Harness: Pelling preparing for Meadowlands Pace and more

Brett Pelling has forged a successful career as a trainer by planning ahead and leaving no stone unturned. Pelling has entered two horses in this year's Meadowlands Pace with one, Papi Rob Hanover, racing in the single elimination heat this Saturday night and the other, Allywag Hanover, opting to take a bye and move right into the final. Allywag Hanover instead will head to Harrah's Philadelphia Friday afternoon in a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes division (race 8).

Pelling said on Monday that he had hoped the "Pace" would have a limited number of entries, giving him a chance to diversify his leading sophomore pacers at least for one more week. "I would like to give Allywag Hanover a chance to get some points for the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes," Pelling said of the Captaintreacherous-sired sophomore.

While Papi Rob Hanover was the more highly regarded 2-year-old for Pelling in 2019, this year he has made but one start while Allywag Hanover has won his first two races rather impressively at The Meadowlands. "He's a different kind of horse," Pelling said of Allywag Hanover. "When I got him he was wearing all sort of equipment. We took most everything off and I think he's a lot happier going."

Translation for Pelling, who at one point earlier this year may have not considered Allywag Hanover on equal footing with the more accomplished Papi Rob Hanover, is that he could be a real player in in the July 18 finale.

"I take him out and jog him at 5:00 a.m. in the morning by himself," said Pelling of the routine he's put Allywag Hanover through. "He kind of sees everything and that can throw him off." But Pelling has been more than happy with how things have worked out at night, even though in both victories Allywag Hanover appeared to lock on a line while in the homestretch. "I'm going to try to work on that," said Pelling, "It doesn't seem to stop him from going forward though." That is the core of Pelling as a conditioner. While many other trainers try to impose their will on a horse to make them behave in a particular way, Pelling tries to marry the horse’s potential with a freedom that allows them to feel comfortable and want to do it.

Allywag Hanover was an also-ran finishing seven lengths behind Papi Rob Hanover and Tall Dark Stranger in last year's Breeders Crown finale. He appears to have more than helped make up that gap this year off explosive 1:48 2/5 and 1:48 victories at The Meadowlands for catch-driver David Miller. Tim Tetrick drove him in last year’s Crown and will be reunited with the colt on Friday and the following Saturday night. Allywag Hanover is out of Anderosa Hanover, a daughter of The Panderosa, one of Pelling's four previous Meadowlands Pace winners.

While things worked to Pelling's plan for Allywag Hanover this week, it's hard to say the same is true for Papi Rob Hanover. The Somebeachsomewhere colt couldn’t find a race for a few weeks given his high earnings from a year ago and then once he did, found himself starting from post 10 last Saturday night against a field of mostly older horses. "It really wasn’t what I was looking for," said Pelling, who thought it only fair that 3-year-olds would be allowed to draw inside versus higher conditioned horses.

Papi Rob Hanover raced exceptionally well in his 2020 debut, finishing a solid closing second behind Capt Midnight, a colt he'll face again this Saturday night. "I think David (Miller) did what he could, but you really don't want to go five wide full blast through the first turn with a colt making his first start," said Pelling in defense of Papi Rob’s performance.

Things may need to be a little different this Saturday as Papi Rob Hanover again drew post 10 against a field of just sophomores. He need only finish in the top eight to qualify for the final, though a victory would give him some post preference.

"It's not the way I wanted to come into the Meadowlands Pace with him," said Pelling bluntly about the lead-up Papi Rob Hanover has had this year. "In the past there were prep races like the New Jersey Sire Stakes and New Jersey Classic you could use to get them set up for this race. He's basically had one start against overnight competition."

Still, given Pelling's history, it would be quite wise to respect Papi Rob Hanover over the next two Saturday nights. His stable as a whole has come out with considerable force this year on all fronts and Papi Rob Hanover did sprint a final quarter in 25 1/5 while closing into a sub-54 final half.

Pelling's stable has grown some over the last three months, with a string of stakes horses coming his way to bolster an already powerful group. Alexis's Beach has won two of her first three races this year and goes Saturday afternoon in a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes division at The Meadows. Racing just five times as a juvenile, Alexis’s Beach has already taken a 1:50 mark in 2020. Her trainer was hoping to miss some of the heavy hitters in this division with the Mistletoe Shalee coming up. He accomplished that in some fashion, with division leaders Lyons Sentinel, Rocknificent and Party Girl Hill drawing into separate divisions.

The Pelling debut of When Dovescry is scheduled for Meadowlands Pace night (July 18) in the Hambletonian Maturity. Last year’s Hambletonian Oaks winner won her third straight qualifier on July 3 for driver David Miller in 1:52 2/5 at The Meadowlands. "She's just a beautiful horse," said Pelling. "She wears very little equipment and just glides over the ground." When Dovescry will go head-on against Gimpanzee and Chin Chin Hall, and her trainer believes she’ll fit quite well in that group before eventually going on to tackle horses like Atlanta and Manchego later in the year.

Caviart Ally's last two races were not up to her impressive resume, but Pelling understands where the gifted pacing mare is at this time. "She's put on a bit too much weight and we've got to get that off of her," Pelling said. "She was all set to go before we shut down. She just needs some more work."

Pelling's 24-year-old son Jack has been driving in qualifying races for his dad over the last month at Magical Acres and Harrah's Philadelphia, and could find his way into pari-mutuel action sometime down the road when he gets his "A" license. "He's 6 feet tall and 135 pounds. He's built a lot like Dexter (Dunn)," Pelling said. "I think he (Jack) can make speed but he's going to need go get experience first before going out against the best drivers."

Pelling's juveniles usually show up a little later in the year, but he unveiled a nice filly last Saturday in Test Of Faith, a New York Sire Stakes division winner in 1:52 2/5 at Vernon Downs. "I wasn't expecting a 26 first quarter," said Pelling, "I told Jimmy (Marohn Jr.) she was a nice filly and he drove her that way."

Warrawee Whynot, a full brother to Warrwee Ubeaut, won a qualifier at Harrah’s Philadelphia in 1:57 2/5 on Tuesday with a 27 1/5 final quarter. The son of Sweet Lou is among a solid group of juvenile colts for Pelling yet to make a pari-mutuel start.

Pelling is high on Shakespeare, a $225,000 Harrisburg yearling in 2019 that will be on stage Friday at The Meadowlands for the second qualifying act of his career. A son of Somebeachsomewhere, Shakespeare is from the immediate maternal family of Caviart Ally.