Meadowlands: Another slate of baby races held, Manchego, Bettor's Wish qualify impressively

Breakfast With The Babies (BWTB) took place on a muggy Saturday morning at the Meadowlands. The track was fast, flags limp, and temperature in the 80’s when the trotting fillies stepped onto the track to contest the first race at 10:00 A.M.

Pacing colt Capt Midnight (Andrew McCarthy) was an impressive 1:53 winner in the last baby race of the morning, leading all the way and then sprinting home in 27 flat to hold off the well-intentioned bid of pocket-sitter Bombshell Hanover (Andy Miller) and an up-the-rail threat from Captain Nemo (Tim Tetrick). The victorious Captaintreacherous colt was following up his 1:52 3/5 win of June 15 and looked like there was plenty left in the tank today. Tony Alagna trains Capt Midnight, a $350,000 Hanover-bred Harrisburg yearling, for the partnership of Marvin Katz, Ken Jacobs, Brad Grant and Capt Midnight Racing.

Jula Champagne opened the card a winner for the potent combo of Yannick Gingras and Per Engblom as driver and trainer, respectively. The Trixton filly set even fractions, then finished the 1:58 2/5 mile with a 28 4/5 final quarter in-hand over Questichap (Trond Smedshammer) and Sashay Kemp (Marcus Melander). Jula Racing Inc. owns the $85,000 Harrisburg yearling purchase, bred by Windsong Stable.

Adriano Sorella, in town to see his Jimmy Freight finish a very game second in the Graduate last night was present, bagel in hand, this morning to watch his namesake (though he has no ownership interest) the Muscle Hill filly Sorella (Christian Lind) win from the pocket in 1:59. She tracked Eye On The Hill (McCarthy) through reasonable numbers, then tipped off that rival in the stretch and went by willingly. Gertrude Hanover (Steve Smith) was third. The winner is conditioned by Staffan Lind for breeders Elmer Fannin and his partner on the filly Crawford Farms.

The Muscle Hill filly Ramona Hill (McCarthy) looked great this morning, trotting confidently by rivals the widest of all, her final quarter in 27 4/5 to end the 1:57 1/5 mile, picking off Jula Beauty AM (Gingras) at the wire. Never Content (Andy Miller) was third. Tony Alagna trains the winner for owners Brad Grant, Crawford Farms Racing, Robert LeBlanc, and In The Gym Partners. She was a $70,000 Lexington yearling bred by Crawford Farms.

Around a million dollars worth of trotting fillies comprised race four with Synergy (Gingras) clearly the best of the lot, scoring a front-end 1:56 3/5 (28 2/5 final quarter) win with something left. EL Ideal (Andy Miller) followed along to be second, while Beyond Kronos (Tim Tetrick) closed nicely in hand to get third. Synergy was a $275,000 Lexington sale buy, bred by Southwind Farms and trained by Engblom for Brittany Farms, John Fielding, Herb Liverman, and David Anderson.

Ready For Moni (Gingras) made an impression on the bagel and lox crowd with a come-from-behind 1:56.1 score, trotting home in 27 2/5 to track down Back Of The Neck (Brian Sears) and mile-cutter Gangster Hanover (Svanstedt). Ready For Moni is by the international star Ready Cash and out of Nothing But Moni, a daughter of the great Moni Maker. He was bred by Moni Maker Stable and bought in Lexington by John Fielding, Lindy Farms, Herb Liverman, and Bud Hatfield. Engblom trains.

Ake Svanstedt unleashed his Muscle Hill colt King Alphonso with a front-end tour de force 1:58 1/5 mile, trotting home in 28 flat by as many as he pleased. Stable-mate Words Matter (A. Miller) stayed for second, while Platoon System (Tetrick) rallied a bit late to get third. Svanstedt owns King Alphonso with Bender Sweden, Little E LLC., and Doug Sipple. The $110,000 Harrisburg yearling was bred by Order By Stable.

Beads (Andy Miller) inherited the lead on the backstretch when Cantab Cadet went erratically for a bit, then bore wide himself off the final bend, yet held sway over the fast finish of Chestnut Hill (D. Miller) to get the 1:59 2/5 win. Beads is an Archangel colt bred by Atlantic Trot and Steve Stewart, then purchased by Renee Spahr. He comes from the Svanstedt barn.

The pacers started with race eight where Brad Grant’s Sweet Lou filly Lady Lou (McCarthy) won right back for trainer Alagna in 1:54 1/5 after a 1:54 score two weeks ago. McCarthy put her on the lead past the quarter, then moved away willingly through the 28 1/5 last quarter. Stable-mate Watchful Eye (Dexter Dunn) was third, with Coconut Beach (Marcus Miller) picking her off for second. Lady Lou was a $55,000 Harrisburg yearling bred by Robert Hamather.

Reflect With Me made it two straight for McCarthy, Alagna, and Grant (this time in partnership with breeder Brittany Farms) when she flew home to get up very late over Shebesailin (Dunn) in 1:55 (27 3/5 final quarter). It was the third morning trial for the daughter of Captaintreacherous who went through the Lexington ring for $120,000.

Seriously Hanover (Tetrick) was powerful in a 1:54 1/5 front-end performance with a 26 4/5 kicker to hold off Choir Master (Dunn) and Rockin The Gates (D. Miller). Aggressive throughout, Seriously Hanover went under the wire in the grips for Tetrick and trainer Mark Harder. Cimaglio, Demeter, and Giagni own the Western Ideal colt, a Hanover-bred $92,000 Harrisburg yearling.

American Kronos (A. Miller) won the first of the day's three qualifiers for 3-year-olds and up, converting a pocket trip into a 1:54 1/5 win, holding off a charging Beautiful Sin (Tetrick). Julie Miller trains American Kronos, a 3-year-old daughter of Donato Hanover, for Katz, Libfeld, and Goodrow.

Manchego (Dexter Dunn) was out for her first go on Lasix this morning, and she looked fantastic. Restrained right to the wire, she floated along through the three-quarters in 1:24 2/5, then ripped off a 26 3/5 last quarter to finish it off well within herself.

Bettor's Wish and Dexter Dunn wrapped it up with an ultra-impressive 1:51 3/5 prep for the upcoming Meadowlands Pace, storming home in 26 3/5 under a Dunn double arm lock. Mac’s Power cut it and held second in only his second seasonal appearance, while Captain Ahab went an encouraging race; all three with an eye on the Pace.

--press release (the Meadowlands)--