Harness: Melander prepared for a big three-track stakes weekend

Memorial Day weekend is packed with Grand Circuit and Sire Stakes action across North America and trainer Marcus Melander is hoping to take home a big chunk of the purse money up for grabs in the two richest races on tap. On Saturday he’ll send Buddy Hill to the post in the $300,000 Art Rooney at Yonkers Raceway and on Monday he has the undefeated Gimpanzee in the $215,200 Empire Breeders Classic at Vernon Downs.

While Gimpanzee will likely go off as the heavy favorite, Buddy Hill starts as the 6-1 fourth choice on the morning line in the Rooney. While he may not be the public’s choice at post time in the race for 3-year-old pacers, the door was opened for Buddy Hill to pull off an upset when both elimination winners – Bettor’s Wish and Air Force Hanover – were saddled with tough outside posts six and eight respectively. Another likely contender Blood Money also drew poorly in post seven.

After a break in stride to start his 2019 campaign, Buddy Hill rebounded with a strong uncovered performance to finish second, a neck behind Air Force Hanover in his Rooney elim.

“The horse actually qualified great and got locked in at The Meadowlands and was too grabby which caused him to make a break,” said Melander. “He’s a really nice horse and really strong. A first-up move like he made in the Rooney doesn’t bother him.

“He feels like a really good pacer but I’ve never trained a really good pacer, either. Can he beat (divisional leader) Captain Crunch? Probably not, but hopefully he can show up in one or two big races.”

Buddy Hill starts from post four in the Rooney (race 10) with Brian Sears in the bike.

The likelihood of a win for Melander is greater on Monday but so is the pressure. Gimpanzee went undefeated in nine starts and earned a Dan Patch award as the best 2-year-old trotting colt in the nation last year. Now he makes his seasonal debut against stakes foes.

“Of course there is (added pressure), but there are great people who own him,” said Melander.

Gimpanzee comes into the race off a trio of qualifiers at The Meadowlands. He was handled conservatively in his first race, went wire to wire to win his next race in 1:55 and finished second most recently in 1:53 to former Horse of the Year Hannelore Hanover.

“It was a good qualifier for him on Saturday. The track was not the best, it was very loose,” said Melander. “He is not 100% in form, but I don’t think there is a horse in that field that should beat him. The qualifier was really good for him and it opened him up a bit, so he should be ready.”

Gimpanzee is nicely drawn mid-pack with post five in the nine-horse final, race 9 on a 14-race matinee card at Vernon Downs that kicks off at 1:05 PM. Sears, who has been traveling around to drive for Melander, will be in town for the drive, as he will on Sunday when Cruzado Dela Noche goes out for the stable in the $100,000 Maxie Lee Invitational at Harrah’s Philadelphia. Despite post eight, the 2019 Cutler memorial winner should be one of the favorites in the field.

Even though this week’s stakes races are in the forefront for Melander, the main goal in 2019 remains the Hambletonian. His threesome of Gimpanzee, Greenshoe and Green Manalishi are all pointed to the big dance on the first Saturday in August at The Meadowlands. Greenshoe is taking the week off and will appear next in the New Jersey Sire Stakes final on May 31 at The Meadowlands. Green Manalishi is coming off a break in a qualifier that the trainer blamed on the loose track that day. He will qualify again this weekend. All three are expected to skip the Goodtimes at Woodbine Mohawk Park and aim for the Earl Beal Memorial at The Downs at Pocono in late June.