from the Meadowlands Publicity Department

East Rutherford, NJ — Windylane Hanover and Stroke Play headline their respective $60,000 Classic Oaks divisions on Saturday night at the Meadowlands.

The Classic Oaks for trotting mares, carded as races two and three, share the program with four other Classic Series events for older horses and two divisions of the Berry’s Creek eliminations for three-year-old pacers on the 13 race program.

Last start, Windylane Hanover tied the world record of 1:53² for the fastest mile trotted on a five-eighths-mile track in first round action of the Classic Series at Dover Downs on April 19.

“She can race anyway I want her to,” said Ron Pierce, who drives the five-year-old, rated the 8-5 morning line favorite from post seven in the second race. “She’s so sharp right now, probably the best she’s ever been. I’d prefer, if possible, to race her from off the pace. But I’ll have to wait and see what speed is in here. Dresden Dolly (post five) was very good in her last start, but the way my mare is racing, I like her chances in here.”

Windylane Hanover has three wins and two seconds in her five starts this year for earnings of $121,100 toward a career bankroll of $841,978. At three, the daughter of Lindy Lane captured the Hambletonian Oaks.

“I’d rather all of my horses race from off the pace,” said the mare’s trainer, Brett Bittle. “I think they last longer that way, but you don’t want to be in the back of the pack, stacked up, and they’re going :58 to the half either. Windylane Hanover can come a back half of :55 seconds, and you don’t find too many who can do that. But they are not machines, you know. Things can happen. Right now, she’s doing great.”

Although she finished second to HP Paque in the Su Mac Lad Final on April 4, Bittle would rather she faced only mares.

“I want for her to be the best in the filly class,” he said. “I don’t want to go against the boys. But there are some races coming up, like the Titan Cup (June 25 elims, July 2 final at the Meadowlands) that I’ll just have to wait and see. She’s got a big month coming up in Canada, and that will tell me plenty. I’ll see how she comes out of the races, and then decide what is next for her.”

Stroke Play, the Dan Patch Award-winning Three-Year-Old Trotting Filly of 2003, makes her second start of the year in Saturday’s third race. She is rated the 6-5 morning line favorite from post six with Brian Sears driving. She was second by a neck in her Classic Series start at Dover on April 19, adding $15,000 for a career bankroll of $775,713.

“She raced very well at Dover,” said Trond Smedshammer, who trains the four-year-old for Jorgen Jahre, Jr. of Sandefjord, Norway. “That was her first start. She doesn’t have quick speed, that’s not her. She just keeps coming at you, a grinder, I’d say. She can sprint some on the end, but her durability is the key. She doesn’t give up.”

“She was fine all winter,” Smedshammer noted. “Physically, she didn’t change much. She was a bigger filly anyway last year. I’d say this year she’s a little tougher than last.”

Smedshammer will miss Stroke Play’s start on Saturday as he will be heading to Europe for HP Paque’s next start.

“HP Paque arrived safely in Italy (for the Lotteria) and has jogged already,” Smedshammer said. “He’s doing well. I leave after the Dexter Cup eliminations at Freehold (on Saturday afternoon). I won’t be here Saturday night; I’ll be on the plane going to Italy. It’s about an eight to nine hour flight. I come back Tuesday.”

Around The Meadowlands for April 30, 2004

The most contentious of the older horse divisions this year continues to be the pacing mares and nine of the best will battle in the $85,000 Classic Distaff, the sixth race on Saturday night at the Meadowlands.

Carolina Sunshine, the co-fastest mare in history with a 1:48⁴ mile, is the 2-1 morning line favorite from post eight. The daughter of Cambest, who captured both the Overbid and the Cape & Cutter Finals this year at the Meadowlands, was second by a nose to Jet Lag in the Strada Memorial on April 10 and then second by a head to Bunny Lake in the first round of the Classic Series on April 19 at Dover Downs. Bunny Lake’s 1:50² effort was a five-eighths track world record.

“I wish we had a better post — oh well,” said Carolina Sunshine’s co-owner Eric Cherry. “There are four or five mares in here who, with the right trip, can win this. Carolina Sunshine is not a one-dimensional horse. Last year, you might have said that because she was much better making that one move, like she did in the Cape & Cutter Final this year. She can go extremely fast for a piece. Now, at five, she can go first over or leave the gate if she has to, whatever she needs to do. It’s the Cam Fella coming out in her. She’s tough.”

