East Rutherford,
NJ – The big guns are beginning to show up at The Meadowlands for qualifiers
and there were more than a few Grand Circuit stars of last year sprinkled
throughout Saturday morning’s card. Under overcast skies at 54f with a slight
headwind facing them in the stretch, things got underway right on time at 10
a.m.
Hambletonian
winter book favorite Walner got things off to a grand beginning by looking good
in a training mile around 2:00 before the races with his driver Tim Tetrick in
the bike. He certainly is an imposing presence.
Last year’s top
pacing colt Huntsville (Tetrick) made his return to racing and was a workman
like 1:53.2/26.3 winner from just off the pace in race ten. Tetrick held him in
third through comfortable fractions, followed up when Brett Miller moved The
Wall from the pocket to engage, then put away the leader and required minimal
encouragement to edge by that willing rival late. Ray Schnittker trains
Huntsville and owns the colt in partnership with Gewertz, Iannozzo and Arnold.
Hannelore Hanover
(Gingras) looked
as good as a horse can look for the second time this spring, trotting away from
JL Cruze and Broadway Donna in a 27.1 final stanza on the end of a 1:54 flat
mile in race six for older trotters. As fantastic as her 2016 season was,
Hannelore may be even better this year.
She was also Ron
Burke’s fifth consecutive winner of the morning.
Sophomore trotting
fillies opened the day with Myammie Drama (Tim Tetrick/Ron Burke) holding Princess
Aurora (Yannick Gingras) at bay through a 27.4 end to a mile in 1:58.2 in the
second race.
Several GC winners
met in the third and Sianna Hanover (Gingras) was an easy front end winner for
Ron Burke’s barn in 1:55.2/28-, her second impressive effort of the spring.
Amber Ella (John Campbell) another nice looking Chapter Seven from Linda
Toscano’s barn was a comfortable second and Goldsmith Maid winner Magic Presto
(Brian Sears) was a closing third after being reserved toward the rear for much
of the race in her first appearance of the season.
Trotting colts
came around in the fourth and last year’s NJSS champ What The Hill (David
Miller) scored a closing win in 1:55.3/28.3 in his second solid showing of the
young season. Explosive Ridge (Marcus Johansson) went well, cutting the mile
before giving way to the winner just near the wire.
Both Sianna
Hanover and What The Hill are owned by Burke Racing with partners Our Horse
Cents and J&T Silva. Deo Volente joins the group on What The Hill.
After a training
break, three-year-old filly pacers came on to the track and last year’s
Breeders Crown and Kindergarten final winner Someomensomewhere made her first
appearance for new connections. Adam Bowden’s Diamond Creek Farms and Bob Boni
have possession and placed her in Jimmy Takter’s barn. On this day
Someomensomewhere followed another Takter trainee, Somesleazetoplease (Brett
Miller) around the racetrack to be second with something in reserve for Tim
Tetrick in 1:54.4/27.1.
Last year’s Dan
Patch division winner Idyllic Beach (Gingras) and her Three Diamonds conqueror
That’s The Ticket (D. Miller) met in the eighth race. Both were reserved off
the early pace and finished strong into a 27.4 final quarter with That’s The
Ticket getting a bit of a jump on her chief rival and prevailing in 1:54.4.
Chris Ryder trains the winner.
Boogie Shuffle
(Scott Zeron) was not a marquee name among pacing colts last season, but he was
second in Downbytheseaside’s world record equaling 1:49 at The Red Mile and was
stakes placed on several other occasions. He has returned well for trainer Mark
Harder, cutting the 1:51.4/26.4 mile this morning while drawing away from some
pretty good colts.
Blood Line (Mark
MacDonald) was a winner for the Takter stable closing stoutly into a 26.4 end
to a 1:53.1mile to nip Western Joe (Gingras) and Summer Side (Schnittker).
The day’s fastest
mile came when a really good bunch of four-year-old pacing horses gathered for
race eleven. Lyon’s Snyder flashed his customary aggressive style and speed
dragging Dave Miller to the front and setting lively fractions while being
tracked by the undefeated scourge of the Maine state-bred program Seely Man
(Brett Miller) and major stakes winner Western Fame (MacDonald). As they
straightened up for home off the 1:22.2 three quarters, Boston Red Rocks
(Tetrick) joined the fray from mid-pack and was charging the widest as Western
Fame moved inside Lyons Snyder and that pair hit the wire together.
The four-year-old
mares were the last to go with last season’s bitter rivals Pure Country and
Darlinonthebeach picking up just where they left off, right next to each other
in posts five and six. On this occasion however, it was Blue Moon Stride,
emerging form the considerable shadow of the aforementioned mares to cut the
mile and hold that pair off in 1:51.4/26.4 for driver Andy McCarthy and trainer
Mark Harder. Pure Country, Darlinonthebeach and Rock Me Baby followed her in.
With major Grand Circuit stakes such
as the Cutler Memorial FFA trot and Graduate four-year-old pace now on the
horizon the fun is just getting started.
