Hambo Oaks heads up Saturday Meadowlands card
July 28, 2017,from the Meadowlands Media Relations Department
East Rutherford, NJ — A pair of eliminations for the Hambletonian Oaks heads up a dynamite Saturday night (July 29) card at The Meadowlands.
Two fields of nine 3-year-old trotting fillies, each for a purse of $40,438, will race to decide which ten will move on to next week’s $500,000 Oaks final.
The path to the winner’s circle in the first division (race six) goes through Ariana G. Last year’s divisional champion is four of five thus far in her sophomore season, her only loss coming in the Beal Memorial final against colts. Ariana G (post four) has handled the girls with something left in each win but is facing a talented group on Saturday.
The mercurial Glitzey Gal leaves from the inside rail, lightly raced Canadian import Dream Together was ultra-impressive in the Del Miller and leaves from just inside the favorite while the unbeaten scourge of the Keystone State, Treviso, will be firing from the outside.
Jimmy Takter trains the homebred Ariana G for Marvin Katz and Al Libfeld and Yannick Gingras is her pilot.
Division two (race seven) features the queen of the Ontario program, Magic Presto. She’s another in a long line of really good to great Kadabra fillies (Bee A Magician anyone?) Nifty Norman has trained for Mel Hartman, Dave McDuffee and Herb Liverman with Jeff Gural along for the ride this time via his Little E LLC.
Magic Presto returned stateside for the Del Miller where she finished second behind Ariana G but there is an element that question whether that result would have stood if driver Brian Sears could’ve found room a bit earlier in the stretch. Time will tell, as it always does.
The competition includes another Takter filly that has found her best form recently in Feed Your Head and Team Miller’s hope Overdraft Volo.
Also on the card is the $49,580 Scott Frost 11-colt trot, a division of the W.N. Reynolds Memorial stakes in the ninth race. All ten that are Hambletonian eligible moved up one notch on the depth chart when the news broke on Thursday of Walner being unable to race next week. Odds-maker Dave Brower settled on Bill’s Man as a slight choice over What The Hill.
There’s also a 3-year-old Open trot (race two) with seven other legitimate Hambo hopefuls reaching for that golden ticket to the big dance on Aug. 5 and a pretty salty $20,000 Preferred Pace where six really fast horses sharpen up for next week’s Sam McKee Memorial.
But wait, there’s more.
It’s Seafood Fest with a cornucopia of delights awaiting your palate both from the festival and a special menu in Pink.
Finally with the horseplayer in mind, the $68,933 Jackpot Super Hi 5 carryover in the last race has been deemed a mandatory pay out. This creates a rare situation where with new money added to the existing jackpot, a negative takeout is achieved up to a point.
Free partial Past Performances are available each night courtesy of The Meadowlands and TrackMaster.
It all starts at 7:15 p.m.
- Oaks draws 18 fillies, headed by Ariana G (Tuesday, July 25, 2017)
Eighteen 3-year-olds entered today for the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks, the filly division of the Hambletonian. Favorite in the field will be Dan Patch divisional champion Ariana G. The talented homebred daughter of 2009 Hambletonian winner Muscle Hill sports a record of three wins in four tries this year, with lifetime earnings just under $1 million, at $937,839.
- Ariana G looks to join sister in Hambletonian Oaks winner’s circle (Wednesday, July 26, 2017)
Award-winning Ariana G will take a step toward trying to follow in her older sister’s hoof prints when she competes in Saturday’s first of two eliminations of the Hambletonian Oaks at the Meadowlands Racetrack. The Hambletonian Oaks, for 3-year-old female trotters, attracted 18 horses. The field was divided into two nine-filly eliminations, each with a purse of $40,438, and the top five finishers from each division advance to the $500,000 final Aug. 5 at the Big M.
- Trio of tracks to host Grand Circuit action this week (Wednesday, July 26, 2017)
Grand Circuit action kicks off this Friday (July 28) at Plainridge Park with the $250,000 Spirit of Massachusetts Trot for older trotters.
- Walner to miss upcoming Hambletonian Stakes (Thursday, July 27, 2017)
Dan Patch Award winner Walner will not race in the upcoming Hambletonian Stakes because of a minor injury, trainer Linda Toscano said Thursday, five days before entries are due for the sport’s premier event for 3-year-old trotters at the Meadowlands Racetrack.
- Ariana G, Magic Presto capture Hambletonian Oaks eliminations (Saturday, July 29, 2017)
Ariana G (Yannick Gingras) won the first of two $40,438 elimination races for the Aug. 5 $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks for 3-year-old trotting fillies on Saturday (July 29) at The Meadowlands in a time of 1:51.3 by two lengths. Magic Presto captured the other elimination in 1:52.1 by a half-length.
- What The Hill remains sharp in Reynolds (Sunday, July 30, 2017)
Driver David Miller didn’t get to celebrate his win aboard Fear The Dragon in the $400,000 Adios on Saturday afternoon for long, as he was back to work on Saturday night (July 29) with a full slate at The Meadowlands. Luckily for him, the good day continued, as he piloted What The Hill to a gate-to-wire victory in the $49,580 Reynolds Memorial.