by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications
Freehold, NJ — Call Me Queen Be faces a tough group of older female pacers in Saturday’s $201,000 Golden Girls at the Meadowlands Racetrack, but driver Scott Zeron expects his mare to be in the thick of the action from the get-go. It’s been a successful formula for the horse, who has earned nearly $1.1 million in her career.
“Even as a 2- and 3-year-old, we’ve kept her races kind of all the same,” Zeron said. “She’s made a million dollars by leaving really fast, sitting in, and letting things happen down the stretch. Whether she gets room and squeaks out or whether she gets her seconds or thirds, she’s made a million dollars doing that.”
Call Me Queen Be, trained by Ross Croghan for owners Let It Ride Stables and Dana Parham, has won 11 of 37 career starts and hit the board a total of 29 times. Her wins include the 2016 Breeders Crown for 3-year-old filly pacers. She has been either first or second at the first quarter in 16 of her most recent 19 races and 28 times overall.
“I know my horse really well; she can do almost anything I ask of her,” said Zeron, who has driven Call Be Queen Be in all but four of her races. “Her best asset is she can leave with the car and go 25 seconds and then go a second quarter in 32 seconds. She makes my job very easy.”
The Golden Girls is one of Saturday’s two stakes events for older pacers. Mel Mara is the 3-1 morning-line favorite in the $427,400 William R. Haughton Memorial for the older male pacers, which will be contested one race prior to the Golden Girls on the star-studded Meadowlands Pace Night card.
Lady Shadow, the sport’s No. 2-ranked horse in the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll, headlines the Golden Girls. The 6-year-old mare is unbeaten in five races this year and owns an eight-race win streak dating back to October. She is the 9-5 morning-line favorite in the Golden Girls despite drawing post No. 10 in the 1-1/8 mile event.
A year ago, Lady Shadow won the Golden Girls with a world-record 2:00.3 clocking for 1-1/8 miles. At the conclusion of last season, Lady Shadow received the Dan Patch Award for best older female pacer in the U.S. and soon thereafter added a third O’Brien Award in Canada to go with honors at ages 3 and 4.
Lady Shadow, owned by David Kryway, Carl Atley, Ed Gold and BFJ Stable, has won 33 of 60 career races and earned $1.86 million in purses. She is trained by Ron Adams. Yannick Gingras will be in the sulky.
New Zealand-bred Nike Franco, who was second by a neck to Lady Shadow last week in the preferred handicap for fillies and mares at the Meadowlands, is the 4-1 second choice from post four. She has won three of eight races this year and seven of 12 since arriving in North America. She is owned by Richard Poillucci and trained by Jo Ann Looney-King. Tim Tetrick handles the driving.
Pure Country, a Dan Patch Award winner at ages 2 and 3, is 5-1 from post one and heads to the race off an eye-popping 1:48 qualifier on July 1 at the Meadowlands. Pure Country, trained by Jimmy Takter, has two second-place finishes in four races this season. She has won 20 of 35 career races and earned $1.8 million for owner Diamond Creek Racing.
“I knew (Jimmy) was going to drive her to kind of shake her up and wake her up,” Diamond Creek’s Adam Bowden said about Pure Country’s qualifier, the fastest in history.
“Obviously this year is a little disappointing after what she did at 2 and 3, but she’s had tough trips and she’s been sick most of her starts, battling something. We kind of got her cleaned up after Canada and she’s showed that she’s sharp again. I’m anticipating a good second half of the year now.”
Pure Country’s impressive qualifier and Lady Shadow starting from the outermost spot on the gate add to the intrigue surrounding this year’s Golden Girls.
“It’s going to be exciting,” said Zeron, who leaves from post three with Call Me Queen Be and is 12-1. “A lot of horses could push out of there; it’s going to be an interesting race to that (first) quarter, that’s for sure. I think everybody kind of wants that two-hole trip if Yannick is going to make the choice to go to the front (with Lady Shadow). She tends to run out late and being in the two-hole spot to her is exactly where you want to be.”
Mel Mara heads to the Haughton Memorial, also being contested at 1-1/8 miles, off a second-place finish by a head to Keystone Velocity in the Ben Franklin Pace on July 1 at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. The 8-year-old stallion has won three of five races this year and finished no worse than second while pushing his career earnings to $876,464.
Boston Red Rocks, winless in nine races this year but second on five occasions and third twice, is the 7-2 second choice on the morning line. All Bets Off, who earlier this season won the Battle of Lake Erie and tops the Haughton Memorial field with $2.44 million in career earnings, is next at 9-2.
“I wish it wasn’t a mile and an eighth; it makes (All Bets Off) more of a closer in the race,” said All Bets Off’s trainer Ron Burke. “We’ll hope the trip works out. He’s always right around there.”
