from the Meadowlands publicity department

East Rutherford, NJ — Peaceful Way will be tackling the best trotting mares in training in the third leg of the Classic Oaks, one of a quartet of Classic Series stakes on Saturday night at the Meadowlands.

She is rated the 2-1 favorite in the morning line, given a slight nod over the Dan Patch Award and Breeders Crown winner Housethatruthbuilt and Perretti Matchmaker winner Bramasole.

The $85,000 Classic Oaks, which is carded as the second race and shares the spotlight with the Classic Distaff (third race), Trotting Classic (sixth race) and Pacing Classic (eighth race), will be a challenge for the Canadian champion. But trainer and co-owner David Tingley believes she is up to the task and would not mind taking on the top males in training, too, including defending Older Trotter of the Year, Mr Muscleman, who is the 6-5 favorite in the Trotting Classic.

The finals for the Classic Series races, each worth $250,000, will take place on July 30 at the Meadowlands, as part of the twilight program with the elims for the Hambletonian and Hambletonian Oaks. Special post time that day is 5:00 p.m.

“The recent purchase for an interest in her (by Al Libfeld and Marvin Katz) was supposed to be finalized today (Wednesday) after the veterinarian check went through,” said Tingley. “They were pretty pleased after watching her train today. I’ll ship her tomorrow (Thursday) to the Meadowlands and let her rest there before jogging Friday. She’ll ship to Showplace Farm after Saturday’s race.

“It’s my understanding that part of the deal with the new partners is to not go against Mr Muscleman in the Nat Ray (on August 6 at the Meadowlands), if we were to get in invitation. I’m not afraid of him and there’s certainly no shame in finishing second to him. Even Trevor (driver Trevor Ritchie) wants to sit on his back and take a shot at him. That’s why we skipped last week. Personally, I’d like her to try the boys. I think she can trot in 1:51, especially now that she’s good and we’ve got her under control. Some guys up here (Ontario) think she can go in 1:50.

“The concern is she’ll get discouraged if she loses to Mr Muscleman, but I don’t believe that,” said Tingley, who owns the mare in partnership with Joe and Barbara Myers’ Goin My Way Stable of Holland, Pennsylvania, and Angie Stiller of Arva, Ontario. “She’s made breaks and lost before, and she has a month to recover before the Breeders Crown up here.”

Peaceful Way, a perfect four-for-four this year, has a career total of 23 wins in 29 starts for earnings of more than $1.5 million. Most of her successes have come in Ontario, including a victory in the Armbro Flight in 1:52.1 at Mohawk on July 2 and a Classic Series leg on June 4, her season’s debut, at Woodbine.

Although Peaceful Way has won Canada’s highest honor, the O’Brien Award, twice, she has not always had luck in the States.

“She broke stride in the two biggest races last year, the Hambletonian Oaks and the Breeders Crown,” Tingley noted. “She was sick in the Oaks. After she won the Del Miller, she raced flat in her elimination even though she won. She had no go and wasn’t grabbing the bit. Her blood came back with a high white count. In the final, she still had an upper respiratory infection. I wasn’t able to get her blood count under control, and she couldn’t breath right.

“In her Breeders Crown elimination, she came from nowhere to win,” he recalled. “She wants the lead a little bit, you don’t want to fight her too much at the gate, and that’s what happened when she made an early break in the final. She likes to trot some in the first quarter, you have to let her leave, and then she’ll settle. That’s part of why she’s made the odd miscue. That’s also the reason for the driver change this season.

“After she won her first race this year, a leg of the Classic Oaks at Woodbine (in 1:52.4), she tied up in a race on June 17,” he said. “Once again, she won (in 1:55.2), but wasn’t even close to being herself.

“In the Armbro Flight at Mohawk, her white count went up again, and this time I knew how to treat her the best we could,” he noted. “She still wasn’t herself, yet won in 1:52.4 and the final in 1:52.1 (a Mohawk track record).

“I think we’ve determined it’s something caused by allergies,” Tingley explained. “She never seems to have these problems in the fall when the weather is a little cooler. With the heat right now, she can be a lot of work.”

