Miles aplenty for eligibles on tap

Sires stakes once again present Hambo-eligibles of both sexes, with divisional scenarios in New Jersey (Meadowlands) and Pennsylvania (Meadows and Harrah’s Philadelphia), along with a focused SBOA final in Ontario (Mohawk). The Hambletonian Trail herds go trotting on Friday, May 24.

A field of New Jersey Sires Stakes for colts ($33,000) and one for fillies ($34,000) are the focus at the Meadowlands. Five of six are Hambo-eligible, King Of Muscles being the odd one out.

We liked Amalfi Coast last week and stick with him for the sake of price, since Corky will be a huge choice and may have an easy go of the mile.

The fillies also have one ineligible and again we will go with the one that is not a daughter of Muscles Yankee. Southwind Cocoa has been sitting on a win and will not be the choice here. The Chocolatier femme has a good stride and some soph experience behind her now, maybe enough to take this at a decent price.

The Meadows hosts a quartet of Pennsylvania Sires Stakes (PASS) with purses of $48,000 and change for colts.

Four of eight are eligibles in the first round. A lot of attention will be given to Major Athens in his second race at three but we like Brew Master. He had a tough time in his recent race from post 9 at Woodbine but should have a race more like the one before that where he won as a 48-1 shot. He won’t be that high here but he will still be worth a price.

In the next PASS we witness the return of Aperfectyankee as he debuts at three. Up against Dontyouforgetit, the Dexter Cup failed favorite, he may need a race to handle his foe and other, budding performers here. We will go with Valley Of Sin, an ineligible that has faltered from miscues but when under control seems to be under rated.

Round three is entirely Hambo-eligibles, with a lot of chances for each of the eight to improve. Dexter Cup-winning Celebrity Maserati has to deal with post 8 aside from the new competition involved. We like the chances of San Donato and hope he will be close to his morning-line odds, 8-1. Beaten as the choice in his soph debut he had excuses beyond returning to a new division. He fought from post 8 after a slow start. He should be much better here.

Only a pair of eligibles take on six state-breds in the penultimate PASS mile. Jimmy Takter’s Bluto may get a shot at racing like his April qualifier, going wire to wire after handling a lot tougher competition in the John Simpson for a piece of the purse.

Then, in the finale for the program, Arctic Tale is one of six eligibles and the one we feel may be the bargain of the day. His recent effort at the Meadows was marred by a break after a wide, early duel that failed to get the top. Ron Burke’s gelding has a lot of speed and may be best equipped to use it in this group and win at a price.

PASSes also adorn the Harrah’s Philadelphia program on May 24, these four splits going for $61,000 plus each.

In the first split we get another chance at Cupcake, the daughter of Trotting Triple Crown-winner Glidemaster. Last week she jumped at the gate and was eliminated and must be given another shot in what appears to be an easier group to handle if she stays trotting.

In round two we will take a shot with Aspidistra Hanover. Another of many Donato Hanover daughters, she was bold at 11-1 in her debut, a PASS mile where she made a huge brush and got hanged to the half. She may be raring to show more with a good trip and we would like to have her at this price.

The third split should find Frau Blucher a favorite after her first-time Lasix win last week. But we will let the fans have her and support Coffeecake Hanover, who fired quickly to duel for the lead at the Meadows’ PASS fest last week and was in a lot of trouble late in the game. That line should send her off a great price.

Defiant Donato could be one of the best fillies in this crop, certainly one of the Hambo-winner’s top sophs this season and she almost got the whole pie at the Meadows were it not for a few steps she had to race wide, surrendering to the better journey taken by non-eligible Curtsy Hanover. She will be backed heavily but here can still be an overlay.

Bee A Magician won her SBOA filly-trot elim and will be the huge favorite in the final at Mohawk this week. She is the key and we don’t expect any of her foes to upset her speed, smooth gait and obvious confidence.

