By Dave Little, Meadowlands Media Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – For Tall Dark
Stranger, it’s all systems go for The Meadowlands Pace.
Trainer Nancy Takter had her prized
colt in a less-than-ideal spot for his 3-year-old debut, facing older foes in a
high-end conditioned pace, but in this post-coronavirus reality where many
plans have had to be re-worked, everything turned out as well as she could have
hoped.
“I wasn’t shocked,” said Takter. “I
knew he had that in him. He did it very easily without much effort. The fact
that he did it in his first start, that surprised me.”
What Tall Dark Stranger did was win
in 1:47.4 to equal the fastest mile in the sport this year.
The Bettor’s Delight-Precocious
Beauty product was in a live cover flow past the half, getting a perfect tow
from Western Joe, who won a week ago in 1:48.2. But just after the
five-eighths, Western Joe started to slow, causing driver Yannick Gingras to
swing three-wide a little earlier than he would have liked, midway through the
far turn, with Tall Dark Stranger.
“[The trip] didn’t concern me,” said
Takter. “He’s a racehorse. He knows what he’s supposed to do.”
What he did was explode through the
stretch, pacing his final quarter in :25.4 to record a 1½-length win in
lowering his previous lifetime best by one-and-one-fifth seconds.
Escapetothebeach was second, The Devils Own N third and Western Joe fourth.
The top-ranked horse in the Big M’s
weekly “Road to the Meadowlands Pace” Top 10 looks more than ready to go. “He’s
got a blowout mile in him now,” said Takter. “He’s going to get next week off
before the [July 11] Pace eliminations. He’s right where I want him to be.”
Tall Dark Stranger ($3.80 to win as
the 4-5 public choice) has now won nine of 10 lifetime starts and has earnings
of $726,889 for owners Crawford Farms Racing, Marvin Katz, Caviart Farms and
Howard Taylor.
The $682,650 Meadowlands Pace Final
takes place on July 18.
GIMPANZEE AT THE HEAD OF THE CLASS: It wasn’t easy, but Gimpanzee came
from well off the pace to win one of two $50,000 divisions of the Graduate
Series’ second leg for 4-year-old trotters in a lifetime-best 1:50.2.
Driver Brian Sears opted to race the
two-time Breeders Crown and New York Sire Stakes champion from off the pace
after a highly contentious several-horse scrum into the first turn had him take
back to seventh at the quarter.
“I knew the horse to beat was Chin
Chin Hall and I wasn’t going to press my horse early,” said Sears.
The son of Chapter Seven-Steamy
Windows was sixth in a third-over flow at three-quarters as Chin Chin Hall was
sailing along on the lead.
But Gimpanzee still had plenty of
fuel in the tank.
Despite having 4½ lengths to make up
through the final three-sixteenths, the Marcus Melander trainee was up to the
task, rocketing home in :27 to best Chin Chin Hall by a half-length. Kings
County was third.
“Gimpanzee is everything you want in
a racehorse,” said Sears. “I thought [Chin Chin Hall] was going to be spent [in
the latter stages] and I thought we had a chance. My horse is a gamer and knows
what we are trying to accomplish. He put his head down and did what he had to
do.”
Gimpanzee paid $2.60 to win as the
1-5 favorite in raising his lifetime numbers to 19 wins from 25 starts, good
for earnings of $1,770,111 for owners Courant Inc and S R F Stable.
A LITTLE MORE: Southwind Avenger won the other
Graduate division in 1:51.3 at odds of 22-1, one of four victories on the night
for driver Andy McCarthy. Don’t Let’em, the 4-5 favorite, broke at the start
and finished last in the field of nine. … Geez Joe gunned down 3-5 favorite
Sintra for a second straight week in taking the overnight feature, the
Preferred for pacers, in 1:48.2 as the 9-2 second choice. … Wagering on the
13-race card totaled $2,863,730. Betting has now exceeded the $2.5-million mark
the last 15 racing programs. … The season’s mark that Tall Dark Stranger
equaled was Kissin In The Sand’s, who is trained by Takter and driven by
Gingras. … Racing resumes Friday at 7:15 p.m. Patrons will be welcomed back
into the Meadowlands at 25 percent capacity.
