from RUS America

East Rutherford, NJ — Racing under saddle returns to Meadowlands Racing and Entertainment on Saturday (Nov. 5) evening when six trotters go to the starting gate in a late season contest.

The $6,500 RUS America Trot presented by Back on Track and Knutsson Trotting will be contested as a non-wagering event immediately after the first race on the wagering card. Following the race, a meet and greet will be held near the winner’s circle where fans will be able to meet riders who will be signing autographs and answering questions about racing under saddle.

The RUS America Trot features a first time starter, Modest Prince, who figures to be one of the main contenders in the one-mile contest based on his 1:58.2 qualifier this past Friday at the Meadowlands over a sloppy track. Looking to be the main challenger is Hyway Marcus, who came home a 1:59.1 winner at Tioga Downs in his last RUS start back on Aug. 7.

Here is a rundown of the field for Saturday evening’s race:

1. Bosak – A winner of his only start at Goshen’s Historic Track last year during the Grand Circuit meet, the 5-year-old gelding by Crazed comes into this race off of a qualifier last week at the Meadowlands. With a tightener under his belt, he should be competitive here. Boask is ridden by Vanessa Karlewicz who has compiled a record of three wins, a place, and a show out of eight starts this year.

2. My Friend Charlie – Winless this year but always a threat on the RUS-NY fair circuit with four seconds out of eight starts this year, My Friend Charlie moves up to compete against tougher stock. The 5-year-old altered son of RC Royalty will be ridden by his owner Andrea Pratt who has a .296 URR.

3. Funny Photo – This 7-year-old son of Classic Photo, who makes up half of the Patti Harmon trained entry, has been one of the stars of the New York fair circuit with a record of 8-4-1-1. With a 1:59.1 mark at Vernon Downs, he should benefit from the mile oval. Sophie Engerran, the leading rider in North America in wins this year, once again has the ride here.

4. Hyway Marcus – The other half of the Harmon trained entry, Hyway Marcus finished second in the RUS America Trot conduced at Ocean Downs this past summer, finishing less than a length behind the winner Mr Protab who is the king of RUS at the Berlin, Md., oval. The 5-year-old gelding last raced in a RUS event at Tioga Downs, scoring an easy victory in 1:59.1. Maria Buchanan, who has a win and a second place finish this year from two starts, once again gets the ride.

5. One True Friend – The only mare in the race was defeated soundly at Saratoga in October. No doubt her connections are hoping for a better performance over the mile oval. Hillary Hartnett comes into this race with a URR of .333.

6. Modest Prince – The Linda Toscano trainee made his first qualifying start in two years, an eye-opening one with a 1:58.2 clocking over a sloppy Meadowlands oval with a two second allowance. If he comes back with a similar race this week, he will be hard to beat. While having only one ride thus far this year, veteran Helene Gregory is a rider who must be feared.

With the Breeders’ Cup being simulcast to the Meadowlands, RUS America is looking forward to showing Thoroughbred fans on-track the versatility of the Standardbred and a form of Standardbred racing which may be more familiar to them. RUS riders look forward to meeting with fans of all forms of horse racing after the race.

RUS America concludes its season 10 days later on Nov. 15 at Rosecroft Raceway.