First race post time is 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Meadowlands. The Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace for 3-year-old pacers, featuring Dan Patch Award winner Huntsville, and the Hambletonian Maturity, with returning Trotter of the Year Marion Marauder, will air live on cable’s SNY from 9-10 p.m.
For Saturday’s complete Meadowlands card, click here.
For a look at Meadowlands Pace night at a glance, click here.
- Classic Pro takes free (legged) ride to Meadowlands Pace (Monday, July 10, 2017)
Classic Pro might be the easiest horse to identify in Saturday’s $738,550 Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace for 3-year-old pacers, but not because of any markings or equipment — or even a number — on the colt. It is because what Classic Pro will be missing: hobbles.
- Marion Marauder, Lady Shadow, and Walner headline Pace undercard stakes (Tuesday, July 11, 2017)
Nearly $3 million in Grand Circuit stakes will be contested on Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace night, Saturday (July 15) with an early post time of 6:30 p.m.
- Bowden hopes for no bad “Blood” in Meadowlands Pace (Tuesday, July 11, 2017)
Adam Bowden is never quite sure what to expect from Blood Line. Last weekend, the colt finished second to award-winning Huntsville in the Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace elimination, completing the mile in 1:49.1 with a :26.3 last quarter. In his previous start, Blood Line went off stride at odds of 2-1 in his elimination of the Hempt Memorial and failed to advance to the final. Needless to say, Bowden is hoping for more of the former than the latter in Saturday’s $738,550 Meadowlands Pace final for 3-year-old pacers at the Meadowlands Racetrack in New Jersey.
- SNY to provide live coverage of Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace (Tuesday, July 11, 2017)
The 41st Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace will air live on SNY, Saturday (July 15) from 9–10 p.m.
- Bigger, stronger Marion Marauder ready for Hambletonian Maturity (Wednesday, July 12, 2017)
While some trainers might be upset they were unable to get their prized horse to the breeding shed, Paula Wellwood and Mike Keeling feel it’s a pretty good consolation prize that Marion Marauder can still race and will be on the track in Saturday’s $458,750 Hambletonian Maturity for 4-year-olds at the Meadowlands.
- Off-the-track excitement on Pace Night at The Meadowlands (Wednesday, July 12, 2017)
While the action on the track Saturday night (July 15) at the Meadowlands will be hot, with nearly $3 million in purses headlined by the $738,550 Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace, there will be plenty of action off the track as well.
- Meadowlands Pace card leads big Grand Circuit weekend (Wednesday, July 12, 2017)
The stakes heavy Saturday (July 15) Grand Circuit card at the Meadowlands features the $738,550 Meadowlands Pace for 3-year-olds.
- Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace Night at a glance (Wednesday, July 12, 2017)
Here is the Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace Night at a glance.
- Dancer Memorial is next stop for champion Walner (Thursday, July 13, 2017)
If Walner’s six rivals last week felt as though they were run over when the returning Dan Patch Award winner made his seasonal debut with a 7-1/2 length victory in 1:51.1, it’s no wonder. “You sit behind him and it feels like you’re driving a Corvette with a Mack truck engine,” Walner’s driver, Tim Tetrick, said after the win. “He’s ready to rock.”
- Dream Baby Dream “keeps the fire burning” for Rod and Dawn Allen (Friday, July 14, 2017)
If there is anyone on the planet who intends to ask Rod Allen if he plans on procuring the services of another reinsman to steer his Delvin Miller Memorial contestant Dream Baby Dream in this event, or any other, be forewarned he will not even acknowledge the question. After all it is a silly question, as anyone familiar with Allen knows the only individual that will be holding the lines behind this filly is him.
- Pace Night highlights at The Meadowlands (Friday, July 14, 2017)
The Meadowlands presents “The Greatest Night in Harness Racing” this Saturday with the 41st edition of the track’s signature race, the Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace, for a purse of $738,550. There is an early 6:30 p.m. post time on Saturday.
- Schnittker/Tetrick look for another Meadowlands Pace triumph (Friday, July 14, 2017)
Trainer Ray Schnittker and driver Tim Tetrick have enjoyed success previously in the Meadowlands Pace, winning in 2010 with One More Laugh, and have a chance to add another trophy to their collections when award-winning Huntsville faces nine rivals in Saturday’s $738,550 edition of the Meadowlands Racetrack’s signature event.
- Stars to shine on Saturday at Meadowlands (Friday, July 14, 2017)
There will be no shortage of award-winning horses on the track Saturday at the Meadowlands. The star-packed card features eight stakes events, with at least one Dan Patch Award winner in each. In fact, all told there will be the recipients of a combined 22 Dan Patch and O’Brien awards in action Saturday night at the Big M.