The Hambletonian Society has owned and serviced the Hambletonian since its inception in 1926 and presents the 88th edition at the Meadowlands, where it has been staged since 1981, There are no supplemental entries permitted in the Hambletonian and Oaks, nor are participants allowed to race on Lasix or Butazolidin. Along with the four juvenile Breeders Cup races for thoroughbreds, they are the only events in North American horse racing that prohibit the use of any race-day medication.

Keep watching this blog for updates and races involving eligibles through July and for live coverage from TwinSpires on Hambletonian day. Read race results at the special section archived at the Hambletonian Society web site.

 

State-and-province breds battle across the borders

Sires stakes in New Jersey (Meadowlands) and Pennsylvania (Meadows), along with SBOA eliminations in Ontario (Woodbine) are the next stops along the Hambletonian Trail. The score of miles takes place in the three different locations on Friday, May 17.

A field of New Jersey Sires Stakes for colts ($34,000) and one for fillies ($36,000) are the evening’s features. The same sire, Muscles Yankee, represents all eight colts and all but one entry is Hambletonian-eligible (King Of Muscles).

The Jimmy Takter entry of Corky and Muscle Mountain will be hammered, no doubt, since Corky just missed last week and had an excuse while being beaten by the shocker, Modest Prince, paying $103.40. Still, we are looking at some value for Amalfi Coast, a Chuck Sylvester-trained gelding with two sharp qualifiers and a ton of freshman class. Improvement is on the agenda and the crowd due to will overlook that for reasons of form and speed (two reasons that could easily change without history making them obvious).

In the second NJSS, fillies offer all but three eligibles and again sire Muscles Yankee has the most progeny, eight to Chocolatier’s two in a 12-gal field (three horses are coupled). The 8-post horse, Shared Past, is the one which may present the best value for the shot she has at taking this. Her two qualifiers point to fitness but her check-cashing record at two in the top stakes that ended her freshman campaign are far more impressive than a lot of the foes she faces here. Trainer Jonas Czernyson surely has the Chocolatier filly, bred well by a Donerail mare, to come back at three with fire.

The Meadows hosts a quarter of frosh-filly trots in PASS divisions, each worth $59,080 on May 17.

In round one we meet Defiant Donato, bred to powerhouse parents Donato Hanover and Beat The Wheel, one-time fastest trotting mare in history. She is yet to meet defeat and hard to bet against. The only possible upset may come from Cupcake, with a giant winning effort at Philadelphia last week and a lot of promise this season. Cupcake is a Glidemaster product and an eligible.

PASS episode two gives us one more shot with MC’s Diamond after two disappointing missteps in her soph-debut stakes. If she is able to stay flat she has a ton of potential and she will, again, be overlooked. Though there is no telling if she will jump or joust, we like her price and give her the nod.

In the third split we like Mistery Woman’s return appearance. She may have just the style to close sharply on this speedy bunch and she will be the price we want in such an upset. She is one of six eligibles adorning this event, she by Donato Hanover.

The nightcap has only four of eight eligibles and we like one of them, a real outsider, Bethel Hanover. Her trainer, Staffan Lind, has obviously put some stamina into her speed and the two qualifiers she went at the Meadowlands show the kind of spunk we like. She may be much better at three than she was at two and the lightly raced filly may turn out to be not so bold a choice if she wins.

Two eligibles go in the SBOA filly-ttot elims at Woodbine, also on May 17, and we endorse them both. Not that Bee A Magician (pictured left) needs our backing. We loved her early on at two, when the crowd disregarded her a spare few times. The daughter of Kadabra is getting a lot of attention at three in the early book for both classics, since she is extremely fast, especially compared to the colts. She will go in the second of the pair.

The first should belong to Quiet Snow, the Angus Hall filly looking to race her way south and get into the mix on the first Saturday in August. She may be a price here, also, considering some of the locals have drawn attention in early speculations.

One more thing: A non-winners of 1 three-year-old colt event worth $10,000 at the Meadowlands on May 17 presents five colt eligibles. We suggest you take a good look at Cajole Hanover, an ineligible that will offer a good price and has a grand shot. Breaking in the “Simpson” is a toss-out race; look at the debut on May 3—it’s a smooth win and this lightly raced gelding deserves respect here.

