Jim Campbell hopes Macs Jackpot can cash in with a strong performance in Saturday’s Meadowlands Pace elimination.
Macs Jackpot is among 10 horses in the $50,000 elimination at the Meadowlands Racetrack, where the top seven finishers will advance to the $700,000 final on July 15. They will be joined in the final by three bye recipients based on seasonal earnings: Downbytheseaside, Classic Pro, and Miso Fast.
Dan Patch Award winner Huntsville, last season’s top male two-year-old in the U.S., is the 9-5 morning line favourite in the Meadowlands Pace elimination. Filibuster Hanover is the 4-1 second choice, followed by Blood Line at 5-1.
The elimination winner will draw from Post 1 through 6 for the final.
First-race post time is 6:30 p.m. Saturday. The card also includes the $240,000 finals of the Graduate Series for four-year-old trotters and pacers, the $41,880 Reynolds for three-year-old female trotters, and the seasonal debut of Hambletonian contender Walner in a conditioned race (for more on Walner, click here).
Macs Jackpot, who will have David Miller in the sulky and is 10-1 early, heads to the Meadowlands Pace elimination off a career-best 1:50.2 win in a division of the Tompkins-Geers Stakes at Tioga Downs on July 2. In his previous start, Macs Jackpot was beaten by a head in the consolation division of the North America Cup at Mohawk Racetrack.
“He raced real good at Tioga,” Campbell said. “This is a different level, but he’s a good gaited big strong colt. He’s got the speed and everything, we just hope he can take it to the next level. Dave’s going with him Saturday and Dave gets along good with him. We’re hoping he can continue to put in a good race.”
Macs Jackpot was bred by owner Jeff Snyder, who is a record three-time winner of the Meadowlands Pace. Macs Jackpot is by Somebeachsomewhere out of the O’Brien Award winning mare Michelles Power. He hails from the same family as Snyder’s first Meadowlands Pace winner, Cams Card Shark, as well as 2012 Canadian Horse of the Year Michaels Power.
For the year, Macs Jackpot has won three of nine races and earned $84,950. For his career, the gelding has won seven of 23 starts and banked $180,079.
“It’s going to be a tough field,” Campbell said about the Meadowlands Pace elimination. “Huntsville stands out in there, but anytime you’re racing in a race like the Meadowlands Pace there are always horses that step up that maybe don’t look as good in the program. There’s never an easy spot. There’s never an easy spot at the Meadowlands, it doesn’t matter what the class is.”
Macs Jackpot (Photo courtesy Ken Weingartner/HRC/USTA)
Macs Jackpot is not Campbell’s lone stakes hopeful in action Saturday. The trainer will send out two-time Dan Patch Award winner Broadway Donna in the Graduate final for trotters and, across the Hudson River at Yonkers, Jo Pas Way and Matinee Fashion in the eliminations of the Lawrence B. Sheppard Pace for two-year-old male pacers.
Broadway Donna, the only female in the nine-horse Graduate field for trotters, is 5-1 on the morning line. Marion Marauder, last year’s Trotting Triple Crown winner and Trotter of the Year, is the 5-2 choice from Post 9 while Trolley is 3-1 and Dayson is 4-1.
In her most recent start, Broadway Donna finished eighth in the Armbro Flight Stakes for trotting mares at Mohawk. Campbell said Broadway Donna suffered from tying up (muscle cramping) while in Canada and looks better since returning to his stable’s base in central New Jersey.
Broadway Donna has won one of five starts this season, with the victory coming in a preliminary round of the Graduate, and has hit the board a total of four times. For her career, the Fashion Farms bred and owned lass has won 17 of 27 races and earned $1.25 million.
“She didn’t have a good week that last week up in Canada,” Campbell said. “She seems to be happy to be back in New Jersey. She acts good, everything like that. We’ll see how she goes. Marion Marauder is the one to beat in there, but there are a few other horses in there that can go along pretty good, too.”
There are three $25,000 eliminations of the Sheppard, with Jo Pas Way at 9-2 in the first division and Matinee Fashion at 15-1 in the third. The first two finishers from each elimination plus the two fastest third-place finishers return for the $110,500 final on July 15.
Jo Pas Way, a son of American Ideal-Marie’s Z Tam owned by Emposimato Stables, makes his debut after two qualifiers, one at Harrah’s Philadelphia and the most recent at Yonkers. He finished sixth at Yonkers, timed in 1:59.4.
“It’s kind of a strange situation with him,” Campbell said. “We haven’t really gotten a fair reading on him. His first qualifier he locked up on a line and flipped his palate. His next one was a qualifier at Yonkers and he was against older horses. He’s a really good gaited colt and he trained down nice. At least he’s had a go around Yonkers, which I think is an advantage. We’ll get a better reading on him on Saturday.”
Fashion Farms-owned Matinee Fashion, who finished fourth in his only start, meets three horses with wins under their belts in his elimination, including 2-1 favourite Paprike Blue Chip. Matinee Fashion is a son of Roll With Joe out of the mare Clara and was bred by Yonkers Raceway President Tim Rooney.
“He’s a nice, big, strong, good-gaited colt,” Campbell said. “He went good in his one start and he’s an easy going colt. He’s in what looks like a pretty tough division, but he seems like the type of horse that should go around Yonkers good.
“I think it’s the toughest I’ve ever seen this race,” Campbell added. “There are a lot of good colts. It’s amazing how fast these two-year-olds are starting off.”
This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.