Freehold: Dexter Cup, Lady Suffolk highlight Saturday card

The biggest day of the Freehold Raceway season is coming up this Saturday (May 1) with the 2021 editions of the Dexter Cup for 3-year-old colt & gelding trotters and the Lady Suffolk for 3-year-old filly trotters. Both races were cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but both return with a flourish this year.

The Dexter Cup drew a field of eight, six of whom competed in last week's elimination, while two received byes. Ambassador Hanover, for trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt, makes his 3-year-old debut in this spot after accepting a bye. He was impressive in the New York Sire Stakes last year, winning four legs in a row before finishing fourth in the final at Yonkers Raceway last September. He qualified at the Meadowlands on April 17, trotting the mile in 1:58 3/5. He will leave from post position two.

Sunny Crockett, for trainer Julie Miller, also took a bye. He won six of 11 starts as a 2-year-old, including back-to-back wins in the Liberty Bell and the Simpson. In his lone qualifying mile as a 3-year-old he went in 2:01 3/5 at Harrah's Philadelphia on April 6. Andy Miller has the drive from post position three.

Svanstedt is also represented by elimination winner Incommunicado with driver Yannick Gingras. He won by 2 3/4 lengths at Freehold last Saturday, moving first-over to the lead just before the half and drawing off once he took charge, trotting the mile in 1:57. Once again, he'll leave from post position seven.

Fifty Ways, trained by Joe Columbo, Believer, for trainer Randy Taft, Credit Con, trained by Todd Buter, Trond Smedshammer trainee Chapolier, and Share the Wealth, for trainer Ray Schnittker, complete the field. It's scheduled as the 11th race, with a listed post time of 3:50 PM.

The Dexter is sandwiched between two divisions of the Lady Suffolk, which attracted a total of 14 entrants and was subsequently split.

The first division will go as race 10 with a scheduled post time of 3:30 PM. Svanstedt sends out a pair in there, including Illuminata, who won the Matron last November at Dover Downs in a 22-1 upset. This marks her first pari-mutuel start of the year after two qualifying miles at the Meadowlands. Svanstedt has the drive from post position four.

The second division is the 12th race, which will go at about 4:10 PM. Svanstedt once again has one of the likely favorites, in Presto. She won a leg of the Bluegrass series at the Red Mile last fall then finished second in her Breeders Crown elimination at Hoosier Park. In her last start she finished fifth in the Breeders Crown final. Most recently, she qualified in 1:56 at the Meadowlands on April 17. Yannick Gingras has the drive from post position seven.

The field also includes Hot As Hill, the morning-line favorite, coming off an impressive win in the Lady Suffolk prep last Friday. She won by two lengths in 1:58 2/5 as the 1-5 favorite. Last fall, she won two legs of the Kindergarten series at the Meadowlands. Joe Bongiorno has the drive from post position two for trainer Ron Burke.

The 14-race live card is scheduled for 12:30 PM start.

-edited release (Freehold)