 The Hambletonian Society has owned and serviced the Hambletonian since its inception in 1926 and presents the 88th edition at the Meadowlands, where it has been staged since 1981, There are no supplemental entries permitted in the Hambletonian and Oaks, nor are participants allowed to race on Lasix or Butazolidin. Along with the four juvenile Breeders Cup races for thoroughbreds, they are the only events in North American horse racing that prohibit the use of any race-day medication.

Keep watching this blog for updates and races involving eligibles through July and for live coverage from TwinSpires on Hambletonian day. Read race results at the special section archived at the Hambletonian Society web site.

Simpsons bring out the sophs

The Hambletonian Trail continues on Friday, May 10 at the Meadowlands with four divisions of John Simpson Stakes, two for the fillies and two for the colts.

All but three of the boys in either of their splits are Hambo-eligibles, while the fillies have but six in both of their contests.

Jimmy Takter has an entry (both eligibles) in the first, $27,265, split. Of course the top colt Fashion Blizzard begins his march down the “Trail” for trainer Jim Campbell.

Sitting in a fine spot to come back after his first 2013 effort is Show Ticket. The eligible, trained by Rich Gillock, was just a bit short in his debut, finishing fifth but only a length behind My Man Can in his Simpson prep. Considering the high-profile Takter team, we could be assured a great price on Show Ticket.

In the colt’s $26,765 episode, we will go again with Cocotier. The eligible son of Chocolatier was our choice last week when we mentioned that breaking could be his only enemy. Sure enough he jumped at the start. What is great about the prodigy of Chocolatier is that when they are smooth-gaited they are strong and fast. So far there is no evidence that missteps are anything but an inherited annoyance with this gelding, who is driven and owned by the same connections as was the sire, we will go with the bloodline and the price it offers.

Takter’s Corky—another from his barn on the Trail—will get a lot of bettor attention and that is always good for the other contenders, like Explosive Action and Six Gun Hall, whose odds will balloon in the balance.

The $24,258 event for femmes has four eligibles and they are the true dangers here. The morning-line choice, however, is True Day Dream, whose day dreams must include winning the “Oaks,” since she is ineligible. Outside of her, in the six-filly field is Southwind Cocoa, debuting at three for last year’s champion trainer Linda Toscano. Another product of Chocolatier, this gal could be ready to win first at first crack.

Seven go to post in the $24,758 mile for fillies, with only a pair of eligibles, MC’s Diamond and Miss Steele. We loved “Diamond” last week in the non-betting Lady Suffolk but she broke and gave us no chance to see how she truly can trot at three. She will like the two turns and if she is flat she should be fast. Her Philly race was short but she had an immediate challenger. She broke her maiden at Dover in fine fettle the race before that. If she gets much better her prices will get much worse so let’s stay on her now when she can upset and bring us double digits.

 The Hambletonian Society has owned and serviced the Hambletonian since its inception in 1926 and presents the 88th edition at the Meadowlands, where it has been staged since 1981, There are no supplemental entries permitted in the Hambletonian and Oaks, nor are participants allowed to race on Lasix or Butazolidin. Along with the four juvenile Breeders Cup races for thoroughbreds, they are the only events in North American horse racing that prohibit the use of any race-day medication.

Keep watching this blog for updates and races involving eligibles through July and for live coverage from TwinSpires on Hambletonian day. Read race results at the special section archived at the Hambletonian Society web site.

Dexter Cup, Lady Suffolk opens the path to August for eligibles

The Hambletonian Trail officially opens on Friday and Saturday afternoons, May 3 and May 4 at Freehold Raceway. In one event for colts and one for fillies, however, only four Hambo-eligibles go to post.

The $40,900 Lady Suffolk is the Friday event, with six fillies on tap, two on the “Trail.” (There is a $39,900 non-betting "Lady" on the program, also) A pair of Credit Winner daughters, Parlia Hanover and Bouncing Bax, takes on Haul ‘n Fanny, Audio, Casting Couch and Vida De Vie on their quest to August.

