Meadowlands: Alagna Armada stands out in Breakfast with the Babies

Breakfast With The Babies sponsored by Fashion Farms, Independence Day weekend edition, opened up at 9:00 a.m. on a muggy morning with just a slight breeze against them in the stretch over a fast Meadowlands racetrack.

Trainer Tony Alagna won the day with an impressive seven victors; with a few other from that barn going good trips, often following their stablemates under the wire.

The trotting fillies were first up and My Anna's Dream (Dexter Dunn) got the day off to a fast start with a pillar-to- post 1:55 1/5 (28 second last quarter) score over a fast-closing Unicorn Blue Chip (Tim Tetrick) in a match-up of fillies with a future. Lady Remi (Corey Callahan) stayed on for third after a pocket trip. The winner is a Wiesman Farms homebred daughter of Father Patrick who shows going through the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale (LEX) for $100,000, trained by Nancy Takter.

Tetrick put the Brittany Farms homebred Father Patrick filly Yes Please on the lead this morning, and she held sway over pocket rider Flyingdrumsticks S (Emanuel Miller), the mile in 1:57 2/5 (27 3/5 last quarter) in what was her second appearance for trainer Tony Alagna. Our Wish (Andy Miller) was third.

In another remarkable speed display, Dunn set friendly fractions through a minute half, then hit the go button for a 55 4/5 back-half and 27 3/5 closing fraction in a 1:55 4/5 win with Crawford Farms' Chapter Seven lass, Royal Filly. She finished well in front of the field, with Trick Play (David Miller) staying for second and Grande' (Jimmy Takter) rallied by others for third. Royal Filly races from the Alagna barn, and Jonas Schlabach is listed as the breeder.

Alagna sent out a Captaintreacherous pacing colt trifecta in the fourth, with Captain's Choice (Scott Zeron) winning in 1:54 1/5 (27 4/5 last quarter). Senor Soldado (Andy McCarthy) followed along for second, and Admiral Hanover (Tetrick) recovered to be third after bolting while on the lead in the backstretch. The winner is a Riverview Racing and Steven Head homebred, and they now share ownership with Larry Denley and Michele Head.

A good group of colts that all had one or two under their belts resulted in a sharp 1:53 / (27 4/5 last quarter) win for El Ray (Dunn) and another Captain, Captain, Captain finish. Save America (Gingras) rallied up the inside late for second, and Captain Up (Zeron) was third. The winner was the fourth on the day for Alagna and another Riverview Racing homebred that is owned in partnership with Brittany Farms, Steve Head and Larry Denley.

A short group of four trotting colts faced the gate in race six, and Andy Miller put French Wine on the lead early and set all the fractions in a 1:56 4/5 / 27 3/5 last quarter score over Chapercraz (Trond Smedshammer). The Bar Hopping colt, trained by Julie Miller, was a $120,000 (LEX) yearling, bred by Katz and Libfeld and now racing for Andy Miller Stable, Daniel and Jean-Christophe Plouffe and Michael Cote Gagnon.

After a training break, M Maurrone (Andy Miller) led all the way and won by many over Southwind Admiral (Callahan) in 1:58 3/5 / 28 3/5 last quarter. Jeff Cullipher trains the Donato Hanover gelding for himself and partner Pollack Racing. LLC.

First crop sire Crazy Wow had a winner in Some Kinda Crazy (Callahan), who left the field in his wake with a 27 4/5 end to a 1:58 2/5 mile over Hillasviva (Smedshammer). John Butenschoen trains the winner for Andray Farm, Jim Crawford IV, R. Preziotti and VIP Internet Stable, who gave $20,000 (SHS) for the ridgling. Stephen Dey II is the breeder.

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Scratch My Back gave Andy Miller his third driving win and trainer/wife Julie a double when the Tactical Landing colt cut the mile in 1:59 / 28 4/5 final quarter and held on over a closing Khaosan Road (Ake Svanstedt) and Harko (Jimmy Takter). The Millers share ownership of the winner, a $47,000 (LEX) yearling bred by Steve Jones, with Michael Anderson and Never 2 Late Stables.

Mint Julep Hanover (A. McCarthy) was Tony Alagna’s fifth winner of the day when she scored in 1:56. The Stay Hungry filly wound up in front at the half when rival Mimado broke and held sway under minimal urging over Trove (Daryl Thiessen). Tony shares ownership of the $100,000 (SHS) Hanover-bred with Brad Grant and Jablonsky Held Stable.

A pair of expensive and impressive Captaintreacherous fillies from the Alagna barn finished one-two in the 11th when Seashell (A. McCarthy) held off the late rush of Bellissima Hanover (T. McCarthy) in 1:53 2/5 / 28 2/5 last quarter, number six on the day for Tony. Seashell sat behind rapid fractions set by Southwind Guiness, paced by that rival mid-stretch and kept it going through the wire. The winner was a $450,000 (LEX) Brittany-bred yearling, now co-owned with Marvin Katz, while Bellissima Hanover brought $400,000 (LEX) for Riverview Racing, who bred her with Hanover, and retained the filly in partnership with Alagna Racing, Caviart Farms, Steve Head and Daniel Plouffe.

The baby races ended with the 12th, so Alagna was held to seven winners on the day when Treacherousdame (A. McCarthy), a Willow Oak Ranch homebred, won in 1:53 3/5 / 28 1/5 final quarter over barn mate Treacherous Penny (T. McCarthy), with a third Alagna trainee, Reggae Hanover (Dunn) closing up for third. It was Captaintreacherous times three again for the top pacing sire.

The pair of qualifiers for older horses went to last year's Pennsylvania Sire Stakes 2-year-old filly trot champion Dreamonhigh (Dexter Dunn/Per Engblom) in 1:53 3/5 and 3-year-old Sweet Lou filly Sweet Treasure from off-the-pace in 1:50 1/5 for Todd McCarthy and Nancy Takter.

--press release (Meadowlands)--