Meadowlands: 2018 Metro winner Stag Party back on the track Saturday

The Meadowlands ushers in a new year of racing this weekend, and with its arrival comes a horse to the track that has spent the last three years as a stallion in Ontario. Stag Party saw his number of mares bred over that time decrease with each year, and finally in October his owners thought better of a fourth year in the stud barn and elected to return the Bettor's Delight-sired horse to the racetrack.

"I got him in October," said Chris Ryder after receiving a call from co-owner Eric Cherry.

Stag Party was a sensation in 2018 when he captured the Metro Pace for 2-year-olds. While the Ontario-sired colt spent much of his sophomore season away from Grand Circuit action, he did manage to conclude his campaign with a victory over the Yonkers Raceway half-mile track in 1:51 4/5.

Ryder prepped Stag Party for action but wasn't enamored with his performance when he qualified on December 16.

"He really isn't a front-end horse," Ryder said in reaction to a 2:01 effort over Freehold's half-mile track.

On New Year's Eve, prior to the Meadowlands being forced into cancellation due to heavy fog, Stag Party made his mile-track return in a qualifier. The results were much better with the final result a win in 1:51 1/5 over a pair of seasoned veteran upper class performers.

"That was a much better effort," Ryder said. "I think they got to the half in 57 and three quarters in 1:24."

With $756K banked during his two seasons of racing, Stag Party should, at some time, be able to join the higher-level classes, though Ryder wasn't going to get ahead of himself just yet.

"He's going to need a few races for sure," Ryder said in deference to the obvious, that Stag Party has not raced competitively in more than three full years.

A positive note, of course, is that many from the Bettor's Delight line do improve with age, and the now 7-year-old, with three years away from the track, likely returns a much sounder horse. Whether he'll be of the caliber necessary to go with the elite class remains to be seen.

"We definitely have in mind to take him to Yonkers," said Ryder with obvious hopes that he can rise to the level to perhaps compete in the MGM Borgata Pacing Series this March.

On Saturday Stag Party drew post six in the tenth race on the Meadowlands program and will face at least one horse that raced in last year's Borgata Series, namely Covered Bridge. Also a 7-year-old, Covered Bridge had been racing competitively against Open company at Yonkers before returning to the Meadowlands in the non-winners of $20,000 last five class where he finished fifth on December 17. Covered Bridge drew the pole in the 10-horse field.

► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter

My Pal Joe (post three) was a 1:48 3/5 winner at the Meadowlands in 2021 but struggled to regain that form in 2022, winning just twice in 21 starts. The Erica Chartrand-trained son of Roll With Joe finds an improved spot in this class after consecutive eight-hole draws.

Trainer Nifty Norman has had success with a minimal number of imports from Down Under, and he may have found another diamond in Belmont Royale N, who captured his first two U.S. starts at the Meadowlands while pacing home in 26 second final quarters. Belmont Royale N was a non-factor racing from far back in his final 2022 start at Harrah's Philadelphia and returns to the Meadowlands from post two here.

In addition to Stag Party, Ryder has a strong group returning for 2023. "Niki Hill just arrived back from Kentucky," Ryder said. "Twin B Joe Fresh is returning tonight [Wednesday 1/4]."

Ryder was more than impressed with how Niki Hill closed out an abbreviated sophomore season with a solid second in the TVG Mares Pace at the Meadowlands. "We're going to point her to all of the Open races," said Ryder of Niki Hill.

Last year Twin B Joe Fresh pulled off a Sire Stakes double when she captured both Kentucky and New York championships in a manner of weeks. "She'll be staked to everything," Ryder said with anticipation that the Roll With Joe-sired sophomore filly will tackle the best in the sport's biggest events in 2023.

Ryder is also happy, though it's obviously early in the game, with the first crop of Bettor's Wish under his care. "I've got nine of them," Ryder said. "They're all doing well."

The Meadowlands' first weekend of racing in 2023 commences on Friday with 14 races and a first post time of 6:20 p.m.