Parlia Hanover is a Julie Miller-trained gal with two starts and no earnings, while Bouncing Bax is Jim Raymer’s entry, with the exact credentials. Ray Schnittker’s duo, Audio and Casting Couch, are separated by Audio’s superior record in four races, having won over $4,000 with one victory and three thirds. Never off the board, while sporting the Schnittker connection, Audio should be the public choice here.

However, we like Bouncing Bax for what looks like improvement leading to this major event, as well as she is one of the two eligibles, having more to gain by winning. As well, Raymer would be working for a great start with this filly, probably the best he has taught, with all hopes clearly defined in this first Trail affair.

Though there is no wagering in the second Lady event, watching it for future reference is a must. You don't want to miss a great performance that could ignite an upcoming wager; it may even give you an edge since most bettors will not be watching.

The fillies to watch closely are two by Hambo-champ Donato Hanover: MC's Diamond and Feather Your Nest. These are the sole eligible fillies in the small field. Take notes on their trips and keep watching this blog for our views on them as other stakes ensue.

Saturday we have seven glamour-boy trotters in the $40,000 Dexter Cup with only two eligibles and one of them is a high-profile ex-frosh.

Dontyouforgetit, by Cantab Hall, was seventh on the frosh-earners list in 2012, taking in $337,837, more than any of his “Dexter” foes and the only from this field on a list of the top 50. In fact, Jimmy Takter’s colt is third on the list of colts, putting him just behind highly regarded Wheeling N Dealin and Murmur Hanover, both gunning for August.

Dontyouforgetit (pictured left) trotted the fastest mile ever by a two-year-old on a half-mile track, going 1:55.3 at the Delaware, Ohio Fairgrounds. He won by nearly 18 lengths. Most of Dontyouforgetit’s major frosh wins were on five-eighths or half-mile track. So Takter feels Freehold is a perfect place to get the colt rolling down the Trail, with Jimmy driving.

Takter told USTA reporter Ken Weingartner, “I’m not going to rush him for the big tracks. I have some other horses I think are better on the big tracks. But who knows; size sometimes doesn’t matter. He’s got long legs; he doesn’t look that small on the track, actually … He’s definitely a player.”

Certainly he will be a prohibitive favorite based on his past, his trainer and this test against the unknown eligible (by comparison), Celebrity Maserati (a son of Andover Hall), who has won his only start for trainer Susanne Strandquist, that start putting $6,000 in his bankroll, which is enough to top the field.

On Friday night, May 3, at the Meadowlands, a $20,000 event for soph-colt trotters welcomes eight eligibles in a nine-horse field that demands attention to Trail-gazers. For one, a soph from Deweycheatumnhowe, Six Gun Hall, looks to follows his sire’s accomplishments of August. Only a dozen other “Dewey” colt products are eligible and we are not aware yet how many will surface as serious sophomores.

All in all, these eligibles are unknown commodities of the division, having low profiles to no profiles at two. This season, the non-eligible, Me And Cinderella, has over $26,000 in earnings from four starts, double that of Six Gun Hall’s $12,000. Super Classic, Show Ticket and Explosive Action debut as sophs.

We have always been high on Chocolatier products and giving them good shots early has produced some great prices for us. Here then, we fancy Cocotier. Although jumping seems to be a poor legacy of his sire, if you look at this year’s lines for the gelding so far you see very impressive races when he stays flat. He qualified well on the Balmoral mile and was a top contender at Pocono from the inside. His morning line in this affair is 15-1 and that is far more than his chances if he stays on gait. Even though the sole non-eligible, Me And Cinderella, has beaten Cocotier at Pocono, we will stick with the gelding.

Expect a lot of betting attention for the Breeders Crown player, Show Ticket. But regardless of a 1:55.3 easy qualifier at the Meadows last week, this colt has to prove he is worthy this season and may need more than this race to do so.

