from the Meadowlands Publicity Department

East Rutherford, NJ — In 2004, trainer Mark Harder captured his first $1 million Meadowlands Pace with longshot Holborn Hanover. This Saturday, the New Zealand-born trainer looks to harness his first starter in harness racing’s premier trotting stakes for three-year-olds, the $1.5 million Hambletonian Final, at the Meadowlands.

The enormity of the task has not escaped Harder, who will send out Northern Ensign, rated 8-1 in the morning line in the Hambletonian Final , the eighth of 15 races on closing day at the Meadowlands. First race post time is 11:30 a.m.

“It’s taken awhile to let this all sink in, being a part of this race and everything going on about it,” said Harder. “It seems like a bit of a daunting task, facing some of these trotting guys.”

Harder may not consider himself a “trotting guy” yet, but he has the services of the driver with the most Hambletonian wins — John Campbell. Campbell has competed in every Hambletonian since he finished second in his first appearance with Joie de Vie in 1988. He currently holds the record for most Hambletonian wins by a driver — five.

Northern Ensign had difficulty in his Ontario races when he reacted to the limestone in the track.

“His breaks were caused by a limestone infection in his heels,” noted Harder. “He really doesn’t have a breaking problem.

“Northern Ensign was very good here (at the Meadowlands) early in the meet,” Harder explained. “John (Campbell) qualified him and raced him a few times. He won in 1:55.2 (on May 15), with a last quarter in :27.1, and he was pretty much wrapped up. That showed us he had ability.”

In spite of his irritated heels, Northern Ensign has a record of three wins and three seconds in nine starts. Last week he was second best to Classic Photo, the 6-5 favorite in Saturday’s Hambletonian, the flagship event on the program that includes eight stakes and nearly $4 million in purses.

Trainer Jimmy Takter expected to be going into this year’s Hambletonian with the favorite in the form of Ken Warkentin, the divisional champion at two, who was coming up to the race as the horse to beat. But with a rare miscue in his elimination race for the Hambletonian, Ken Warkentin, named for the Meadowlands announcer, failed to reach the final, leaving Takter to turn to another talented colt in his barn, Muscle Memory, who is rated 10-1.

“Post one (with Cat Manzi driving) is actually the best I could have drawn with Muscle Memory,” said Takter, who won the Hambletonian in 1997 with Malabar Man. “Muscles Yankee (the 1998 Hambletonian winner) is obviously one of the leading sires in the game right now. They are very strong horses. Of course, Muscle Memory has been in the shadow of Ken Warkentin. Ken came out of his race super. I jogged him at 5:30 Monday morning, and I felt so cheated. I don’t want to take anything away from Classic Photo, but Ken is in a different class.

“The Hambletonian is so hard to win, and you need to be lucky,” noted Takter, the Swedish-born trotting specialist. “There’s a lot of pressure on trainers and drivers, and it means so much to us. You really want to win it badly. I simply like to be associated with the big name horses, and it’s a challenge for me to manage my horses for these events. That’s very exciting for me.”

The field for the $1.5 million Hambletonian Final, the eighth race on Saturday, from the rail out with driver, trainer and morning line odds: Muscle Memory, Cat Manzi, Jimmy Takter, 10-1; Racino, George Brennan, Don Swick, 20-1; Strong Yankee, Brian Sears, Trond Smedshammer, 8-1; Northern Ensign, John Campbell, Mark Harder, 8-1; Classic Photo, Ron Pierce, Ervin Miller, 6-5; Vivid Photo, Roger Hammer, Roger Hammer, 7-2; Self Professed, Eric Ledford, Don Swick, 10-1; Muscle Bound, Mike Lachance, Ron Gurfein, 5-1; Gettindownanddirty, Paul MacDonell, Paula Wellwood, 30-1; and Mr Dream OM, David Miller, Jim Campbell, 20-1.

Could it be Hammer time?

59-year-old Roger Hammer has more than 3,100 victories to his credit, but for the driver-trainer of Vivid Photo, winning Saturday’s $1.5 million Hambletonian Final at The Meadowlands would be a highpoint of his career.

“It would be great to win it — I might not get another shot to race in it,” admitted Hammer Friday morning. “I’d certainly like to have it all, but it’s free money right now, too. The horse has paid his way in.”

Hammer, who races primarily in Delaware, Maryland and western Pennsylvania, purchased Vivid Photo in partnership with Todd Schadel of Gratz, Pennsylvania for $30,000 at the Harrisburg Yearling Sale.

Thus far, Vivid Photo has 13 wins and two seconds from 17 career starts for earnings of $116,393. His two-year-old campaign was cut short by a stress fracture of his pastern. His victory in his Hambletonian elimination race was his eighth straight and ninth in 12 starts this year.

