Harness Racing: Equine stars out in full force in Meadowlands morning action

Arguably the top ranked pair of 3-year-old pacers showed up at the Meadowlands on Saturday morning (April 20) to get in a training mile as they prepare for their seasonal debuts in May. Captaintreacherous and Odds On Equuleus both turned in quality performances and appear well on their way to a showdown in major stakes engagement down the road.

Captaintreacherous was on the track at 8:30am for a slow workout mile in the 2:05 range in company with fellow 3-year-old Wake Up Peter. Trainer Tony Alagna steered the well-bred son of Somebeachsomewhere-Worldly Treasure.

At 9:20am the pair was back on the track. This time Alagna took a seat behind Wake Up Peter and Captaintreacherous picked up regular driver Tim Tetrick in the bike. Wake Up Peter set unofficial fractions of 29, 58 and 1:27 when Captaintreacherous angled off the cones and took aim on his stablemate. They raced in tandem through the stretch before Captaintreacherous edged clear by a bit more than a length. The final time was in the 1:53 and change range, depending on who clocked the mile.

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Captaintreacherous, who is expected to qualify at the Meadowlands on May 4, won 8 races in 10 starts as a 2-year-old for owners Brittany Farms, Marvin Katz, Joe Sbrocco and White Birch Farm. His 1:49 2/5 clocking in the $1,000,000 Metro Pace was the fastest mile by a rookie in 2012.

Another fast sophomore, Odds On Equuleus, elected to wait until the qualifying session was completed before going a training mile behind the gate with driver John Campbell in the bike.

Unofficially, Odds On Equuleus set fractions of 30 1/5, 1:00 1/5 and 1:28 1/5 before stopping the clock in 1:55 1/5. The Art Major-Latte Lady colt paced his final quarter in just under 27 seconds while unasked through the stretch.

The Robin Schadt trainee is expected to qualify on Thursday at Pocono Downs and is looking at a New York Sire Stakes event at Vernon Downs on May 18 as his first stakes engagement.

Between the training miles, 12 qualifying races were contested with plenty of stakes-caliber players in action.

Of the six-pack of trotting events, My MVP, third in the Hambletonian last year, was the standout entrant. The Alagna trainee saved ground and posted an even mile timed in 1:57 behind a strong mile by Undercover Strike, who clocked the winning time in 1:56 3/5.

Three-year-old colt Corky made his second consecutive qualifying trip a winning one for trainer Jimmy Takter. Driven by David Miller, the trotter posted a 1:56 4/5 mile and showed some guts by fending off a challenge at the head of the stretch.

The pacing spotlight shined brightest in the 12th race. A star-studded field including Sweet Lou, Hurrikane Kingcole, Mel Mara, Dynamic Youth and winner Major Bombay were all making their 4-year-old qualifying debuts after successful sophomore campaigns.

After an opening quarter in 28 1/5, driver Dan Dube could not keep Hurrikane Kingcole in the four-hole any longer and quickly brushed the speedy son of Cams Card Shark to the front. The pair opened up a five length lead at three quarters with a 27 and change third quarter.

The pack tightened into the stretch and Major Bombay finished with a strong rally to win by two lengths in 1:53. Hurrikane Kingcole tired a bit but held second. Mel Mara, Dynamic Youth and Sweet Lou all finished with fast final quarters in good efforts.

Perhaps the most impressive morning effort was turned in by 3-year-old pacing filly I Luv The Nitelife. The Breeders Crown runner-up from last year brushed to the front and demolished her competition while well in hand for driver Tim Tetrick in 1:55 3/5.

On the colt side, Rockin Amadeus cruised through fractions of 27 4/5, 58 and 1:26 2/5 before unleashing a 26 3/5-second final quarter to wrap up a winning 1:53 mile. Driver Yannick Gingras used only mild urging through the stretch.