Everyone that attends or watches baby races (2-year-old schoolers) has a reason. Back in 1980 as a chart-caller for Sports Eye my work was my passion and being in attendance early to witness baby races at Yonkers was one of the perks to the job. Most of what has happened that far back has eluded me, but the sight of a 2-year-old by Albatross coming around the final bend at high speed is still vivid. It was Arties Dream in full flight circling his juvenile foes and romping in what I recall was a 2:04 mile, but it could have been even slower. At the time a majority of the top horses baby-raced at The Meadowlands where our expert the late-Charlie Singer had an opinion that to this day is unmatched. So when Arties Dream went to the Meadowlands for trainer Bob Bencal he would be going up against many horses that had travelled faster over the mile track. It was the first 2-year-old stakes of the season and I checked with Charlie first to find out if there were any “killers” in the field. With his blessing I backed Arties Dream and he won impressively in 1:57 4/5, as I recall, at a healthy mutuel payoff. The years have passed and the faces have changed but those that comprise the baby races somehow remain. When Beautiful Sin, the $480,000 yearling from last year’s Lexington Selected Sale, cruised to victory in 1:57 2/5, I had to pinch myself. How was it possible that a 2-year-old trotting filly in her first trip around the track was going this so effortlessly? The Muscle Hill-sired filly was bred in part by Moon Goddess LLC, a partnership of Paula Gural and Monica Bencal, wives of Jeff Gural and Bob Bencal, respectively. After watching Beautiful Sin and then a handful of six-figure yearling purchases virtually burn up the track at The Meadowlands this past Saturday (June 2), I had to wonder whether they are closer to reaching their maximum speed than say Arties Dream was in 1980, or whether there’s a new generation of trotters that will threaten to break the 1:50 barrier as 2-year-olds. Muscle Hill has certainly done his part to advance the breed but I truly see Cantab Hall’s son Father Patrick as a potential game-changer. It seems Cantab Hall was destined to improve the breed as the lone unaltered son of 1999 Hambletonian winner Self Possessed among his top 10 earning offspring. Self Possessed was by Victory Dream, a son of the great Valley Victory, he the most influential trotting sire in the last 20 years. When the $330,000 son of Father Patrick named Greenshoe marched around the track for Marcus Melander in 1:55 no less than 20 minutes after Beautiful Sin’s performance, it seemed like the game was already changed. There was no whipping and slashing as Melander set what looked like fast fractions but were obviously sensible in hindsight and then sped home without much encouragement in 27 3/5. Melander’s arrival appears to be the second coming of the sport’s Swedish invasion in North America as he and Ake Svanstedt have helped make this division more competitive and hopefully more entertaining. When Hall of Famer Jimmy Takter matched the 1:55 clocking with Don’t Let’em in the very next baby race, I couldn’t help but think that he just didn’t want to be upstaged by the young Melander. It was Takter’s well-bred Hudson River (Father Patrick-Lantern Kronos), a half-brother to Breeders Crown champion The Bank, that finished second behind Greenshoe. Don’t Let’em is a $180,000 yearling by Muscle Hill from the immediate family of Passionate Glide. After the fifth baby race of the morning it seemed apparent that what was really on display was a showcase of high-priced yearlings giving their owners some pre-goose bumps for what lies ahead. Green Manalishi S was the most expensive yearling sold in Sweden last year and he debuted in 1:57 for Melander, a time that might have meant more had it happened in 2017 and not after back-to-back 1:55 miles. Obviously a lot has changed over time. Perhaps the biggest difference between 1980 and today’s version is that few trainers come to the baby races looking to school their horses. Last Saturday’s efforts were impressive in that it appeared as if these horses were very well schooled and professional. In 1980 horsemen were still trying to educate their 2-year-olds and race them from behind while only going a final quarter. In nearly every baby race on Saturday, the horses that went to the front appeared comfortable, confident and well-schooled to finish out their miles. It seems as if the new methodology is designed to see how ready these horses are to go at near maximum efficiency. I kind of believed when I saw Arties Dream for the first time that he was a good horse. I’m not sure it’s as easy to make long-term outlook projections for the two colts that trotted in 1:55 in their first baby race. In reality, what we don’t know is just how many others are out there in the wings with as much or even more talent. We don’t know how these two or any others will deal with adversity or for that matter what they will do when not on the lead and not controlling the fractions. In 1980 if you had a pacer with 27-second quarter speed, you pretty much knew he was stakes caliber. Today’s horses must be able to carry that speed for four quarters and perhaps that is why the Melander’s and Takter’s elected to come out quickly and give their youngsters a taste of what they can expect in the weeks to come. Yes, they could be showing off or they could be attempting to intimidate future rivals. My hope is that these horses are mentally and physically ready and will remain so throughout what promises to be a game-changing season for the breed.