by Moira Fanning, for the Hambletonian Society
Cranbury, NJ — The Hambletonian Maturity, a race exclusively for 4-year-old trotters, drew nine entrants and will go to post Saturday (July 14) at the Meadowlands Racetrack for a purse of $405,850.
Ariana G, owned by Marvin Katz and Al Libfeld, fresh off a world-record 1:50.2 victory in the Graduate Series final, seeks to join 2016 winner Hannelore Hanover, 1964 winner Elma and 1963 winner Spry Rodney as mare winners of the Maturity. Ariana G, who won the 2017 Hambletonian Oaks on her way to divisional honors and $1.1 million in earnings, would be the first mare to complete the Oaks-Maturity double if she wins Saturday.
Her stiffest competition comes in the form of Guardian Angel As, with three wins in three starts this year for trainer Anette Lorentzon. The son of Archangel authored a 4-year-old track record of 1:52 last month at Harrah’s Philadelphia, but was ineligible to the Graduate final. Owned by ACL Stuteri AB and Kjell Johansson, Guardian Angel As has racked up $320,030 in his career, with most of his sophomore success coming on the New York Sire Stakes trail.
This year he’s a different horse according to Lorentzon.
“Last year he was just unlucky most of the time,” Lorentzon said. “He raced good but he wasn’t as good on a half–mile track and that’s where the New York Sire Stakes are raced. He was always better on a mile track. I thought he raced really, really good in the Hambletonian to make the final and everyone knows the story of him getting run into. (Guardian Angel As, driven by Jason Bartlett, was fourth in his Hambletonian heat and interfered with in the final, causing the first ever disqualification of a Hambletonian winner, when What The Hill was placed ninth).
“At the end of the year I started to have a problem with his foot — I’m still not sure what bothered him, but he had a lot of issues with it. He raced really well in Lexington but he was not paid into the Kentucky Futurity. Then the Breeders Crown, that didn’t go as we planned either. I was happy in the elimination but the final did not work out as it should, so then I just turned him out.”
Guardian Angel As ended the year with a record of 19-8-3-1 and $259,280 in earnings. Lorentzon qualified him at Hoosier Park in May and won an overnight in 1:53, a new mark for Guardian Angel As that he subsequently lowered in winning a leg of the Graduate at Tioga Downs and lowered again by setting the track record at Harrah’s Philadelphia in 1:52.
“When Timmy (Tetrick) drove him in Tioga he said he got away a little further back then he wanted but won as easy as could be. Then of course at (Harrah’s Philadelphia) he was very happy with him,” Lorentzon said.
“We missed the Graduate because you have to race in half the legs and there are only three and I did not want to ship him to Canada because it’s a long season with a lot of racing towards the end of the year. I am thinking about the future with him because we plan on racing him for several more years — you never know what will happen but that’s our plan.
“Ariana G was very, very impressive and it’s a tough race for everybody. I’ll be happy if he races well and has a little luck.”
Also entered is Sortie, who was a surprise third-place finisher in the Graduate final at 53-1 for trainer/driver Trond Smedshammer; Canadian invader R First Class from the barn of Ben Baillargeon; a pair of contenders from trainer John Butenschoen, Don Dream and Bill’s Man; as well as International Moni, Yes Mickey and Top Flight Angel.
R First Class is driven by Trevor Henry, whose most recent of only three previous career appearances at The Meadowlands was in 2017 when he drove Classic Pro to a third-place finish in the Meadowlands Pace at 64-1.
PP-Horse-Driver-Trainer-Morning Line
1-Guardian Angel As-Tim Tetrick-Anette Lorentzon-4/1
2-Yes Mickey-Ake Svanstedt-Ake Svanstedt-12/1
3-R First Class-Trevor Henry-Benoit Baillargeon-15/1
4-Top Flight Angel-Andy Miller-Julie Miller-8/1
5-International Moni-Scott Zeron-Domenico Cecere-5/1
6-Don Dream-Brett Miller-John Butenschoen-20/1
7-Sortie-Trond Smedshammer-Trond Smedshammer-10/1
8-Bill’s Man-Corey Callahan-John Butenschoen-10/1
9-Ariana G-Yannick Gingras-Jimmy Takter-7/5
Trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt won the first edition of the current incarnation of the Hambletonian Maturity in 2014 with Your So Vain and starts Yes Mickey from post two.
Four of the nine entered were 2017 Hambletonian starters: Bill’s Man, Guardian Angel As, International Moni, and Sortie.
Created by the Hambletonian Society and the Meadowlands as a racing opportunity solely for 4-year-olds previously eligible to the Hambletonian and Oaks, like those events the Maturity racing conditions prohibit the use of Lasix, the only race day medication permitted in New Jersey and entrants are subject to out of competition testing. The distance is 1-1/8 miles.
All starters in the race will receive money, with the winner receiving 50 percent of the purse. One percent of the total purse will be paid to the owners of the finalists finishing sixth through ninth. The remainder of the purse for the Maturity will be divided 50-24-16-10 percent for the horses finishing second through fifth.
For the complete Meadowlands card, click here.
For Meadowlands announcer Ken Warkentin’s analysis of all the races, click here.
- Courtly Choice matures into Meadowlands Pace favorite (Wednesday, July 11, 2018)
When trainer Blake MacIntosh prepared Courtly Choice for his return to action this season, he sensed the 3-year-old pacer was more professional and focused. Since then, Courtly Choice has seemed determined to prove MacIntosh correct. The colt, with the exception of two luckless starts, has landed in the winner’s circle every time out this year and heads to Saturday’s $701,830 Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace at the Meadowlands Racetrack as the 5-2 morning-line favorite.
- Busy weekend of Grand Circuit racing at Meadowlands (Wednesday, July 11, 2018)
The stakes heavy Saturday (July 14) Grand Circuit card at the Meadowlands features the $701,830 Meadowlands Pace for 3-year-olds.
- Hat Trick Habit impresses new connections heading to Hambletonian prep (Wednesday, July 11, 2018)
Hat Trick Habit made his one chance at a first impression count. The 3-year-old male trotter debuted for new owners John McGill and Brian Carsey and trainer Scott DiDomenico last weekend with a career-best 1:52.3 win at the Meadowlands Racetrack and could further stamp himself as a Hambletonian Stakes contender with another solid effort in Saturday’s Stanley Dancer Memorial at the Big M.
- Small horse has a big job in Haughton Memorial (Thursday, July 12, 2018)
When it comes to the plight of Donttellmeagain, trainer Jim King Jr. could not put it any simpler. “He’s a small horse, and we’ve given him a big job,” King said. As he readies for Saturday’s $471,100 William R. Haughton Memorial, with a field of male pacers ages 4 and older at The Meadowlands, Donttellmeagain is a horse that captures the imagination.
- Meadowlands Pace weekend is a classic (Thursday, July 12, 2018)
Meadowlands Pace night is billed as the “Greatest Party in Harness Racing” and the 2018 edition promises to live up to that tag line both on and off the track. Post time on Saturday is 6:35 p.m.
- Roy aims for Pace win in first try (Friday, July 13, 2018)
If Louis-Philippe Roy gets goose bumps at the finish of Saturday’s Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace, it will not be the first time he experiences that sensation as a result of the race. This time, though, it would occur from an entirely different seat and, presumably, for an entirely different reason. The 28-year-old Roy will drive for the first time in a Meadowlands Pace final on Saturday, sitting behind Jimmy Freight in the Meadowlands Racetrack’s signature event.