East Rutherford, NJ - The Meadowlands has an intriguing and eventful weekend on the
horizon, hosting eleven races on both Friday and Saturday evenings with
stakes types beginning to populate the card and the $50,000 World Harness
Handicapping Challenge final on Saturday.
Friday's offering has a pair of features with a stout group
of eight pacing mares set to go in the sixth race and an octet of
trotters, several of whom are prepping for next Saturday's Arthur Cutler
Memorial, in the seventh race $20,000 Preferred trot.
Darlinonthebeach and Penpal are a pair of accomplished
four-year-old mares preparing to possibly take on male rivals in the first leg
of the $1 million Graduate series, also scheduled for next Saturday.
Darlinonthebeach (David Miller) successfully battled the best
sophomore fillies on her way to earning $671,000 while taking her 1:48.1
record in a division of the Glen Garnsey last fall in Lexington for White Birch
Farm and trainer Nancy Johansson.
Penpal faced the division leaders and earned more than $200,000
without a stakes win for trainer/driver Pat La Chance who owns her in
partnership with M&M Harness Racing.
They'll find the test their connections may seek in
making that decision by facing strong competition here. Chief among
the opponents are the battle tested veteran Inittowinafortune (Corey Callahan)
who won the class last week along with the multiple stakes winning Blue
Moon Stride (Andy Mc Carthy) coming in off an impressive qualifier and Prairie
Sweetheart (John Campbell) whose unblemished career record recently came
to an end.
The trotting race is deep with talent as well with several of the
participants prepping for next Saturday's $200,000e Arthur Cutler Memorial Free
For All.
It marks the first seasonal start for the venerable JL
Cruze who is paired for the first time with driver Dave Miller. If
earning over $230,000 in a season can be termed disappointing, that may well
have been the case for JL Cruze's connection in 2016. Despite some solid
efforts, he didn't find the form of 2015 when he became the first (and
only) trotter to shade 1:50 at The Meadowlands with his 1:49.4 Graduate Final
win. Trainer Eric Ell continues to tinker with his routine trying to have him
at his best this season for owners Ken Wood, Bill Dittmar and Steve
Iaquinta.
Dayson (Yannick Gingras) and Maestro Blue Chip (Tim
Tetrick) each boast a strong stakes résumé and are making their first
money starts of the season while the balance of the field has been busy
racing and earning throughout the spring.
"Greek
Night" is the theme in Pink's trackside buffet this week, so make
those reservations for Friday evening dining.
Horseplayers are making their annual pilgrimage to the mecca of
harness racing to compete in the year's biggest contest, the $50,000 pool World Harness
Handicapping Challenge on Saturday night. Contestants are welcomed on
Friday evening with a buffet party and a tour to get familiar with the
building. It's not too late to enter and see how you stack up against the
best and maybe take a big check home with you for your efforts.
First post is 7:15 p.m.
