Meadowlands: Andrew Harris sends out a group of ten horses this weekend

Trainer Andrew Harris has 10 horses from his stable entered at the Meadowlands this weekend. Harris's star his risen in the conditioning ranks, with his stable growing from overnight horses into a mix of stakes horses of both gaits. Currently, Harris is focused on his primary goal, and that is simply to get his horses raced anywhere he can. Just look at Friday's sixth race at the Meadowlands for an example of the conditions a trainer has to accept, otherwise leave his horse out of action.

"The non-winners of five races didn't fill," said Harris on Wednesday. "It was either let them go in this class or not race them at all."

The "them" Harris is speaking of is Sky Castles (post one) and Magical Winner K (post three) in the $19,000 conditioned event that was expanded so far as to allow 12-time winner Some Chapter (post eight) and the impressive, once-beaten 4-year-old Get Legs (post seven) into the same field.

Nevertheless, Harris was somewhat optimistic that at least one of his horses in this race may be able to compete.

"I thought Sky Castles was good for what he needed to do last week," said Harris of the 4-year-old son of Conway Hall that was making his first competitive start in nearly three months. "I think with Yannick (Gingras) on him he'll be good this week."

Both horses are owned by the late Robert Key.

"I loved training for him," said Harris. "It was about six years ago that he sent me Waitlifter K to train. I think at the time he was looking for a younger trainer."

Harris will continue to train nearly 30 horses for the late owner.

"I hope we can come up with a champion that he can look down upon and smile," said Harris.

Cue Hall (post two) looks to turn it around for Harris in Friday's tenth race after a disappointing last-place finish a week ago.

"He thumped on us," said Harris, explaining the effort. "Thankfully, we're able to treat him for that, and he should be much better on Friday."

Postmodernism drew post eight for Harris in Friday's 13th race, a conditioned event for pacing fillies and mares.

"I was expecting more from her, but she's only able to come home in 28," Harris said.

The outside post won't help her chances this week.

On Saturday night, Harris is quite optimistic that New Zealand-bred Our Max Phactor may once again show some of that talent that had him racing and winning against Open company in the Northeast.

"It's been tough on him recently. He had a quarter crack and sore feet, and racing him over the hard track at Yonkers really didn't help that," said Harris. "His feet are better now, and I was very happy with last week's acclimating mile for him back on the big track."

Our Max Phactor, a 1:49 3/5 winner at the Meadowlands in 2019, drew the rail in Saturday's third race, and Harris said, "He should jog."

Trip will play a key role in Saturday's fourth race for Harris's Australian-bred trotter, Deltasun.

"He's at his best when on the front-end," said Harris of the import.

Deltasun owns a 1:52 2/5 win this year at Dover Downs and will be dropping a notch after a third-place finish in last week's Meadowlands featured trot.

Tulhurstsantanna, another horse imported from Australia, has won three of his last four for Harris at the Meadowlands and will once again be moving up in class on Saturday night (race six), but Harris is more than confident the 8-year-old will handle it.

"He really impressed me last week," said Harris. "He was used three times and still was able to finish out his mile."

Tulhurstsantanna (post four) meets Springsteen (post seven) and Western Joe (post eight), a pair that have won at this level in their last starts.

Another Australian import Harris has on Saturday is Tin Roof Raider (post seven, race nine). He ships to the Meadowlands after racing on Monday night at Yonkers.

"That was a training trip for him," said Harris of the sixth-place finish racing off-the-pace from post seven. "He's a very talented horse, and I think he may be better than Tulhurstsantanna."

Tin Roof Raider, a son of Mach Three, showed that class finishing third in an Open at Yonkers this past December.

Kimani (post 10, race 13), a second Kiwi-bred for Harris, rounds out the trainer's Saturday night, but is likely up against it with the unfavorable draw.

Post time for The Meadowlands is 6:00 p.m. each night, with 13 races on Friday and 15 on Saturday.