Karl heads NJSS action at The Big M

Returning Dan Patch Award winner Karl (Tactical Landing-Avalicious) will make his first start of the season Saturday (May 11) when he leads a group of 18 Hambletonian-eligible harness racing colts and geldings into the first round of the New Jersey Sire Stakes for 3-year-old male trotters at The Meadowlands.

Karl was the No. 1-ranked horse in Meadowlands analyst/announcer Ken Warkentin’s Hambletonian winter book. Two other horses in Warkentin’s Top 10 — Hankins Hanover and Mars Hill — also will be part of the NJSS action Saturday.

A total of 22 sophomore male trotters were entered in the first round of the NJSS, resulting in three $30,000 divisions. Karl is the 2-5 morning-line favorite in the second, where he will leave from post seven in a field of seven. Yannick Gingras will drive Karl for trainer Nancy Takter.

Karl won nine of 10 races last year and earned $1.04 million. His earnings ranked second in history for a 2-year-old male trotter, behind only T C I, who banked $1.23 million last season. His victories included the Breeders Crown, Valley Victory, Kindergarten Classic Series final, and Kentucky Sire Stakes Championship Series final.

His mark of 1:51.2 was the second fastest in history for a 2-year-old male trotter and he captured the Breeders Crown in a stakes- and track-record 1:51.4 at Harrah’s Hoosier Park. He also won the Valley Victory with a stakes-record 1:52.1 performance.

“I’ve had high hopes for him all along,” Takter said in a recent video interview with the U.S. Trotting Association’s Wendy Ross. “I thought that he would kind of be in this position coming into his 3-year-old year. Sometimes things don’t work out the way you planned, actually most times they don’t in this sport, so it’s really nice when they do.

“He’s been a pleasure from day one. He’s a really super cool horse. He’s a very intelligent horse. He’s probably one of the more intelligent horses that I’ve been around in my entire life. He just knows what he’s supposed to do.”

Trainer Tony Alagna will send out the 5-2 morning-line favorites in the remaining two divisions for male trotters. Waterfall, a son of Walner-Torrent who won one of six races last season, is the fave in the first division. Mars Hill, a son of Muscle Hill-Cardinale who won two NJSS prelims last year and added two victories on the Grand Circuit, is in the third. Both horses are making their seasonal debuts and will be driven by Todd McCarthy.

“Mars Hill was a horse that didn’t carry a ton of weight last year. He’s thickened up and is carrying more weight this year,” Alagna said. “I think he’ll have a little more power this year. He really looks good. He had a couple nice paydays (last year) and showed he could be a player.

“Waterfall showed some promise at the end of the year. He got sick on us early and we lost some time with him, but he showed that he could be a player this year coming back.”

Mars Hill was ranked No. 10 in Warkentin’s Hambletonian winter book. His NJSS division also includes Hankins Hanover, who was ranked seventh. The $1 million Hambletonian is Aug. 3 at The Meadowlands.

The NJSS for 3-year-old female trotters also begins Saturday with three $30,000 divisions. Of the 23 fillies entered, 16 are eligible to the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks, also Aug. 3 at the Big M.

Leading the way is returning NJSS champion Buy A Round (Walner-On Your Tab), who is the 8-5 morning-line favorite in the second of the three divisions and will have Andy McCarthy in the sulky for her seasonal bow. She won six of nine races last year, with three victories coming on the Grand Circuit. She was third in the Breeders Crown, where she was beaten by a neck.

“She’s always been a lot of fun,” trainer Noel Daley told the USTA’s Wendy Ross in a recent video interview. “She’s a smarter version of Cedar Dove (who was a Dan Patch Award winner for Daley in 2011). She’s a really good-going thing. She grew a little bit from last year and that helps too.

“She doesn’t like to be messed with. She’s not a mean filly or anything, she just doesn’t need a lot of attention. Just leave her alone, and she’s fine.”

French Champagne (Muscle Hill-French Cafe), who hit the board in nine of 10 races last year, winning five, is the 2-1 favorite in the first division. Ake Svanstedt trains and drives the filly.

Allegiant (Tactical Landing-Too Good For You), who was last year’s fastest 2-year-old female trotter, with a mark of 1:52.2, is the 2-1 favorite in the third division. Scott Zeron will drive the filly for trainer Vernon Beachy. Allegiant won five of 10 races last season and finished third in the Mohawk Million.

French Champagne and Allegiant are making their first starts of the season.

Saturday’s 14-race card also includes three second-round divisions of the NJSS for 3-year-old pacers. Racing begins at 6:20 p.m. (EDT) at The Meadowlands. For free TrackMaster programs for the Big M, click here.

by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA