Meadowlands: Apex looks to rebound in $250K NJ Classic final

Friday's extraordinary Meadowlands program includes four $250,000 New Jersey Classic finals on the trotting side, with Hambletonian winner Apex headlining the event for 3-year-old male trotters and looking to bounce back from a surprising fourth-place finish in last Friday's (September 4) elimination. Trainer Marcus Melander couldn't put his finger on exactly what led to the sub-par performance but indicated he expected better this week.

"I really don't know what happened. He wasn't sick," Melander said. "I trained him this morning (Tuesday) and he trained great, so I'm expecting him to race well."

Apex hadn't raced in four weeks since his epic performance, capturing the $1 million Hambletonian on August 8 in a record-setting 1:49 2/5 clocking. The son of Walner finished off-the-board for only the second time in his 15-race career that includes 10 wins. Apex landed post six with Dexter Dunn at the controls in Friday's ninth race and is likely to be the heavy favorite despite his lackluster performance in the trials.

Melander has a solid one-two punch with Nix Nacken (post five) alongside his stablemate behind the starting car. Nix Nacken captured the second elimination with Dunn aboard and picks up Scott Zeron for the big money on Friday.

"He's been a solid horse all year," said Melander of the Muscle Hill-sired gelding that posted a 1:50 mile at the Meadowlands earlier this season and enters the New Jersey Classic riding a two-race win streak.

While the Melander-trained duo appears to be the class of the field, they face a solid group, with elimination upsetter King Of The Wind (post ttwo) and the gutsy Magic Punk (post one) filling the inside part of the gate. Diabolic Hill (post three) is the second-richest horse in the race, having earned $727K in his career, but the Annie Stoebe-trained colt has not won a race this year in seven starts.

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The $250,000 New Jersey Classic for 2-year-old male trotters (race seven) looks like one of the best races on the card, and Melander has a pair in the race that only drew nine starters. Free Scottie (post ttwo) captured the lone $25,000 elimination on September 4, his first win of the year.

"The hopples helped for sure," said Melander of the equipment addition that kept the son of Walner safe for Dexter Dunn to drive.

Free Scottie was a solid closing second in a William Wellwood elimination at Woodbine Mohawk Park on August 21 but made a break in the final.

Melander will also send out Pul Biber (post seven) but conceded that the Muscle Hill-sired colt would do well to get a check against this company.

Trainer Jim Campbell scored one of his biggest career wins in 2022 when Cool Papa Bell captured the Hambletonian. Campbell looks to have another promising male trotter for Scott Farber's Runthetable Stables in the homebred Wrong Sounds Right, a winner in three of his five freshman starts and a top contender in this division.

"I trained his dam (Broadway Jo Ell)," said Campbell about the dam who produced three foals before Wrong Sounds Right, including a pair of six-figure earners. Campbell had trained the others and noticed the difference early on. "He was the best-bodied of her foals and did everything right training down."

A 1:53 1/5 winner in a division of the Garden State Stakes at the Meadowlands on August 21, Wrong Sounds Right skipped the elimination, but Campbell is confident he'll be ready for the contest.

"We had the option to take a bye," said Campbell. "I talked it over with Scott and we agreed. He was sharp and didn't need the race."

Obviously limiting the number of starts on any 2-year-old is crucial, especially if the connections have long-term plans. "He's eligible to the two weeks of Grand Circuit at The Red Mile," said Campbell, "And the Breeders Crown as well."

Those Grand Circuit goals will have to wait for now, but Friday's contest should be a useful measuring stick for Wrong Sounds Right as he tries to gain some measure of revenge against Lifetime Dreamer (post three), a gelding from the first crop of Ecurie D. Lifetime Dreamer put in an epic performance on Hambletonian Day for trainer Ake Svanstedt and driver Yannick Gingras, capturing the $180,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes Platinum final in a world record 1:51 1/5. In his first race since, he was a decent third behind Free Scottie in the elimination race and should benefit from the work heading into Friday's rich event. Svanstedt has three others in the field, with Kindergarten leg winner Lincoln Kronos (post one) inside stablemates Easy Down Blonde (post eight) and Bentley Blue Chip (post nine).

In addition to the New Jersey Classics on Friday night, the Meadowlands has a solid feature in the Girl Power, a $188,200 contest for trotting mares with a field of nine slated for race 10. Melander sounded optimistic that Tactical Moni (post two) was moving in the right direction heading into the Girl Power.

"We've only had her for three starts," said Melander. "She hadn't raced in four weeks before last week's race, so I expect her to be better."

Tactical Moni was a solid second behind Walspea in the Steele Memorial on Hambletonian Day, then returned on September 4 to finish third behind that mare in a division of the Miss Versatility.

Walspea looks for another major stakes win for trainer Trond Smedshamner but will have to overcome post nine in the draw. Walspea controlled the pace kindly for Yannick Gingras in the Miss Versatility, gaining control of the field before the half and sprinting the final four furlongs in 54 2/5 to seal the victory.

The Girl Power has attracted last year's Hambletonian Oaks champion Conversano (post one), as well as the 2024 Oaks winner Warrawee Michelle (post seven), but both are still in search of their first 2026 victories. Yo Tillie (post three) returns after racing the boys in the Maple Leaf Trot on September 5 at Woodbine Mohawk Park and looks to regain her winning ways.

The Meadowlands 14-race Friday program has a first post listed for 6:20 p.m. (EDT).