The Hambletonian Society has owned and serviced the Hambletonian since its inception in 1926 and presents the 88th edition at the Meadowlands, where it has been staged since 1981, There are no supplemental entries permitted in the Hambletonian and Oaks, nor are participants allowed to race on Lasix or Butazolidin. Along with the four juvenile Breeders Cup races for thoroughbreds, they are the only events in North American horse racing that prohibit the use of any race-day medication.

Keep watching this blog for updates and races involving eligibles through July and for live coverage from TwinSpires on Hambletonian day. Read race results at the special section archived at the Hambletonian Society web site.

Amazing group for August classics

The $1.2-million Hambletonian and the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks for fillies only will be raced on Saturday afternoon, Aug. 3 at the Meadowlands.

The 88th edition of the classic trot for sophomores will return to heat racing, as it was from 1991-1996, presenting eliminations and a final on the same day. Eliminations for the “Oaks,” if necessary, will be raced the prior week on Saturday, July 27.

The 2012 frosh-colt trotter, Wheeling N Dealin, is atop a list of 116 trotting colts eligible to the richest and most prestigious event in harness racing.

Owned by Quebec businessman Serge Godin, Wheeling N Dealin, a son of Cantab Hall, was undefeated in 2012, with nine wins and earnings of $696,112. His victories included the William Wellwood Memorial and Breeders Crown for trainer Dustin Jones, whose only two Hambletonian entries, Uhadadream (2000) and Prestidigitator (2012), finished seventh.

“He just trained excellent,” Jones said of Wheeling N Dealin, “I went a doubleheader with him and I’m aiming to qualify him the first week in June. I’m hoping to get two or three starts into him at Mohawk … maybe a prep race at the Meadowlands the week before the Hambletonian so he can go over the track and get used to things.”

As for the return to heat racing in the summer event, Jones isn’t concerned.

“It’s the Hambletonian,” he said. “I want to be in it no matter the format.

“As a kid in Quebec we went heats all day long and it didn’t bother the horses. This horse in particular is easy on himself, warms up so relaxed and is so easy to drive.”

The 2012 Peter Haughton Winner, Aperfectyankee, is also on the eligible list. Only two other winners of that freshman-stakes have gone on to win the Hambletonian, which would place the Jim Oscarsson-trainee in the esteemed company of Donato Hanover (2007) and Muscle Hill (2009).

Both colts were ranked well behind fillies Bee A Magician and To Dream On, the two top frosh trot earners with $766,652 and $727,320 respectively. To Dream On also took divisional and Breeders Crown honors. The list of 91 fillies are eligible to the Oaks.

The Hambletonian Society, which has owned and serviced the race since its inception in 1926, received 207 total payments for the 88th edition of the classic race, hosted by the Meadowlands since 1981. There are no supplemental entries permitted in the Hambletonian and Oaks, nor are participants allowed to race on Lasix or Butazolidin. Along with the four juvenile Breeders Cup races for thoroughbreds, they are the only events in North American horse racing that prohibit the use of any race-day medication.

The Hambletonian is the second leg of trotting’s triple crown. The first, the Yonkers Trot, takes place Saturday, July 27 at Yonkers Raceway. The third leg, the Kentucky Futurity, will be raced Sunday, Oct. 6, in Lexington. The last trotter to win the “crown” was Glidemaster in 2006.

The Hambletonian Trail commences Saturday (May 4), with the Dexter Cup at Freehold Raceway. Keep watching this blog for updates and races involving eligibles through July and for live coverage from TwinSpires on Hambletonian Day.

Eligibles for the Hambletonian/Hambletonian Oaks can be found at this link.

Market Share is 2012 Hambletonian champ

A great deal had to happen for this year’s glamour-boy trotter to be crowned champion of the sport’s most coveted prize. 

We saw the likes of him at three, first, when this blog began, in May, as Market Share easily won his Dexter Cup elimination mile easily as the 4-5 favorite at Freehold.

