Saturday
morning's Baby Races at The Meadowlands were conducted under ideal conditions
with the temperature in the 80's and just a light breeze.
A
few impressions were left by trotting colts Flacco and Trixton, both trained by
Hall of Fame trainer Jimmy Takter and driver by Yannick Gingras. Flacco is a
Muscles Yankee $62,000 Harrisburg yearling who took over past the opening
quarter and coasted home in 28.3 on the end of a 2:00.3 mile.
Trixton
was the most expensive trotting yearling sold at auction last year, bringing a
final bid of $360,000 from Brixton Medical and Christina Takter at the
Lexington Select Sale. He won for the second time in 2:00-, closing the mile
with a 28.1 last quarter for Gingras.
Dottie
Major won at first asking for trainer Nick Surick closing into a 27.2 last
quarter to get up in 1:57.2 with Andy Miller aboard in the first pacing event.
This Art Major filly was an $8,000 bargain for owners Kerry Feuker-Weed and MK
Weed.
Put
On A Display did just that for the team of trainer Chris Ryder and owners
Richard and Joanne Young. The $175,000 Lexington sale Somebeachsomewhere filly
led all way in 1:54.3 / 28.1 for Tim Tetrick.
The
colt pacers came next and Murder He Wrote went a nice trip for Terick, putting
the finishing touches on a 1:56.2 mile with a sub 27 final quarter after a
first over move. This colt by the ill-fated Kenneth J is owned by trainer Linda
Toscano's Camelot Stables.
Winds
Of Change took a mark of 1:55- next. The Brittany Farms, Val D'Or Farms
homebred American Ideal colt was impressive in defeat last week, recovering
from interference to be a fast closing second. This time, driver Tim Tetrick
moved him to the lead up the backstretch and tacked a 27.4 close onto the mile
in hand.
The
best race of the day was the last of the two year olds where a couple of really
nice colts hooked up for the length of the stretch. Stay Up Late is an
Artiscape colt that cost West Winds Stable and Christine Calhoun $67,000, while
Avalanche Hanover (Somebeachsomewhere) was a $200,000 buy for Brittany, Katz,
Goldband, Libfeld, Sbrocco and Gural. This pair reached the three sixteenth's
pole together and paced in tandem through the 27.3 end to a 1:58.3 mile with
Avalanche getting the nod. The team of Toscano and Tetrick closed out the
baby races with this, their third consecutive winner of the day.
Check
Me Out went her second qualifier of the season in anticipation of her return to
the racing wars. She was a 1:54.3 winner with a 55.4 final half and 27.4 last
quarter.
