Saturday (April 28) was a morning for the 3-year-olds to shine in qualifying action at the Meadowlands as multiple Breeders Crown and Dan Patch Award winners were on display during the 13-race card. Sending out the fastest of the sophomore colt pacing crew was trainer Tony Alagna, who appears loaded with power in that division. Stay Hungry followed closely from the pocket behind fractions of 27 2/5, 55 1/5 and 1:23 3/5 before coming off the cones in the stretch to best a game Pedro Hanover in a 1:50 4/5 victory with Doug McNair down from Canada for the drive. “I was very happy with him,” said Alagna about Stay Hungry. “Doug said he raced super and finished with the plugs still in.” “Not really,” said Alagna when asked if he was surprised with the final time. “We trained him here decent last week, and it was a beautiful day where everything went right.” Stay Hungry is expected to qualify again next week before heading to Pocono for a Sire Stakes race in mid May. Alagna also found the wire first with Captain Deo for the second straight week. Last Saturday the Somebeachsomewhere-sired colt surged past the field to win in 1:53. He was kept off-the-pace once again by driver Brett Miller before moving off the cones at three-quarters and uncorking a furious turn of speed to win in a career-best 1:51 2/5. “He’s very Captaintreacherous-esque in style,” said Alagna about Captain Deo. “He’s a three-quarter brother, and he reminds me a lot of him. Brett said he was just getting him rolling at the wire.” In a race featuring last year’s 2-year-old Pacing Colt of the Year Lost In Time, Alagna charges—American History and Sporting Chance—finished second and third behind Hayden Hanover in 1:52 2/5. Hayden Hanover set the early pace before giving way to a brush from American History past the half in a slow 58 seconds. Hayden Hanover would pop the pocket at the head of the lane and out-game American History to the wire. Lost In Time was a decent fourth in the mile. “The fractions were slow and Yannick (Gingras) had to move him,” said Alagna on American History. “He was wearing a plain snaffle (bit), and we may need to put something in his mouth to keep him more relaxed.” For Alagna, who also sent out the late blooming 3-year-old trotting colt Missile Hill to a 1:54 3/5 win, the stars seemed to be aligned for him to have a big year in the sophomore ranks. “Everything goes in cycles. Last year I didn’t have any power with the 3-year-olds,” said Alagna.Derick GiwnerFilibuster Hanover and Yannick Gingras Alagna wasn’t the only horseman to shine on Saturday. Driver Yannick Gingras did his share of winning, including posting the fastest mile of the morning, a sizzling 1:49 3/5 win with 4-year-old Filibuster Hanover. Filibuster Hanover sat the pocket behind Rock N Tony through three-quarters in 1:24 before roaring out of the pocket to uncork a visually impressive 25 2/5 final quarter. “I was very happy with him,” said Gingras. “He left, sat in nicely and had tons of pace when I called on him.” A true ladies man, Gingras took the lines behind two of the best female trotters in the sport—Hannelore Hanover and Ariana G—and came up victorious. Making her second morning appearance of the year, Horse of the Year Hannelore Hanover made a brush to the front approaching the half en route to a 1:52 2/5 win over Broadway Donna.  The 6-year-old mare is scheduled to start in next weeks Cutler Memorial at the Meadowlands. Ariana G did her work on the front end, wiring her competition easily through fractions of 28 3/5, 57 4/5, 1:26 2/5 and 1:53 3/5. The 2017 champion in the 3-year-old filly trotting division will tackle older foes for the first time this year. In a race that looked like a Breeders Crown final, some of the best sophomore filly pacers did battle in the 12th race of the morning. Winner Kissin In The Sand came up the pylons to best leader Rainbow Room and Youaremycandygirl in 1:52 1/5. The three fillies were separated by just a length on the wire.