East Rutherford, NJ – Saturday night at The
Meadowlands promises great racing and great food with Grand Circuit stakes for
the top three-year-old trotters in their final preparation before next
weeks’ Hambletonian, the fastest sophomore pacers in the Garden State and
Brews, Blues & BBQ to satisfy your culinary desires.
Saturday’s racing
features are a pair of ten filly $50,000 elimination races for next week’s
$500,000 Hambletonian Oaks featuring the finest trotting fillies in the land.
The first elimination is
race six where Tom Hill’s 2015 O’Brien award winning Caprice Hill makes her
Meadowlands pari-mutuel debut against Ontario rival and Zweig Filly winner
Flowers N Songs, Reynolds Memorial winner Side Bet Hanover and the Del
Miller dead-heat duo of Unica Steed and Woman’s Will. Tim Tetrick has the drive
on Caprice for trainer Tony Alagna.
The second split (race
seven) boasts a very accomplished group led by the 2015 Dan Patch award winner
for the division, Broadway Donna. She faces a solid nine that includes multiple
stakes winners Celebrity Eventsy, All The Time and Double Exposure. Dave Miller
has driven Broadway Donna in each of her thirteen career starts, resulting in
eleven wins for owner Jules Siegel’s Fashion Farms and trainer Jim Campbell.
The supporting card
includes the $150,000 Anthony Abbatiello for New Jersey bred sophomore pacing
colts and its filly companion stake, the $85,000 Thomas D’Altrui Memorial.
Boston Red Rocks is
still searching for his award winning form of last season. He finds a friendly
spot in the Abbatiello, starting from the rail in race two, that may launch him
back into the limelight for the trainer-driver team of Steve Elliott and Tim
Tetrick. Peter Blood and Rick Berks share ownership of Boston Red Rocks.
The D’Altrui looks like
a showcase for Blue Moon Stride. She’s in the midst of a terrific season for
trainer Mark Harder and owners Emelio and Maria Rosati with four wins including
the NJSS final and the Mistletoe Shalee in a career best 1:49.2 for Andy
McCarthy in her last. The D’Altrui is off the card at 6:40 p.m.
We’ll also get a last
look at presumptive Hambletonian favorite Southwind Frank who will give his ten
opponents a head start as he gets his final tune-up for the big race from the
second tier in the $53,000 Scott Frost – W.N. Reynolds Memorial. Yannick
Gingras is assigned with the task of navigating a course to the winner’s circle
for trainer Ron Burks and his partners in the eponymously named stable.
The Meadowlands will
host the popular Brews,
Blues & BBQ on Saturday night with
several accomplished meat smokers and roasters competing for prizes and
recognition. For the horseplayer, we offer a free look into the $50,000
Guaranteed Late Pick 4 wagers each week.
Post time is 7:15 p.m.