We went against him in the final, a good move, giving out Not Afraid and Frost Bites K. The decision was great for bettors because Not Afraid’s win price was $17 and the exacta with Frost Bites K was worth $184.80. Market Share broke and was out of the Dexter Cup Final picture.

But on Aug. 4 at the Meadowlands, there was no sign of Not Afraid or Frost Bites K as the Hambletonian Final’s field lined up. Market Share was present, leaving from post 2 after winning his elimination mile the week before, and he won the $1.5-million event.

That elimination win was strong but it included a simple touch of fate as well. Little Brown Fox, arguably a major contender for the Hambo crown, broke and was eliminated from the 2012 Hambletonian.  

The night before the Hambletonian, Little Brown Fox won the Townsend-Ackerman, a $50,000 event that featured other colts that either did not make it to the Hambo elims or final and if you believe in speed you will agree that Little Brown Fox trotted a faster mile than Market Share’s time winning the major event. 

It is a moot point, for sure, though we wish to take nothing away from Market Share’s victory, but it shows the immeasurable number of incidents that conspire to create a winner for the coveted event.

History is strewn with bad situations for some that become ingredients for successes of others and certainly Hambletonian history is not immune from such fates. Many of us recall the year Tagliabue won the Hambletonian, a victory aided by an elim misstep that knocked out one of the greatest trotters of our time, the filly CR Kay Suzie, from contention in the final. 

As well, consider what happened to Check Me Out in the Hambletonian Oaks Final. Rarely jumping in her career, she took a bad step leading in the event and lost. That race was about the only thing that could’ve stopped her from beating foes that she dominated throughout her two- and three-year-old seasons. Murphy’s Law prevailed, as fate would have it, and the worst that could happen did happen in the “Oaks.”  

Oddly enough, it was not a breaking problem that kept her from racing with the boys in the Hambletonian final, where she would definitely have been a major factor. Her connections decision to leave her race against her own sex was based upon how strenuous it would have been in the colt division considering the thick competition this year. That decision also assisted the success of Market Share and fate took other steps, so to speak, to see to it that the “safer” decision about which division the great filly should challenge was also moot and a matter of chance.  

In 2012, the sophomore-colt trotter crop is thick with competition. Certainly Market Share did not dominate from May until August, having been beaten by a lot of the colts that either made it or did not make it into the final field.  

During the season, Market Share had been beaten by Archangel, Beer Summit, Little Brown Fox, Big Chocolate and as mentioned previously, Not Afraid. All of them, except Not Afraid, who went on hiatus for unreported reasons after a scratch from the Pennsylvania Sires Stakes (PASS) on May 30, are still battling for top money in the division now.  

Aside from the aforementioned Little Brown Fox victory, Top Billing, Frost Bites K and Solvato recently won lucrative PASS splits.  

Other divisional members have been riding success while off the Hambletonian grid. Coraggioso, Delano, Nothing But Class, Fashion Astral and the strangely gaited Googoo Gaagaa (the trotter with the pacing sire) could return after a few mishaps as a main divisional contender. 

Nor will Market Share’s Hambo foes lay off fighting for big purse money. We have not heard the last from Uncle Peter, Guccio and other Jimmy Takter students. And My Mvp is coming out of the second-tier category to pose threats, while Kadabra-colts Prestidigitator and Knows Nothing have more in their tanks, as do Stormin Normand, Archangel, Money On My Mind and Gym Tan Laundry.

The remainder of the season is as unpredictable as anything that has happened already to the winners and losers of either division. With no prohibitive leader of the colts and the questionable condition of Check Me Out, plenty of great racing among the sophomore trotters will ensue as the Breeders Crown countdown begins. This can only benefit bettors as the competition stays thick through the second half of the season.  

Congratulations to the Hambletonian’s first woman trainer, Linda Toscano, and to driver Tim Tetrick on his first win in the event.  

The complete archives of divisional events from May through the Hambletonian are available at the Hambletonian Society’s website.

