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One of the most exciting times of year in harness racing comes in early to mid-summer, when the latest crop of North American 2-year-olds begin to emerge. The Meadowlands’ Kindergarten Series is often the first stop for these youngsters, with many making their pari-mutuel debuts on Friday night, July 5th, at The Big M, in eight, $20,000 second-leg divisions.
We take a look at some of the top prospects in each leg with some commentary from Nancy Takter, Marcus Melander and Ron Burke as to their chances.
Race 3: 2YO Filly Pace 2nd Leg
The Linda Toscano-trained Ascendance (Captaintreacherous) could not have been more impressive in opening her career a week ago with a dominant first-leg win. Drawn handily in post two, she has an excellent chance of doubling up in her second race day appearance.
The $260,000 Lexington Select purchase showed she was a filly with a bright future when winning her debut qualifier in 1:54.4. She got a ways back in the running line in her second attempt. Still, she posted the equal fastest quarter (26.1) in getting within two lengths of Champagne Room for a fast-finishing fourth in 1:53.1.
In her race debut, Scott Zeron had the filly in front soon after dispatch and the pair never looked back, brushing home in 26.2 and leaving her nine other rivals including the second-leg entrant Ronstadt with little chance.
“She had pedigree and size. [My owners] stepped up for me,” said Toscano. “She showed in her qualifier she’s as good off a helmet as on the lead. I don’t know if she was running in in the stretch, but I do think she’s really green. It’s just so new to all of them.”
Her dam, Higher And Higher (Western Terror) was a 1:51.2 juvenile winner at The Red Mile when winning the International Stallion Stakes, a week removed from winning the Bluegrass Stakes on the same track. She fashioned a great career as an aged mare, carving out 26 victories from 73 career starts for Daryl Bier and bankrolling $944,224 in stakes.
At stud, she has already produced two 1:48 performers in full brothers, Highalator and South Beach Star, with all six of her eligible to race foals being timed in 1:54 or better.
The stablemate to Ascendance, the Lazarus N filly Bequeath, has shown enough in her two qualifiers to suggest she could offer some cheek having posted a 1:53.4 effort for second in her most recent attempt on the 22nd of June.
On this occasion, she came from four and a half lengths back of the leader entering the stretch and was the only filly to make ground with a 26.1 last quarter.
She is another who is bred to be good being out of an American Ideal half-sister to the millionaire Artspeak in Endowment. Bequeath was a $32,000 Lexington Select Sale purchase and looks like one to follow going forward.
The Toscano pair will be most wary of the Nancy Takter-trained debutant, Sea Her Rule, with the Downbytheseaside homebred finishing close in behind Ascendance in her latest trial when fifth, with a length separating the pair.
Her dam, Bad Girls Rule (World Of Rocknroll) was a winner of the Ohio Sires Stakes 2YO Fillies Final back in 2017 and won more than half of her $336,562 in stakes as a juvenile. Sea Her Rule is just her second foal to the track and looks to have inherited some of that early speed for connections.
“Sea Her Rule is a nice big filly,” said Takter about her young pacer. “She baby raced well and does everything right. I would think her best work will come at 3 but there is plenty ability to do well this year too.”
Race 4: 2YO Colt & Gelding Pace 2nd Leg
Leg two for the 2YO males looks to be in the command of the Tony Alagna-trained Fallout (Captaintreacherous), one who has caught the eye in two unbeaten public appearances at the qualifiers.
The $250,000 Lexington Select purchase is a full brother to the millionaire Blue Diamond Eyes and 1:47.4 performed Captain Kirk.
He will have to be good to hold out first leg winner, Namaste Hanover (Papi Rob Hanover) who overcame post five in capturing the cash in his race day debut. His test will be a little stiffer having drawn post seven for his resuming run with an in form Jordan Stratton taking the reins once more.
Flying the flag for the lesser known quantities, the first starter Fortunesfool represents one of 17 from the first crop of Ohio-based stallion, Rodeo Romeo (Rocknroll Hanover). The half-brother to millionaire, Check Six stands at Hagemeyer Farms in Clarksville and was chosen by Alexandra Goldin to be the consort for her former racemare, Anotherprettyface.
The New Jersey horsewoman is jumping in the deep end with her homebred colt, but as the saying goes, ‘you have to be in it to win it’.
Race 5: 2YO Colt & Gelding Trot 2nd Leg
Maryland, the Marcus Melander trained son of Chapter Seven, went about recouping his $475,000 Lexington Select Sale purchase price with a dominant display in the opening leg of the Kindergarten Series.
The first foal from Crucial (Father Patrick), a half-million dollar earning stakes performer and half-sister to the millionaire and 2021 O’Brien and Dan Patch 2YO Filly of the Year certainly has some breeding to live up to.
“He did everything right last week and draws good again,” said Melander about his charge.
“He is a professional colt that has done everything right from the start,” he said.
Maryland wired the field last week in 1:56.4 and despite hanging on by just a head at the finish, trotted his last quarter in 26.2 which was on par with many of the pacing counterparts on the day. He’s drawn handsomely in post two and with the services of Dexter Dunn will take some catching.
The Joe Holloway trained Noble Wine (Greenshoe) looked a winner everywhere but the wire in his race debut last week in a leg of the Kindergarten going down a half-length to the impressive Ron Burke juvenile, Hidalgo (Muscle Hill). He trotted 1:56.2 in defeat after leading the field for most of the race.
The Ake Svanstedt trained and driven Swedish bred, Gap Kronos S, represents just the 9th product of Face Time Bourbon to have started under race conditions in North America and brings some excellent bloodlines being out of a Muscle Hill half-sister to Breeders Crown champion King of The North.
