East Rutherford, NJ – Breakfast With The Babies went to post on Saturday at 9:00 at The Meadowlands on a windless morning over a fast harness racing track with clear skies and temperatures in the high 70’s.
Delaney Hanover (Muscle Hill, Scott Zeron) won at first asking to take the opener. Zeron placed the filly along the rail third early on in a race with no moves made until the final quarter when Baffle (Trond Smedshammer) tipped from the pocket into the lead with Delaney Hanover following that rival then out gaming her late stretch to get the 1:58.1 mark with Fateful (Takter / Takter) along for a lively third. Lucas Wallin trains and owns a piece of the winner, a $160,000 (LEX) purchase along with Wiesman Farms, LLC and Shermay Stables. Hanover Shoe Farms is the breeder.
DELANEY HANOVER REPLAY
Wallin came right back in race two, driving Titian (Muscle Hill) to a 1:58 / :27.4 win in her debut. The pair got away third, fanned out as the field entered the stretch and went by under her own power over a very game Expedient (Andy Miller / Ron Coyne) and a flying late Kadena (Melander). This lass was a big ticket $250,000 buy at Harrisburg for the trainer in partnership with Kjell Magne Andersen from breeder Order By Stables.
Members Only (Greenshoe, Andy McCarthy) won the in style, setting all the fractions and stepping home impressively in :27.3 to end the 1:58 mile over an overmatched Global Sensation (Melander) in what was essentially a match race when two of the four starters went off stride before the quarter. Tony Alagna trains the winner, a $60,000 (LEX) Hanover bred colt owned by Rob LeBlanc and Pryde Stables.
MEMBERS ONLY REPLAY
Jimmy Marohn, Jr was in to drive Gimlet Hanover for DR Ackerman this morning and gave that Bar Hopping gelding a beautiful steer to a 1:56.1 / :27.4 win over Greenma (Smedshammer), closing to his outside and a very game Sinatra (Andy & Julie Miller) who set the fractions and got home safe thanks to Andy’s steadying hand late. Gimlet Hanover is owned by the trainer and was a $50,000 (HBG) Hanover bred yearling.
GIMLET HANOVER REPLAY
The 21-year-old junior driving champion from New Zealand, Carter Dalgety won race six with the homebred Sweet Lou filly Beach Rules for trainer Linda Toscano in his Meadowlands debut. Content to ride along near the back through the early postings, Dalgety waited until the last straight to tip Beach Rules wide and she roared by the competition with a :27 end to the 1:53.4 mile to get up while in hand over Bythelightofthemoon (Pat & Chris Ryder). It was also the winner’s debut for breeder / owners Conrad Zurich and Purple Haze Stables.
BEACH RULES REPLAY
Wavemaker (Tall Dark Stranger, Andy Miller / Alagna) had the game face on today, insisting on the lead early then setting all the fractions before scooting home in a flat 27 to get the 1:53.1 win by open lengths over Cookie Air (Josert Fonseca / Takter). He is a Brittany bred with the farm retaining a share along with partners Riverview Racing, Steve Head and Pryde Stables after selling for $300,000 (LEX) last fall.
Banderas took the last of the baby races, which scratched down to a match up of three sons of Tall Dark Stranger, with a gate to wire 1:54.4 win, home in :26.4 under minimal urging from driver Anibal Boras over Lafitte (Andy Miler / Alagna) with Interstatedaydream (Fonseca / Takter) an interesting third after a break at the start. First foal of the top stakes mare winning Reflect With Me, Banderas is another Brittany Farms prodigy and is owned by the same group who own Wavemaker, comprised of the breeder along with Riverview Racing, Steve Head and Pryde Stables.
BANDERAS REPLAY
Meadowlands features tonight are the Tompkins-Geers stakes for 3-year-old trotting colts & fillies, the final prep for the Hambletonian. Get your free programs here.
For complete race results, click here: US Trotting results.
by Nick Salvi, for The Meadowlands