here is the Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace Night at a glance.
- Dancer Memorial is next stop for champion Walner (Thursday, July 13, 2017)
If Walner’s six rivals last week felt as though they were run over when the returning Dan Patch Award winner made his seasonal debut with a 7-1/2 length victory in 1:51.1, it’s no wonder. “You sit behind him and it feels like you’re driving a Corvette with a Mack truck engine,” Walner’s driver, Tim Tetrick, said after the win. “He’s ready to rock.”
- Top older pacers to tangle at Big M (Thursday, July 13, 2017)
Call Me Queen Be faces a tough group of older female pacers in Saturday’s $201,000 Golden Girls at the Meadowlands Racetrack, but driver Scott Zeron expects his mare to be in the thick of the action from the get-go. It’s been a successful formula for the horse, who has earned nearly $1.1 million in her career.
- Dream Baby Dream “keeps the fire burning” for Rod and Dawn Allen (Friday, July 14, 2017)
If there is anyone on the planet who intends to ask Rod Allen if he plans on procuring the services of another reinsman to steer his Delvin Miller Memorial contestant Dream Baby Dream in this event, or any other, be forewarned he will not even acknowledge the question. After all it is a silly question, as anyone familiar with Allen knows the only individual that will be holding the lines behind this filly is him.
- Pace Night highlights at The Meadowlands (Friday, July 14, 2017)
The Meadowlands presents “The Greatest Night in Harness Racing” this Saturday with the 41st edition of the track’s signature race, the Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace, for a purse of $738,550. There is an early 6:30 p.m. post time on Saturday.
- Schnittker/Tetrick look for another Meadowlands Pace triumph (Friday, July 14, 2017)
Trainer Ray Schnittker and driver Tim Tetrick have enjoyed success previously in the Meadowlands Pace, winning in 2010 with One More Laugh, and have a chance to add another trophy to their collections when award-winning Huntsville faces nine rivals in Saturday’s $738,550 edition of the Meadowlands Racetrack’s signature event.
- Stars to shine on Saturday at Meadowlands (Friday, July 14, 2017)
There will be no shortage of award-winning horses on the track Saturday at the Meadowlands. The star-packed card features eight stakes events, with at least one Dan Patch Award winner in each. In fact, all told there will be the recipients of a combined 22 Dan Patch and O’Brien awards in action Saturday night at the Big M.