Race 6 2YO Colt & Gelding Pace 2nd Leg
Unbeaten in two qualifying appearances, the Nancy Takter-trained Captain Optimistic (Captaintreacherous) makes his race day debut with a big reputation having stomped home in a 25.4 last quarter in his most recent qualifier success.
He stopped the clock on this occasion in 1:53.4, and despite being drawn unfavourably in post seven, looks the most capable of securing a maiden success among his rivals.
The $160,000 Harrisburg purchase is the fifth foal from the half-million dollar earning Cinamony (Art Official), a half-sister to world champion and now sire, Fear The Dragon.
“Captain Optimistic has baby raced really well and I look forward to seeing him develop this year. He’s got a good turn of foot,” said Takter about the son of Captaintreacherous.
The Tony Alagna trained homebred son of American History, Making History, made an equally large impression when winning his most recent qualifier in 1:53 as he wired the field from post seven.
Making History is one of just eight products from the first crop of his sire who was coincidentally trained by Alagana in a career that saw him crowned the fastest 3YO pacer of his crop (1:47.0) and earn $1.6 million dollars.
The George Ducharme trained Mccusker (Cattlewash) is another homebred who looks more than capable in this early juvenile company having posted a 1:55 mile at Pocono Downs in the second of his two qualifying wins.
The Linda Toscano-trained Smoken Bob (Bettor’s Wish) was another who went close to a winning performance in the 1st leg of the Kindergarten Series, succumbing late to finish third in 1:53.4 after having led most of the way from post three. He comes from a family of juvenile speed with his dam Deli Beach (Somebeachsomewhere) a winner of the Reynolds Memorial and John Simpson as a two-year-old in which she posted a 1:52.1 lifetime mark.
Race 8: 2YO Filly Trot 2nd Leg
A field of eight debutants go behind the starting gate here with the Nancy Takter stablemates likely to be all the rage on the back of some impressive qualifying performances.
The bonny Walner filly, Kendra, smacked her opposition by 10 and a quarter lengths some two weeks ago in her final public tune up, wiring the field from post seven and stopping the clock in 1:55 flat.
Her dam, Danish Girl (Credit Winner) is an unraced half-sister to the freak, Gimpanzee, and his full sister and multiple stakes race winner, Iteration.
“Kendra is a really nice filly who could be really great. She has a great attitude and gait to go with her speed,” said Takter.
Her stablemate Champagne Problems (Tactical Landing), while not as emphatic in her margin of victory, was no less impressive in posting a 1:55.3 mile rate qualifying success on the same program. She too wired the field on this occasion having made a break in her first public appearance.
“Champagne Problems is a really nice filly. She is co-owned by my kids so I’m hoping she lives up to my expectations,” said Takter.
Race 10: 2YO Filly Trot 2nd Leg
Another of the Nancy Takter-trained juvenile trotting fillies to post a 1:55 mark wiring the field on the 22nd of June is the daughter of Walner, Torrisi.
She was a three-length winner in her most recent public appearance and was professional in scoring from the pole in the hands of Yannick Gingras.
The $110,000 Lexington Select purchase is just the second foal from 66-race winner, Barn Girl (t, 1:52.3), a daughter of Cash Hall who bankrolled $860,478 in her five year career on the track.
“Torrisi has been one of my favorite fillies since day one,” said Takter about the daughter of Walner. “She is very uncomplicated and always shows up to do her work.”
She meets a last-start winner in the Swedish bred filly, Maragerta Hanover, one of only two foals by Swedish champion Maharajah on North American soil.
The Marcus Melander-trained product showed an impressive turn of foot to win the first leg of the Kindergarten Series by four and a quarter lengths, having been content to sit back third for the first half of the mile.
Dexter Dunn partners her again, and the pair once more have come up trumps in the draw, having secured the rail for the second week running.
“Margareta raced great last week after just one qualifier,” said Melander about the daughter of Maharajah. “She should be even sharper this week but it’s a good field of 2-year-old fillies.”
The John Butenschoen-trained R Dutchess (Father Patrick) looks another of the more forward trotting babies, having posted the fastest qualifying time of the eight contestants.
Under the urgings of Tim Tetrick, the $300,000 Lexington Select purchase stopped the clock in 1:55.1 in her second public appearance, having made a break in her first look at the Big M.
R Dutchess is bred on the golden Father Patrick x Muscle Hill cross and is the second foal out of the 2018 O’Brien 2YO Trotting Filly of the Year, The Ice Dutchess. It’s a family that oozes modern class with the dam’s full sister, Ice Attraction also earning in excess of $700,000 in a career producing multiple stakes victories.
Race 13: 2YO Colt & Gelding Pace 2nd Leg
The Sam De Pinto-trained Papis Pistol (Papi Rob Hanover) has been incredibly impressive posting two slender victories in 1:53.3 on successive occasions. The most recent being in the opening leg of the series where he unfurled a 26.4 final quarter to make up nice ground in his race debut.
Another of the impressive first crop of Papi Rob Hanover, Papis Pistol is the first foal from the unraced Sweet Lou mare, Bang Bang. Having drawn the inside for his resumption this week, he is likely to secure a nice trip for the in-form Brett Beckwith.
Another son of Papi Rob Hanover in the Ron Burke-trained TH Colby makes his Meadowlands debut, having begun his race career at Harrahs Philadelphia last week with a very nice runner-up performance.
The $250,000 Lexington Select purchase got home in 26.4 on this occasion (27 June) with a beaten time of 1:55.2.
“He’s a fast colt that is learning quickly,” said Ron Burke of TH Colby.
For complete race entries, click here: US Trotting entries.
by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink
