Meadowlands: Air Power, Special Way rally to NJ Sire Stakes titles

The colts were up first and Point Of Perfect (Joe Bongiorno) would lead at the 27 1/5 opening quarter, but he would be fourth by the time they got to the 55 4/5 half as Up Your Deo (Ake Svanstedt), Celebrity Bambino (Yannick Gingras) and Oh Well (Tim Tetrick) all went by him. Oh Well, the 9-5 favorite, would continue to show the way through three-quarters in 1:23 1/5 and turned for home first, with Up Your Deo trying to make a two-wide advance.

Oh Well tried to seal the deal in the lane, but he was unable to, as fellow Marcus Melander trainee Air Power (Andy McCarthy), who had been on the inside near the back of the pack for the first three-quarters of the mile, was able to fan out through the drive and used a 26 3/5 final kicker to get up and prevail by half a length in 1:50 4/5. Up Your Deo wound up third, and there was a dead-heat for fourth between Celebrity Bambino and Tactical Approach (Scott Zeron).

"I watched his replays and it looked like it he just really loves to pass horses. I figured there'd be a fair bit of speed in there, and I was hoping for a bit of a flow and trip on the outside, but that didn't look too good, so we had to take a shot the other way," said McCarthy, who was driving the horse for the first time. "It worked out. The seas parted and I got out when I needed to. He definitely had a lot of trot finishing up. I actually had to slow him down there a little bit. He's a big, green colt, and I had to just check him up there for just a second. He's definitely a very good horse.

"He's still learning. He was back there just dilly-dallying around. It was a pretty big mile. They went 1:50 but I think he's got a little more, too."

Melander trains Air Power, a Muscle Hill colt bred by Order By Stable AB, for owners Amg Stable Inc., Rick Wahlstedt, Kenneth Kjellgren, and Heights Stable. Air Power has a record of 3-2-0 from six starts, has now pocketed $165,387 and paid $9.60 to win as a 7-2 offering.

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In the filly final Mambacita (Gingras) cut fractions of 27 3/5, 56 2/5, and 1:24 1/5, but 1-9 favorite Special Way (Ake Svanstedt) moved first-up from fourth past the half and began to loom on the rim on the final bend. However, pocket-sitter Walner Payton (Dexter Dunn) got the jump on Special Way by tipping out of the pocket past three-quarters.

That proved to be no issue in the lane, though, as Special Way powered to the front inside the final eighth and drew clear to score by two lengths in 1:51 4/5. Secret Volo (Brian Sears) closed well to finish second, with Walner Payton, Mambacita, and Blonde Bombshell (David Miller) back in third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.

Special Way, a Walner filly, is a homebred for Brittany Farms, Marvin Katz, and Al Libfeld. She has ten wins and a second from 12 lifetime appearances, has earned $847,475, and returned $2.20 to win.

"I have to share with you what Ake said to me out on the track. He said 'she's so good she overcame my bad drive,'" Katz said with a laugh. "She's exceptional."

Last year's Dan Patch Award winner for 2-year-old trotting fillies, Special Way is the product of a long-term breeding partnership for her owners.

"It goes back about 10 or 12 years ago. George [Segal of Brittany Farms] and I bought a mare called Honor Thy Daughter who Jimmy Takter trained. She had a short career. George and I bred her, Al has a small piece as well, and we had a number of daughters, one of which was called Special Hill, who Jimmy Takter trained and I think she made about $40,000 or $50,000 and set a fast record as a 2-year-old," recalled Katz. "George and I thought we'd go ahead and breed her, and this is the second foal she's had. I think I told the story last year that I saw her with Perry Soderberg at George's farm in June when she was a yearling, and she just put on a display in the paddock. It was just awesome, and before she was out of the paddock I was on the phone with George and saying 'I think we have to keep this filly.'"

While she sits at #2 on Ken Warkentin's Road to the Hambletonian, Katz responded that he was just going to enjoy this win and take it one step at a time when questioned by Dave Little from the Meadowlands about the chances of her competing against the boys.