from the Meadowlands Publicity Department

East Rutherford, NJ — Alabama might not often come to mind when discussing harness racing, but the small town of Stevenson, located in the state’s northeast corner, has a rich history in the sport.

Sanders Russell, the town’s most famous harness racing native, etched his name into Hambletonian lore when he won the premier trotting race in 1962 with A.C.’s Viking. Russell drove to victory with one foot in a cast, the result of a broken ankle, which required him to be helped in and out of the sulky. Later, he developed Fresh Yankee, who went on to Horse of the Year honors in 1970.

These days, another Sanders — Bill Sanders — keeps the town’s harness racing legacy alive. Sanders’ Sand Shooter will be among the 10 horses vying for the trophy in the $1.1 million Meadowlands Pace on Saturday, July 19.

USTA/Ken Weingartner photo

Sand Shooter will be starting in Saturday’s $1.1 million Meadowlands Pace final.

Sand Shooter won his elimination race by a head over Bullville Powerful in a lifetime best 1:49.4 for trainer Jim Arledge, Jr. and driver Tim Tetrick.

Sanders, who followed his father, Sam B. Sanders, into the sport, is no stranger to top talent, having developed Sand Vic at his Sandtopia Valley Farms. Sanders sold Sand Vic after his 3-year-old season, and the horse was the 2006 Dan Patch Award winner as best older male trotter.

“Racing in Alabama is interesting; we have a small, closely knit group,” said Sanders, who is the chairman of Trotters Place Inc., a real estate development company that builds shopping centers and office complexes. “We have a lot of people come out on training days just to watch. It’s my passion. My dad started it, and I got addicted.

“It was probably the worst thing that ever happened to me,” he said with a laugh, “but I enjoy it.”

Sanders, 69, bought Sand Shooter for $40,000 as a yearling. He trained him at his farm before sending him to Arledge in May of his 2-year-old season.

“I thought I saw great potential,” Sanders said. “I liked his attitude and his size and his gait, and, of course, his speed. But I never could really tell how good he was because he was so much better than the other horses he was training with.

“He’s a playful horse; he’s always up,” Sanders added. ”When he wants to go somewhere, you go along. When you’re in the barn, you know which one he is. He has a personality. It’s like he says, ‘I’m the Shooter, come here.’ But all good horses are that way, I think.”

Sand Shooter blossomed in late summer with back-to-back stakes wins at Lexington’s Red Mile and finished his 2-year-old campaign with a second-place finish to Santanna Blue Chip, losing by a nose, in the Breeders Crown at the Meadowlands.

This year, Sand Shooter has three wins on U.S. soil — two in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes plus his Pace elim — but struggled in three starts in Canada. He was fourth in a division of the Burlington, third in his North America Cup elimination, and sixth in the $1.47 million North America Cup final.

“He didn’t like the surface up in Canada,” Arledge said. “He brushed a knee a little bit; he just couldn’t get hold of it. He got rough trips up there. He raced tough, but he didn’t get anywhere. He loves to chase down horses. He’s a real gutsy horse that way.

“Since we brought him back (to the U.S.) he’s been real good,” Arledge added.

In the North America Cup final, Sand Shooter was ninth at the three-quarter-mile point, and ran out of time in the stretch to make up more ground.

“I was real impressed with him under adverse circumstances,” Sanders said. “He was almost last and paced home faster than any of them. I was encouraged.

“But he went by $2 million worth of horses and still didn’t get a nickel,” he added, laughing.

For his career, Sand Shooter has won eight of 20 races and earned $410,957. He will be Sanders’ first starter in the Meadowlands Pace.

“I don’t even think about winning because the odds are so strong against us,” Sanders said. “We’re going against the best horse I’ve ever seen (undefeated Somebeachsomewhere). It’s just an honor to be among that group of 10 elite horses. It’s a great highlight in my horse career to be in that kind of company.

“To win would be the highlight of anyone’s career, especially a guy from Alabama.”

Meadowlands Pace Final-Race 8-Post: 10:14 p.m.
Post, Horse, Driver, Trainer, ML
1, Share The Delight, John Campbell, Linda Toscano, 10-1
2, Somebeachsomewhere, Paul MacDonell, Brent MacGrath, 2-5
3, Sand Shooter, Tim Tetrick, Jim Arledge, Jr., 8-1
4, Atochia, Jim Morrill, Jr., Peter Kleinhans, 30-1
5, Mucho Sleazy, David Miller, Ken Rucker, 30-1
6, Art Official, Ron Pierce, Joe Seekman, 10-1
7, Bullville Powerful, Yannick Gingras, Steve Crevani, 12-1
8, Dontloseyourdayjob, Eric Goodell, Monte Gelrod, 30-1
9, Badlands Nitro, Brian Sears, George Teague, Jr., 6-1
10, Tiz A Masterpiece, Andy Miller, Blair Burgess, 30-1

Meadowlands Pace Night Facts
2007 attendance: 17,015, 2007 total handle: $5,302,719
Record attendance: 42,612 (1980), Record total handle: $7,050,306 (2001)

Meadowlands Pace Stakes Record
1:48.3-Rocknroll Hanover-7/16/2005

Three-Year-Old Meadowlands Track Records
Colt: 1:48.1-American Ideal-8/6/05
Gelding: 1:48.4-Life Source-8/5/00 and Timesareachanging-7/10/04

Drivers & trainers who will make their Meadowlands Pace debuts
Driver
Eric Goodell

Trainer
Stephen Crevani
Peter Kleinhans
Brent MacGrath
Ken Rucker

Drivers & trainers with previous Meadowlands Pace victories
Driver
John Campbell (7)
Jim Morrill, Jr. (1)
Ron Pierce (1)
Brian Sears (1)
Tim Tetrick (1)

Trainer
Blair Burgess (2)
Monte Gelrod (2)
George Teague, Jr. (1)