East Rutherford, NJ - The holiday weekend at The Meadowlands offers a look
into racing's future with two-year-old stakes on Friday, July 1 then
celebrates America's Independence on Saturday with a special 6:30 p.m. post
time and a grand fireworks display immediately following the races.
The New Jersey Sires
Stakes (NJSS) for two-year-olds gets underway on Friday with six
divisions of Garden State bred trotting and pacing hopefuls.
It's been said that
it takes a Muscle Hill to beat a Muscle Hill. That claim becomes fact
in the four divisions of freshman trots as all of the twenty five
participants are the progeny of that top trotting sire.
A dozen colts were split
into two $20,000 divisions carded as races three and four.
The $280,000 Lexington
sale purchase Mountain Of Love has had a pair of Meadowlands baby races in
preparation for his pari-mutuel debut in the third race. He's trotted in
the 1:59 range with solid final fractions in each and leaves from post position
four with driver Scott Zeron. Tony Alagna conditions the colt for his own
interests as Alagna Racing with partners Crawford Racing, Mystical Marker Farms
and In The Gym Partners.
The second division of
colts finds Fly On also situated in post four. He has been successful in both
of his preps, most recently streaking home in 27.3 for driver Andy Miller to
finish out a 1:59.4 mile. Fly On was a $55,000 Lexington purchase by trainer Julie
Miller on behalf of the Andy Miller Stable, Arden Homestead Stable and GTY
Stable.
Trotting fillies open
the Friday card with a field of six chasing the winner's share of the
$20,000 purse. Checkmate Time (post four) has been very impressive in her morning
trials, trotting sub 28 final quarters in each resulting in a pair of
closing seconds before winning her most recent effort in 1:59.2.
She is a homebred racing for the interests of Roy Dobbins, is trained
by Dennis Laterza and Scott Zeron has the call on her as well.
Seven precocious
trotting fillies will contest division two of the stake (race six). Ariana G
has won both of her schooling races, trotting home in 27 and change in each the
latest a 1:58.2 tally out of the pocket for Yannick Gingras. She's a
Marvin Katz & Al Libfeld homebred trained by Hall of Famer Jimmy Takter.
The pacing fillies and
colts will race for a purse of $25,000 being just a single division
for each. If I Can Dream boasts a
like distinction to Muscle Hill on this gait as all of the
pacers are by that Breeders Crown winning sire.
The colts number seven
in race two with Aaron Lambert going old school as the owner, trainer and
driver on his $12,000 Harrisburg bargain colt Every Way Out. He was an easy
1:59.2 winner at Gaitway Farms in his first outing, followed up by a useful
fourth in preparation for Friday's stake.
Ten of the fairer sex
throw down in race ten where trainer Erv Miller and Ron Michelon's
homebred Livinginthedream has the most impressive credentials but must overcome
the far outside post ten.
She's paced home hard in
each of her three prior efforts and has the talent, it's left to driver
Marcus Miller to fashion the winning trip.
Last year's Cane Pace champ Dealt A
Winner makes his seasonal debut on Saturday, facing a field of high-end
condition types in the sixth race.
Saturday's early post
time will result in the live races being concluded by around 10:15 p.m. with
the Ben Franklin and Earl Beal finals shown on the giant infield
screen before the fireworks begin at 10:30.
With Saturday's
earlier-than-normal post time, the track’s Pick Five guarantee will not be
offered on the sequence which covers Races 1 – 5. In addition, the Late Pick
Four wager’s guarantee will be $40,000. The Late Pick Four covers Races 7 – 10.
The Early Pick Four (Races 3 – 6) will continue to offer a $25,000 guaranteed
pool. These changes will only be in effect on Saturday, July 2.