“I didn’t plan to leave last week,” said Hammer, who has a career total of $15 million in purses earned. “But John Campbell was slipping up the rail, then Ron Pierce closed up the two hole on me. And who would have expected Ken Warkentin to go (off stride) early? You never know what to expect in the Hambletonian.”

Vivid Photo, a three-year-old gelding son of S J’s Photo, spent his time after his 1:53.2 lifetime mark effort at his home base in Bedford, Pennsylvania, where Hammer has a training farm.

“He jogged Monday and Tuesday, and trained in about 2:16 on Wednesday,” Hammer said Friday morning. “I don’t turn them out — I’ve had them get hurt that way. I figure they can get turn-out time when they’re done racing. We shipped him here (to the Meadowlands) last night — got in about 11:30, and he jogged early today. The detention barn won’t bother him, nothing does. Only thing is, he’s nosy.”

Around The Meadowlands for August 6, 2005

With the meet closing, both the Pick 4 and Pick 6 will be “must pay” on Saturday. Advance wagering on the Haskell Invitational will be available, starting on Saturday at 12 noon. The only simulcasting at the Meadowlands on Saturday will be the signals from Monmouth Park and Saratoga. Saturday’s Pick 4 at the Meadowlands spans races seven through 10 and features a $75,000 guaranteed pool. The Pick 6 is races five through 10. Superfectas will be available on all races. Wagering on the Hambletonian-Haskell Double closes at 2:42 p.m. on Saturday.

Mike Lachance, who has driven four Hambletonian winners, will attempt to add to that total with Muscle Bound, rated 5-1 from post eight.

“I am thrilled to be in it this year with Muscle Bound,” the Hall of Famer said. “A decent post would have helped him more. I can’t leave with this horse. If you do, you won’t finish well. But he closed strong last week and is in good shape. I think he can get some of this.”

Lachance, who took off six months, from November through April, is still a money-driver, winning Thursday night’s Merrie Annabelle Final with Miss Wisconsin, trained by Ron Gurfein, conditioner of Muscle Bound.

“This is exactly why I came back, for the big stakes races,” Lachance explained. “I qualified into the final for every race I was in. I’m happy, and hope to have a few chances.”

Don Swick trains a pair of Hambletonian finalists for Royal Wire Products of North Royalton, Ohio –– Racino, who is rated 20-1 from post two, and Self Professed, 10-1 from post seven.

“I’m very excited to have two horses in the Hambletonian,” said Swick. “Self Professed was a good horse last year, and we had high hopes for him. This was our goal to get to this point with him. He has the size, the gait and the pedigree. We had the full brother to Racino, Fast Photo, and we did a lot of good things with that horse. That’s why we bought this colt. As a two-year-old, he was a little immature and had a hairline fracture in his knee. For a horse to come this far in just eight starts is an astounding leap. I really think S J’s Photo (sire of three finalists — Racino, Classic Photo and Vivid Photo) deserves the recognition as a sire. He’s been looked at as a second-class citizen for the last five or six years. He doesn’t get the kind of mares the others get. This was the first year he got good Valley Victory mares, and it’s finally showing.

“Bill and Gail Peshina (Royal Wire Products) own a small manufacturing business in Cleveland, Ohio. He also has a plant in Charlotte, North Carolina and is in the process of opening one in Las Vegas. They are the nicest people. We’ve been at this for 23 years. We started in Ohio, we worked our way through the sires stakes, and branched out into different states. Mostly Super brought us out here in 1996. She won an elimination of the Oaks and finished third in the final. That’s when Bill believed we could reach this plateau. He’s the consummate enthusiastic sportsman. He never gives up. If we have a bad year, he goes out and buys better yearlings. Winning the Hambletonian would be great for Ohio. Ohio is a great state for harness racing. For me, it would be the ultimate thrill. I’m a Buckeye forever.”

A Delaware guy named Kevin Lare has his hopes in Saturday’s $750,000 Hambletonian Oaks Final resting on a filly named Jersey Gal.

“I’m just a guy from Delaware,” he said. “Jersey Gal was good right from the start. Is this a defining moment for me? It could be. I’ve always wanted to be known as a trotting guy,” he added, laughing. “She was feeling good coming out of the (win in last week’s elimination) race. It didn’t hurt her any. That was the first time she raced with an open bridle, he first time she had aluminum shoes up front. She’s a natural though. I could pull all four (shoes) right now, and she’d go without them. Post position is everything to her. From this spot (the rail), she won’t be brutalized. We have a good chance.”