Cherry recalls when Carolina Sunshine paced her 1:48⁴ mile last year at Woodbine, equaling Frightening P’s mark set at the Meadowlands in 2002.

“I was watching,and I remember at the three-quarter pole saying, ‘she’s going to go better than 1:50.’ I never thought better than 1:49. It was astonishing, such a thrill, almost mind-boggling. She did it herself. When she hit the three-quarters, I remember saying to myself, ‘Where is she going?’ But she was doing it on her own. Chris Christoforou wasn’t getting into her. She wasn’t staggering or anything like that. It was tremendous. Maybe sometime this summer on a hot day, if they do a quick three-quarters and let her do her thing from there. I honestly don’t know how fast she’d go in the right circumstance. She’s faster this year than she was last year.”

Burning Point, the Three-Year-Old Pacing Filly of Year and Breeders Crown champ of 2003, is making the adjustment to facing top mares. Her next stop is Saturday night’s sixth race, the $85,000 Classic Distaff, where she is rated 5-1 in the morning line from post four with George Brennan driving.

“She’s doing fine,” said trainer Steve Elliott, who won a Classic in 2001 with Riverboat King. “She’s making the transition from being a dominant three-year-old to the wars as a four-year-old mare against a great group of mares out there. Most of them are older mares, and it sure is a hard-hitting bunch. She’ll win her share this year, but it won’t be until middle of the season when I think it starts getting a bit easier for the three-year-olds turning four to go against the older more experienced types. She was a little sick in the Strada Memorial (finishing fourth), and she got stung some going to the three-quarters in 1:22. But she bounces back great and is really doing well.”

Steve Elliott reports that his three-year-old pacing hopeful, Circle L Kid, will miss the Berry’s Creek.

“He bled last week, and I didn’t want to take any chances with him, not in there,” Elliott said.

Owner Jeff Snyder, who won the 1994 Berry’s Creek with Cam’s Card Shark and the 2001 edition with Gunthatwonthewest, hopes to add to that collection with a pair of prospects, Grissini and Cardholder, who are in Saturday night’s elims for the Berry’s Creek.

“Grissini (post five in the seventh race) is doing excellent,” said Snyder. “But he’s a little colt. He’s 100 percent heart, tries hard. He actually tries too hard.”

Cardholder (post six in the fourth race) “won the Niatross (1:53⁴) last summer and was basically sick the rest of the year. Luc (driver Luc Ouellette) loved him early last year. This year, he’s come back and was interfered with at Mohawk (on April 9) in his first start and came from 18 lengths back to miss by just a couple, with a :26² last quarter. Then he romped on the front end in his next. He’s the first foal of a nice Brittany Farms mare, Life Cycle. You never know at this time of year. In 1994, this was the race that got Cam’s Card Shark started (en route to Horse of the Year). But I like my chances to get to the final.”

Suslow winner Brandon’s Cowboy is the 2-1 morning line favorite from post four in Saturday night’s fourth race, the first of two $25,000 Berry’s Creek elims which will determine 10 finalists for the $260,000 Berry’s Creek Final on May 8.

“He drew okay,” said trainer Mark Ford. “This is a different bunch of horses he’ll go against. We’ll now get to see what he’s made of. The Suslow Series was basically a non-winners of three series. This group will be a tougher test. It’s hard not to get a little excited about him. So far so good, that’s for sure. But I’ve been disappointed before in this business. You learn not to get too high on them.”

Eaton Road Kill’s roadtrip to Hoosier and Dover did not add to his win total, but he returns to the Meadowlands as part of a 6-5 entry with Luckyisasluckydoes, winner of six straight, in Saturday night’s tenth race, the first of two $60,000 Pacing Classic divisions. Owner Gregg Pistochini paid $15,000 to supplement Eaton Road Kill to the Classic Series, which makes its second-round stop in New Jersey on Saturday.

“Eaton Road Kill is coming home to where he likes it best — the Meadowlands,” said Pistochini. “The surface there suits him perfectly. He’s got a good post (five), and that gives (driver) Eric Ledford a lot of options. He didn’t like the track at Dover. He doesn’t corner well. You have to race in at least two of the three Classic legs to be eligible for the final, so that’s why he went there. He’s sound. Eric was pulling on the bit with him at Dover just to keep him together. But he’s back at the Meadowlands, and his record there this year (six straight wins) speaks for itself. I’m very excited. Eric Ledford gets along with him like Dan Dube did. They’re both very good at making speed from a horse with speed. I hope he’s first over rather than second or third over. Eaton Road Kill likes a good fight.”