Saturday's session of qualifiers at The Meadowlands was loaded with high-profile established talent as well as up and coming contenders.
O'Brien Award and Dan Patch winner Maven made her second qualifying start of the campaign a winning one with a slick 1:53.2 mile for driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Jonas Czernyson.
The five-year-old daughter of Glidemaster is being pointed for the Miami Valley Distaff on May 4 at Ohio’s Miami Valley Raceway with a possible trip overseas to race in Sweden's Elitlopp. She was named this continent's best older female trotter after winning 10 of 14 races and $509,220 for owner Bill Donovan.
One qualifier later, another past O'Brien Award winning trotter showed that he hasn't lost a step since hitting the age of ten as Arch Madness made his seasonal debut.
Arch Madness, the richest Canadian-sired standardbred, was victorious for trainer-driver Trond Smedshammer in 1:54.3.
Ranked at #7 in Trot Magazine's Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book, JK Endofanera made his three-year-old debut with a 1:53.2 qualifier later in the card.
Brian Sears drove the Ron Burke trainee for owner/breeder 3 Brothers Stables of New York, N.Y.
Another Burke sophomore showed up his stablemate one race later as All Bets Off was a 1:52 winner against older pacing mares.
Developed in Ontario as a two-year-old by trainer Mike Sinclair, All Bets Off was a mid-season acquisition for Burke Racing Stable, Frank Baldachino and The Panhellenic Stable with Ontario's Rosemary Shelswell retaining partial ownership. All Bets Off concluded his season with a sweep of the Matron Stakes at Dover.
To view results from Saturday's qualifying session at The Meadowlands, click the following link: Saturday Qualifiers - Meadowlands Racetrack.