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Friday, July 29, 2016

Saturday Night Is Special at The Meadowlands

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.