As the Meadowlands Racetrack’s 2017 championship meet draws to its August 5 conclusion, the stakes action increases to a fever pitch.
Friday night brings with it elimination races for the track's top freshman trotting races, the Peter Haughton and Jim Doherty Memorials.
The Peter Haughton drew 14 declarations, thus necessitating a pair of seven-colt elims (Races 6 and 8). The Doherty fillies number 16, and the lasses have been split into a pair of elims, which have been carded as Races 9 and 10.
Hall of Fame trainer Jimmy Takter has entered six of his freshmen trotters in the Haughton. He will send out the top three morning line choices for the first division, which will be led by the $350,000 Muscle Hill yearling purchase You Know You Do. The colt breezed through his Meadowlands morning trials and a PA All Stars division before tasting defeat in a PASS race at Harrah's Philadelphia in his latest start.
You Know You Do races for the partnership of Howard Taylor, Order By Stable, Bud Hatfield, Marvin Katz and Al Libfeld and will start from Post 1 for driver Yannick Gingras.
The second Haughton division (Race 8) contains a talented bunch of trotting colts that include NJSS champ You Need Stones from the Ronnie Burke barn and PASS winner Mets Hall, the slight morning line choice for the Millers.
You Need Stones had his way with three other Jersey-breds throughout the sparsely attended sires stakes, but he did it in very impressive fashion. He trotted in 1:55.2 in each of his last two starts – with :27-and-change last quarters in both – which compelled his connections to take a crack against open company. You Need Stones will get introduced to a new driver in Tim Tetrick on Friday and will start from Post 6 for owner/breeders Burke Racing, Weaver Bruscemi and Larry Karr.
Mets Hall has also won all of his races, including two stakes in Pennsylvania, the most recent in track record time of 1:55.1 at Harrah’s. The sharp-looking Cantab Hall colt is owned by Stroy Inc and the Andy Miller Stable, trained by Julie and driven by Andy Miller.
Trainer George Ducharme has enjoyed remarkable success with trotters, including a Hambletonian win in 2013 with Royalty For Life. This year Ducharme will bring his filly Hey Livvy to the Meadowlands as the favourite in the first Doherty division (Race 9). She's a speedy Donato Hanover lass that Ducharme and longtime owner – and a partner on Royalty For Life – Paul Fontaine paid the bargain price of $35,000 for at the Lexington sales last fall. Brian Sears will drive Hey Livvy from Post 6.
Takter and Gingras will team up again in the second Doherty split with the unbeaten Muscle Hill filly Manchego (PP2). In a field of fast, talented fillies, Manchego is the fastest thus far with a 1:54.4 win a PA sire stakes action at Pocono. She's been perfect through all five of her public appearances for owners Black Horse Racing, John Fielding and Herb Liverman, but will face her toughest test to date on Friday.
The top five official finishers from all eliminations will move on to next week's finals, which will be contested on Hambletonian Day.
The undercard has several interesting contests, led by a powerful field of Open trotters in Race 2 that includes the return of 2015 Hambletonian winner Pinkman, 2016 Breeders Crown champ Flanagan Memory, and speedy import Tuonoblu Rex, as they prepare for the upcoming Cashman Memorial.
Open pacing mares are also on the card in anticipation of the Lady Liberty stakes event. Golden Girls winner Nike Franco N and seven others will contest the $20,000 seventh race.
For the horseplayer, Friday is a ‘must pay’ night on the fifth-race Jackpot Super Hi 5, which features a carryover of $35,864. For the uninitiated, that translates to a $35,864 head-start in that pool which will grow quickly with new money.
Post time for the card is 7:15 p.m.
(Meadowlands Racetrack)