East Rutherford, NJ – The Meadowlands will host a bevy of Grand Circuit stakes this
coming weekend with total purses in excess of $3.3 million combined for the
Friday, November 20 and Saturday, November 21 cards.
Friday is ladies night
with the finest in female Standardbred talent on display.
The inaugural $200,000
TVG Mare Open finals take place with seven well-matched pacing mares vying
for the title. Breeders Crown winner Color’s A Virgin, trained by Brian
Brown and driven by David Miller, takes on series point leader Venus Delight
and last week’s TVG Open winner Sandbetweenurtoes in the seventh race.
A half dozen very
accomplished trotting mares seek the winner's share in race twelve.
In the absence of division leader D'One, Bee A Magician, Classic Martine
and Shake It Cerry become the logical choices. Shake It Cerry comes in
off a convincing win over the exact same field of mares in the TVG Open of
Friday past, the first time she was paired with driver David Miller for
trainer Jimmy Takter
Ten freshman filly
trotters are led by Breeders Crown winner All The Time in the $409,950
Goldsmith Maid (race 2). The homebred pride of Marvin Katz and Al Libfeld isn’t
facing anyone she hasn’t handled before and starts from the rail for the potent
trainer/driver duo of Takter and Yannick Gingras.
The $385,250 Three
Diamonds (race 8) will showcase eight two-year-old filly pacers with three of
those coming from the Ross Croghan barn. Shezarealdeal and Call Me Queen Bee
were both acquired for Croghan by Eric Cherry’s Let It Ride Stable and Dana
Parham during the racing season and have paid handsome dividends ranking first
and second in earnings among the participants.
Saturday brings the
$400,000 TVG Open finals. The trotters come up in race seven and among the
eight declared is three-year-old The Bank who accepted an invitation as Breeders
Crown champ to join his elders. Trainer Takter has him in top form for David
Miller, he’ll need his best to battle a solid group of veterans here.
There are no surprises
among the six pacers in the twelfth race $400,000 TVG final as the usual cast of
characters will assemble, series point leader JK Endofanera (Takter/ Brett
Miller) the likely punter’s choice here.
Freshman colts are
featured in the $489,400 Valley Victory (race 5) trot. trainer Chuck Sylvester
is holding a good hand with both of last week’s elimination winners, Waitlifter
K (Tim Tetrick) and Dog Gone Lucky (Corey Callahan), racing out of his stable.
The pacing colts will
battle over the $413,000 prize pool in the Governor’s Cup (race eight). The
field of ten is extremely well matched and contains Breeders Crown champ Boston
Red Rocks. Peter Blood and Rick Berks’ colt has really come to hand for trainer
Steve Elliott since Tetrick has taken the reins. Elim winners Katie’s Rocker
and Big Top Hanover will make him earn it.
There was stark contrast
at the entry box for two new stakes for three-year-old fillies with a dozen
declared for the $173,500 Tarport Hap (race 11) while a mere
quartet entered the $144,000 Continentalvictory (race 2).
The Tarport Hap
stretches out to a mile and an eighth with two trailers and is a deep and
competitive group. A case could be made for literally any of these accomplished
young ladies. Divine Caroline has assumed control lately, scoring a Red Mile
sweep followed by the Breeders Crown for trainer Joe Holloway and David Miller
(who may well be in line for another huge night). Sassa Hanover is the Jugette
winner, Bettor N Better qualified well last week and Bedroomconfessions seeks a
defining win from the rail.
The presence of Mission
Brief and Wild Honey likely had a lot to do with the scant response to the
inaugural Continentalvictory, particularly in light of Mission Brief's
scintillating 1:50.2f World Record in the
Matron last week. Trainer Ron Burke and driver Yannick Gingras felt that
the mercurial filly was as good as she's ever been in that one and it has
taken that type of effort to best Wild Honey (Takter/ John Campbell) who boasts
wins in all of the majors this season.
Post time is 7:00 p.m.
each night. There will be a WHHC event on Saturday.
Information on
promotions and dining possibilities are available with a visit to The Meadowlands
website.
