There
will be plenty of both on Saturday in the $1.2 million Hambletonian at The
Meadowlands Racetrack.
Turning
back the clock, the elimination heats and the final for the 3-year-old trotting
classic will be contested on the same afternoon. It is first time since 1996
that the Hambletonian will be a one-day event.
It
is the perfect year for the return of heat racing with no sure-fire favorite
among the 23 entrants. Three $70,000 elimination heats will trim field down to
10 for the $1 million final, the richest prize in harness racing.
Who
will hoist the coveted trophy at the conclusion of this wide-open Hambletonian?
It
could be John Campbell, the sport’s all-time leader driver with a
record-setting six Hambletonian wins. He steers Possessed Fashion, 4-1 in the
third heat.
Perhaps
trainer Chuck Sylvester will tie the record with a fifth Hambletonian
winner, joining three of the sport’s immortals: Ben White, Billy Haughton and
Stanley Dancer. He sends out Spider Blue Chip, 5-2 in the third heat.
Maybe
a member of Jimmy Takter’s trio of High Bridge (6-1 in the first heat),
Dontyouforgetit (7-2 in the second) and Corky (2-1 in the third) will give the
Swedish born trainer a third Hambletonian victory.
Royalty
For Life carries the hopes of New England into the Hambletonian for trainer
George Ducharme and the Massachusetts and Rhode Island-based ownership team. He
is 8-5 in the first heat.
Wheelin
N Dealin was unstoppable last year, a perfect 9-for-9 including the Breeders
Crown to earn the Dan Patch Award as divisional champion. Although winless in
three races this year, he has the back class to make a Hambletonian statement.
Wheelin N Dealin is 2-1 in the second heat.
Dewycolorintheline,
8-1 in the first heat, will try to add the Hambletonian to his Yonkers Trot
victory, giving him two thirds of the Trotting Triple Crown.
Or
one of the other contenders could be crowned Hambletonian champion before a
packed grandstand and an international audience watching broadcasts and
simulcasts. Television coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. on the CBS Sports Network.
It
is a day to be experienced live. First post is 11:50 a.m. for the 15-race
program that includes 14 stakes.
Other
highlights include the amazing Bee A Magician, 8 for 8 this year, in the
companion event for 3-year-old filly trotters, the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks.
Market
Share, last year’s Hambletonian winner, returns to the scene of his greatest
triumph to face a solid field of older trotters in the $318,350 John Cashman,
Jr. Memorial, formerly known as the Nat Ray.
Warrawee
Needy and Sweet Lou, elimination winners last week, start side-by-side in the
$213,650 U.S. Pacing Championship.
The
other stakes are the $321,700 Merrie Annabelle for 2-year-old filly trotters,
the $280,500 Peter Haughton Memorial for 2-year-old trotters, the $250,000
Anthony Abbatiello SBOA New Jersey Classic for 3-year-old pacers, the $217,100
Lady Liberty for Free-For-All pacing mares, the $125,000 Thomas D’Altrui SBOA
Miss New Jersey for 3-year-old filly pacers, the $75,000 Vincennes Free-For-All
trot and the $55,000 Ima Lula for 4-year-old trotting mares.
There
will be plenty of action off the racetrack as well. Paddock Park comes alive
with a concert by the Nerds, face painters, pony rides and carnival games. Paid
admissions get hats: a baseball cap for adults, bucket hats for the kids.
Fans can follow all
the action at meadowlandsracetrack.com, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and on Twitter at #Hambo13.
