by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

East Rutherford, NJ — The connections of world champion trotter Snow White were able to breathe easy after the 3-year-old filly’s return to the racetrack on Thursday morning (June 12) at the Meadowlands.

Snow White, making her first qualifying appearance of the year, showed no ill affects from off-season throat surgery as she won in 1:56.3, with a final :27.2 quarter-mile.

USTA/Ken Weingartner photo

Snow White won her qualifier on Thursday morning in 1:56.3 for John Campbell.

“I’m tickled to death,” trainer Kevin Lare said. “It shows, hopefully, we’re not going to have a breathing issue; breathing problems. It was a great mile for her. We didn’t want to go a half in :57 and try to go a mile in (1):54 today. Right now, we’re right on schedule. Everything looks good.”

Handled by regular driver John Campbell, Snow White sat third through an opening quarter of :29.4 before moving for the lead. She reached the half in :59.4 and three-quarters in 1:29.1.

“I was very happy with her,” Campbell said. “She was very good mannered and sat in the hole until I asked her to go to the front. We were just looking for a good last quarter, and she did it easily. You never know what’s going to happen when you turn behind the gate, whether it’s qualifiers or not, but it couldn’t have worked out any better. The breathing was excellent.”

Last season, Snow White won 11 of 13 races, including the Breeders Crown, Goldsmith Maid and Oakville Stakes, and earned $1.2 million in purses — the most in history for any filly, trotter or pacer, in a single season. Her 1:52.4 mile at Lexington’s Red Mile on Oct. 2, winning by more than 10 lengths in the process, was the fastest ever for a 2-year-old trotter. She received the Dan Patch Award as best 2-year-old filly trotter.

Snow White underwent tie-back surgery during the winter to correct breathing difficulties and improve airflow for the horse. The surgery was performed by Dr. Michael Ross at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center.

“Without Dr. Ross, this wouldn’t have been possible,” said Curtis Larrimore, who is one of the filly’s owners as part of the North State Street Stable. “He told us we had 85 percent of the airway; he felt we probably had more airway now than she had last year. He’s done a wonderful job and he told us she’d be fine. We’re elated to be back at the Meadowlands. I feel Snow White knows this is her home.”

According to Lare, Snow White will compete in a qualifier next week before making her first pari-mutuel start on June 27 in the Coaching Club Oaks (Historic) at the Meadowlands Racetrack. If all goes well, her next race will be the Delvin Miller Memorial, followed by either the Hambletonian or Hambletonian Oaks.

“It’s seemed like a lifetime, really, since she raced,” Lare said. “It’s been very long. There’s been some sleepless nights wondering whether we were doing the right thing or the wrong thing; are we running out of time? Right now everything seems to be good. I’ve got three races going into the Hambo-whatever-it-is. If we’ve got to make that decision, we know we’ve done awfully well.”

Snow White is owned by Lare’s Harness The Power Stable, North State Street Stable, and Jerry Silva.