East
Rutherford, NJ – Summer has
officially arrived in New Jersey and brought with it Saturday morning’s (June
11) edition of Breakfast With The Babies at The Meadowlands featuring more than
$4 million worth of horseflesh competing in the dozen two-year-old events.
Things got underway at 9:30 on a partly cloudy morning with the track fast,
temperatures in the low 70’s and little wind to begin that gradually increased
in force from the east as the day wore on…and on.
The
fastest of the freshmen today was pacing colt RJP who stormed home from well
back with an individually timed 26.3 end to the 1:54.4 mile for driver Marcus Miller
in the eleventh race. He’s a sharp looking Somebeachsomewhere colt from the
freaky fast Vysoke Tatry who went through the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale
for $40,000. Breeders David and John Prushnok have retained an interest in
partnership with Dave Miller and Lawrence Means, the trainer is Erv Miller.
Seriously Good set the fractions for Brett Miller and lasted for second over
Whiskey Please and Ray Schnittker.
Trotting
fillies opened the card and Ariana G, the baby sister to last season’s Breeders
Crown winning All The Time, started the day off on a high note with a
spectacular 1:59 / 27.4 romp for Yannick Gingras. She’s a homebred daughter of
Muscle Hill trained by Jimmy Takter for Marvin Katz and Al Libfeld. Checkmate
Time (Scott Zeron) rallied well into the fast final quarter to be second and
One Class Act (Schnittker) hung in for third.
Ellerie
Hanover converted a pocket trip provided by Dave Miller into an effortless
2:01.1 win, closing into the official 27.4 last quarter. Grand Idea set the
fractions for Takter and held well to be second and Lexi Marie (Trond
Smedshammer) third. Nancy Johansson trains the winner, a $270,000 Harrisburg
Cantab Hall filly, for Lennart Agren’s SRF Stable of Sweden.
That
same owner-trainer-driver combination came right back with the $160,000
Lexington Select Sale Muscle Hill filly Southwind Avanti, who set all the
fractions before sprinting home comfortably in 27.3 to complete the 1:59.3
mile. Takter was again second, this time with Star’s Edge and Coolcreek Princess
(Schnittker) third.
Rubio
finally won something, unfortunately it was a baby race at The Meadowlands and
not a presidential primary event. This Rubio is a Cantab Hall with French
bloodlines on the dam’s side and he looked sharp today, scoring from the pocket
for Gingras and Takter in 1:57.3 with a 28.1 final quarter. He was a $75,000
Lexington purchase Christina Takter, John & Jim Fielding and Brixton
Medical. An aggressive Southwind Segway (Tyler Raymer) cut the mile and held
second while Zack’s Zoomer (Marcus Miller) closed in the stretch for third.
The
handsome and talented Lars Perry trotted home brilliantly in a sub 28 final
panel, winning the fifth race /in 201.3 for Gingras and Takter. He sat kindly
in the pocket until shown open road then went by willingly. The Muscle Hill
colt from the accomplished race mare Southwind Wasabi was a $150,000 Lexington
purchase by Christina Takter, John Fielding, Melby Gard and Bud Hatfield
Stables. Eternal Patrol (Marcus Melander) flashed good foot late to get up for
second and Party Hard (John Campbell) settled for third after cutting the early
fractions.
After
the break, Phi Alpha impressed for the second consecutive week, winning as
driver Andy Miller pleased in in a front stepping 1:59.4 mile. He sprinted to a
large lead mid-stretch then coasted in with a final half of 57.2 and 28.3
quarter. This Cantab Hall colt is a Bob Key homebred, the first foal from his
$1.6 million champion mare Win Missy B. Trainer Andrew Harris has the Phi Alpha
in good form as he embarks on his racing career. You Can’t Habit (Gingras)
closed nicely to be second and Monteverdi also rallied well late for Campbell
who got him to settle and sit in after being a bit anxious early.
Love
Love Me Do was the winner of race seven for filly pacers for driver Marcus
Miller. She set slow fractions, opened a clear lead mid-stretch and held safe
with a 27.2 end to the 1:59.3 mile. The Rocknroll Hanover lass was bought in
for $24,000 Lexington by trainer Erv Miller in partnership with Rocco Ruffalo
and George Golemes. Perplexed (Zeron) had good late pace, closing the gap on
the winner while World Apart and Planet Rock also flashed good late pace.
Linda
Toscano has trained more than a few good horses for owner Ken Jacobs and Robin
J is a filly that looks as though she may contribute to their roster of
successes. Tim Tetrick settled her third along the rail as Lady Of Heaven took
the field through three quarters in 1:32.1 then she flew through the stretch to
get her nose on the wire first in 1:59.1 with her final quarter in 26.2. Ken
bought the Roll With Joe filly at Harrisburg for $60,000 last fall. Idyllic
Beach (Gingras) had the lead between stretch calls to be second while Lady In
Heaven (Campbell) held up well for third.
Pacing
colts took over in the ninth and Air Strike cut the mile to win in 1:57 with a
wicked 26.2 final quarter for Corey Callahan. He’s another good looking Always
A Virgin colt that trainer Joe Holloway paid $75,000 for in the interests of
long time owners Val D’Or Farms and Ted Gewertz in Lexington. The Wall, a
beautiful Somebeachsomewhere colt, was absolutely airborne in the stretch for
Gingras into the fast last quarter while Richard Hill (Tetrick) was also in the
fray late.
Very
Special Agent (D. Miller) looked special indeed today as he rallied from a
stalking position into a 26.2 final quarter tracking down Beach Pro for the
1:57 win. Relative bargain colt Hurrikane King Kong ($10,000 Lex Select) closed
along with the winner for Gingras to get up for second aand Beach Pro (Tetrick)
was a valiant third. The winner was sold at Harrisburg for $130,000 to the
partnership of Katz and Libfeld and is trained in the Nancy Johansson stable.
Odds
On Delray won the last of the two-year-old races, converting a pocket ride afforded
him by Scott Zeron to inch past Machiavelli (D. Miller) in 1:55.1 with a 27.4
final panel. He’s a Somebeachsomewhere colt from the champion mare My Little
Dragon, bought for $105,000 in Lexington as a yearling by trainer Tony Alagna
on behalf of Odds On Racing. Brian J (Tetrick) made a nice close to be third.
A
couple of top trotting colts from last season officially embarked on their
Hambletonian trail this morning with Waitlifter K winning easily in 1:54.4 and
Dog Gone Lucky a good third behind the Goldsmith Maid winning filly of last
year Double Exposure in a sharp 1:53.2.
Live
racing resumes tonight at 7:15.
