Trainer Cory Stratton has seen his stable expand rapidly over the last couple of years. With a host of horses entered this weekend at the Meadowlands, Stratton is hoping to keep his horses fit and ready for the long and lucrative Yonkers season. Needless to say, he does have a half dozen that will go postward at the East Rutherford, New Jersey, mile on Saturday that figure to be more than competitive. "I'm trying to keep them fresh," said Stratton. "I could train them, but I think it's better if they get raced." Stratton's stable has made a meteoric rise over the last two years. Noticeably in 2025 the stable nearly doubled its earnings output, while doing the same in the win category. The numbers were impressive, with 222 wins leading to more than $4 million banked by Stratton's starters. A stable that hovered around 50 at the start of 2025 now has 85 active horses in training. While horses have expanded impressively to the stable, there's one new addition that has clearly changed Cory Stratton's life. "My first child was born," Stratton said of a son he and his wife Victoria recently welcomed to the world. "His name is Jaxson, like Jaxson Dart of the Giants, though I'm a Jets fan." Also growing in numbers for Stratton is 16 babies that have now turned age 2 and are getting ready for the New York Sire Stakes and hopefully beyond. While it's clearly well too early in the training process to get overly excited, Stratton pointed to a couple from the first crop of Back Of The Neck, along with a Captaintreacherous and Huntsville on the pacing side. Stratton's rise in numbers was spearheaded by the quality that he added to his stable, and that meant Open-caliber horses that could race over the half-mile track at Yonkers and beyond. One of those horses, For Once Inmy Life, was brilliant last winter and did go on to capture three legs of the MGM Borgata Pacing Series before things went sideways. The now 6-year-old by Downbytheseaside qualified well for the first time last Saturday (January 3). "I'm going to put him back to qualify again this Saturday," said Stratton, expecting to race him again with the best at the Meadowlands and down the road in the Borgata. "I've also got Chase H Hanover coming back soon," said Stratton of last year's Borgata final runner-up. The Captaintreacherous-sired 8-year-old has more than $1.3 million banked through his career and has been idle since September. "He got tired, so we gave him some time off." ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter One horse that will not return in 2026 is the top-flight pacing mare Easy To Please. With $721K banked through an impressive racing career, Easy To Please moves on to become a broodmare following a seven-win 2025 campaign that saw her break six-figures for the fourth time in six years of racing. "She's going to be bred to Downbytheseaside," said Stratton of the daughter of Roll With Joe. A late-season acquisition in 2025 was the Open-type trotter Security Protected. "I think he was just a little tired by the end of the season," said Stratton of the then 4-year-old son of Father Patrick that had campaigned against older horses for much of the year before moving into Stratton's stable. "His best race for me was probably the last one in the Grand Prix consolation at Yonkers." A third-place finish saw Security Protected fight to the wire in the mile and one quarter contest. "We're going to race him mostly at Yonkers this year," Stratton said of Security Protected. "We'll put him in a few other stakes outside but concentrate on Yonkers and then hopefully have him ready for the Grand Prix." A key to the success of the Stratton stable has been durability, as many of his horses race more than 30 times over the year in an era where that has been hard to achieve for most barns. Whats Stanley Got A is a classic example of that, having made 73 starts in the past two years and banking $380K in the process. The veteran import will once again compete near the top level at Yonkers this year. "I don't think we'll put him in the Borgata," said Stratton, obviously not wishing to compete against himself with other higher-quality stock. Adding to the stable's depth are a pair of sophomores returning that will see plenty of stakes action in 2026. Overalls, a daughter of Devious Man that finished third in the 2025 New York Sire Stakes final for juvenile trotting fillies, should be able to add significantly to her $143K bankroll racing within the Empire State. Vanna By The River is new to the stable and the filly by Downbytheseaside showed enough talent as a freshman to reach the $300,000 Ohio Sire Stakes final. As for Saturday's Meadowlands horses, Stratton pointed to Kwick Sand A in the second race on the card. "He finished up really strong last week and gets a drop in class," said Stratton, also noting a significant improvement in post position. Belmont Major N has been racing sharp according to Stratton, but Saturday's eighth race finds the veteran import up in class a bit with the race earmarked for claimers with price tags ranging from $25,000-30,000. Stellar Yankee (post eight) could have a shot if things work out properly in Saturday's seventh race. "He's usually better when he's closer to the action," said Stratton. In addition to his six horses entered on Saturday, Stratton will send out another half-dozen on Friday night, including a few he will drive himself.