Harness: Questioning what to make of recent early-season speed
Nothing is normal.
For those who wished to return to something that resembled normalcy, the past few weeks have shown to be nothing like the past. It's not even the so-called "new" normal we are dealing with today, and for harness racing purists, there may need to be a permanent asterisk attached to all races and records achieved during this calendar year.
What we have witnessed in the first few weeks of action on the East Coast could be the result of pent-up energy from months on the sidelines or even a result of our horses actually benefitting from lack of competitive racing. What has been amazing is the ease to which our 3-year-olds have returned to the races and flashed 1:48-type speed while winning mere overnight races. Fractional times have been fast and final quarters have been alarming. It's those kind of numbers that often give false hope to those trying to prematurely crown new kings.
Trainer Ray Schnittker had his sophomores ready to go more than six weeks ago and that has clearly shown itself as racing has returned to The Meadowlands. What Schnittker's clan, in the form of two 1:48-ish performers Captain Groovy and Splash Brother, did this past Saturday was visually pleasing, but has to leave one wondering whether the pair are as classy as their final times may indicate. That Splash Brother paced in 1:48 2/5 with a 25 3/5 final quarter, may make him a world beater on paper, but that the effort came against non-winners-of-2-races suggests there are plenty of horses he’s yet to tackle before we find out if the gelded son of So Surreal is for real.
Captain Groovy’s 1:48 mile was more impressive, for sure, and the Captaintreacherous-sired colt did beat a field of more seasoned performers. At the same time, The Meadowlands surface on Saturday, where a significant number of races were conducted during daylight hours under ideal conditions, may explain the eye-catching numbers.
As we approach this year's Meadowlands Pace, it is rather obvious that the lead-up to the 2020 edition of the signature sophomore classic will be a mixture of these types of non-winners encounters on the low end and a bevy of qualifying races, with perhaps only one overnight event for the heavy hitters.
In some ways, our Meadowlands Pace this year may have the look and feel that the Kentucky Derby has for the thoroughbreds each and every year. The qualifiers preparing the two top-rated sophomores in alphabetical order - Papi Rob Hanover and Tall Dark Stranger - for action have been revealing to some degree, with trainers Brett Pelling and Nancy Takter trying to get enough speed from their charges to have them fit while at the same time not going at full speed. Their maneuvers will be a first for them and the sport for sure since this year's Meadowlands Pace will not come after a pair of all-out efforts in the North America Cup elimination and final, nor a trip to The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono for the Max Hempt trials and final. Those lead-ups to the Meadowlands Pace may have been stressful on the sophomores, but they also helped set up some of the horses for peak performances.
What we saw in qualifiers for Papi Rob Hanover and Tall Dark Stranger were indeed encouraging, if not fully revealing. Both horses responded the right way when called on for their best. Drivers David Miller and Yannick Gingras appear acutely aware of what they are sitting behind and showed no need to show-off during the morning hours with no purse money on the line.
Only 38 horses remain eligible to the Meadowlands Pace and Ray Schnittker’s pair is not among them. While supplemental payments are a possibility, that move would be far more risky in 2020 than any other year given what little we’ve seen from so many of those eligible.
Trainer Jim Campbell just might have a horse for The Meadowlands Pace in Sandbetweenmytoes, the 11th foal from the champion mare Galleria, who won his sophomore debut at Harrah’s Philadelphia rather easily this past Sunday with Jordan Stratton guiding him to a personal best 1:50 4/5 victory. The $1.8 million-winning Galleria has only produced fillies and geldings, as all four of her male foals would be altered. Sandbetweenmytoes is the first male foal from three matings that the late-Somebeachsomewhere had with Galleria. Trainer Campbell raced Sandbetweenmytoes primarily in the Stallion Series in Pennsylvania last year, where he routinely ran into Schnittker's Captain Groovy and Lake Charles.
It's hard to say whether current Meadowlands Pace eligible Seriously Hanover is actually a serious contender to enter the race in a few weeks and his effort this past Saturday night may not be enough to gauge his talent. Unlike some of the other "Pace" eligibles, Seriously Hanover likely would have benefitted from having preparation races in May to build confidence. The Western Ideal-sired colt showed obvious talent as a freshman and was entered in the Metro elimination. He made a wild break while going up against Tall Dark Stranger and Papi Rob Hanover.
Between a host of races where he made breaks in stride, Seriously Hanover did show enough ability to warrant stakes consideration.
Tim Tetrick guided Seriously Hanover from post nine in his first start of 2020 and perhaps having seen the number of lines with x's running through them, he elected to take back at the start. Seriously Hanover would finish his race 11 lengths behind Splash Brother, while at the same time pacing a final three quarters in 1:20 3/5. It will be interesting to see if he’s capable for that kind of speed on or near the lead.
Perhaps the biggest wild card in this year's race will be Allywag Hanover. An expensive purchase prior to last year's major freshman events, Allywag Hanover moved into Brett Pelling's stable this year and has won two qualifiers rather impressively. His most recent was a 1:50 3/5 mile where he mowed down rivals with a 25 3/5 final quarter while followed home by Tall Dark Stranger, who was content not to tip wide. Nevertheless, this son of Captaintreacherous was under control and convincing in his demeanor. He may yet prove a major player in this year's sophomore classics.