Glamour boys and girls go head to head in trot classic

After months of prepping, the world’s 10 finest glamour-boy trotters will line up behind the Meadowlands starting gate for the 87^th running of the Hambletonian on Aug. 4. Here’s the field:

PP-Name-Driver-Trainer-Odds

1-Uncle Peter-Ron Pierce-Jimmy Takter-5/2

2-Market Share-Tim Tetrick-Linda Toscano- 4-1

3-Knows Nothing-Jody Jamieson-Jeffrey Gillis-7/2

4-Archangel-Jim Morrill Jr.-Peter Arrigenna-9/2

5-My Mvp-Mike Lachance-Tony Alagna-15-1

6-Prestidigitator-Sylvain Filion-R. Dustin Jones-12-1

7-Guccio-Jimmy Takter-Jimmy Takter-8-1

8-Stormin Normand-Dave Palone-Jim Campbell-15-1

9-Money On My Mind-Andy Miller-Julie Miller-15-1

10-Gym Tan Laundry-George Brennan-Noel Daley-30-1

It will be fairly tough, but possible, to beat morning-line favorite Uncle Peter (Cantab Hall). He will likely either take the lead or sit in the pocket and do the same move that Muscle Massive made with Ron Pierce to win in 2010.

Archangel (Credit Winner) will also look to take the lead and Market Share should get a pocket spot.

But a horse that could be the best value is Prestidigitator (Kadabra). Although people will recall or be reminded of the horrible trip he received in the elim, they probably still won’t bet heavily on him—they’ll go for the three elimination winners.

Trainer Dustin Jones has stakes experience with longshots, as Martiniontherocks gunned out of the gate from post 8 in the Breeders Crown two years back and recorded a stunning upset. So chances are that Prestidigitator will get away fourth or fifth and get a second over trip to win. Might he surprise his foes and leave to take command and keep it? Either way, he is a major player in this event.

Another horse to watch that will be afforded some great odds  is Stormin Normand (Broadway Hall). Although he barely qualified for the final, he trotted a brutal first-over journey against the speedy Archangel. Stormin Normand will likely get off the gate and settle mid-pack and close to get a minor placing; else he will be as powerful as he was against likely choice Uncle Peter during the pair’s last few contests together.

What you should know about the others:

My Mvp has trotted hot and cold these few months and though he has been competitive with the main group he has only had mild success among Pennsylvania state breds. He got into the final on the heels of the fading Riccolo and Stormin Normand’s tough trip so circumstances would have to set up for him to get the opportunity to win.

Guccio was unable to topple Little Brown Fox when that one fooled most bettors and went off over 20-1 and win in the “Dancer.” He was second to Little Brown Fox when that one won at 4-1 and even with “Fox” not in this hunt, Guccio does not appear as good as the few best mentioned; he would need a few other colts to misstep literally or figuratively to win.

Money On My Mind also gets into the final through the courtesy of some others’ faults. In the Uncle Peter win he was assisted by Banker Volo’s burnout session and Possess The Will’s inability to rebound from a terrific frosh season (though many still had faith enough to make him 5-1).

Gym Tan Laundry got into the final when once again he was our choice to win and could not satisfy our support. We have liked him from the start of the season and he collects his share of checks, racing like a professional should, he just doesn’t win. It is tough to imagine any reasonable scenario that would allow him to win this event, especially coming from the 10 hole, where a Chocolatier, a terrific horse compared to “Gym,” could not succeed a few years back.

The absence of copy relating to the filly “Oaks” should be obvious to all followers of this blog and bettors of TwinSpires. Check Me Out is easily a strong candidate for Horse of the Year, topping all editorial polls for trotters and pacers and a loss in the Oaks might not even suspend belief she would win the coveted award. However, no one feels that she will lose the Oaks, no matter the weather and no matter the improvements of any of her foes. Yes, she has been beaten before, but on this day, when she may have beaten the colts, you will have to go a long way to make a case for any of the others in the Oaks field.

Live reports from the Meadowlands on all of the stakes, in cooperation with the Hambletonian Society, will be added to this blog on Saturday, Aug. 4. Check in often for updates, insider information and late changes that affect wagering from your TwinSpires account.