Tingley opted to skip the opening round of the Classic Series.

“The first leg of the Classic Oaks was on April 18, which was six weeks before the next major event,” he said. “Plus, it’s a long haul to Dover Downs. So, we made that decision to start her in June pretty early. We skipped the first one and figured we’d concentrate on the others.

“She has really matured a lot,” he noted. “She still wears the screen on her head because she’s not crazy about the dirt hitting her, but she’s real easy on herself now and more professional.

“This is her chance to redeem herself and make a strong statement down there (at the Meadowlands),” he added. “What she did there last year, like the 1:52.3 mile in the Del Miller, was all heart. She had come up a bit sore after winning her elimination in 1:53.3, but in the final she saw the gate and fought through it. She was impressive in that elimination, but it took a toll on her. She wasn’t ready to go that speed. Before that she had one qualifier, in her first race she broke, qualified again, and then scratched sick. She had only trained once and was being treated for tying up.”

Tingley, who has 17 horses stabled near Mohawk Racetrack, has another filly trotter waiting in the wings.

“I have a three-year-old trotting filly named What Idid For Love entered in the Canadian Breeders Championship eliminations on Friday at Mohawk,” he said. “She’s an Angus Hall like Peaceful Way with a lot of speed but some soreness issues. If she races well here, she might try the Hambletonian Oaks. (New Jerseyan) Dave Offenberg owns her.

“I’m happy with what I’ve achieved and getting to this point has taken a lot of dedication and hard work,” Tingley added. “I’m 39-years-old, I’ve never been married, I want to have kids, and I kind of have some regrets about not having enough time for that side of my life yet.”

It is a little hard to pursue romance when a mare named Peaceful Way is the center of attention.

Field for the $85,000 Classic Oaks (Saturday, second race), from the rail out: Fox Valley Flan, George Brennan, 10-1; Silver Springs, David Miller, 6-1; Ecstatic, Cat Manzi, 15-1; Mystical Sunshine, Ron Pierce, 5-1; Housethatruthbuilt, Brian Sears, 7-2; Bramasole, Eric Ledford, 9-2; Peaceful Way, Trevor Ritchie, 2-1; Godess Of Chaos, Mike Lachance, 15-1; and Windylane Hanover, John Campbell 10-1.

Field for the $85,000 Classic Distaff (Saturday, third race), from the rail out: Glowing Report, David Miller, 8-1; Artbitration, Patrick Berry, 5-1; Carolina Sunshine, Brian Sears, 9-5; Burning Point, Ron Pierce, 3-1; Always Cam, Eric Ledford, 10-1; Loyal Opposition, George Brennan, 9-2; and Stonebridge Kisses, Yannick Gingras, 8-1.

Field for the $85,000 Trotting Classic (Saturday, sixth race), from the rail out: Hellava Hush, Cat Manzi, 8-1; Muscles Marinara, Eric Ledford, 5-1; Cash Hall, Jack Moiseyev, 4-1; Hez Striking, David Miller, 15-1; Chucaro Ahijuna, Jim Morrill, Jr., 15-1; Enflammatory, Trond Smedshammer, 8-1; Mr Muscleman, Ron Pierce, 6-5; Sand Vic, Brian Sears, 8-1; Cordial Martini, Mike Lachance, 20-1; War Paint, John Campbell, 15-1; and Elegant Man, George Brennan, 10-1. Enflammatory and Sand Vic are coupled in the wagering.

Field for the $85,000 Pacing Classic (Saturday, eighth race), from the rail out: Articulator, Ron Pierce, 15-1; Boulder Creek, Brian Sears, 9-2; Life Source, George Brennan, 8-1; Ponder, Jack Moiseyev, 7-2; Sagebrush, Daniel Dube, 15-1; Dr No, Cat Manzi, 5-2; Quality Western, David Miller, 8-1; Santastic’s Pan, John Campbell, 15-1; Metropolitan, Eric Ledford, 15-1; and Escape The Wind, Roger Mayotte, 8-1.