Meadowlands: Beaver with powerful pair in Maturity, Dancer; Smedshammer looks for another strong effort from Walspea

The E.T. Gerry Jr. Hambletonian Maturity (Grade 1) has become an interesting race since its inception as it brings the best 4-year-olds to the Meadowlands to compete for a large purse, with a baker's dozen trotters traveling one and one eighths miles this year. With three trailers and a long run to the first turn, the race, which goes for a $425,000 purse on Saturday's card, is a classic on the program page and could prove so once the dust settles.

Trainer Chris Beaver is hoping the extra distance is a bit of an equalizer for his Gimpanzee Dancer. Of the 13 horses in the contest, Gimpanzee Dancer has won more races and money in 2026 than any horse, dominating action at Oak Grove with seven wins and $254K banked.

"He was a good horse last year," said Beaver of Gimpanzee Dancer. "He's become a much tougher horse this year. Horses from his family have been known to improve with age."

The results just in the first six months of 2026 prove Beaver's point since Gimpanzee Dancer had won only six times total during his freshman and sophomore campaign.

"This is a very tough group of horses he'll be facing, and I know they went in world-record time last week," said Beaver of the 4-year-olds that are moving on after last week's Graduate Series final. "I think the extra distance will be good for us."

Andrew McCarthy handles Gimpanzee Dancer from post four in Saturday's ninth race, inside the one-two finishers in the Graduate, On To Norway (post eight) and Super Chapter (post six).

Trainer Trond Smedshammer sends out a pair in the Maturity but believes that Walspea (post two) is his only legitimate shot in the race.

"She came out of the race (Graduate final) feeling fresh," said Smedshammer. "I know she went some fast fractions, but she wasn't actually tired in the stretch; it was her pulling herself up."

For Smedshammer, Walspea's incredible speed is her edge but a lot of times it's been compromised in races.

"I told Tim (Tetrick) last week that he should ignore the odds board (63-1) and get her to the front and don't take up to let horses go," said Smedshammer, who will call on James MacDonald to drive this week.

That move led to Walspea cutting wicked fractions, turning into the stretch on a clear lead following a 1:21 1/5 three-quarters. Like Gimpanzee Dancer, Walspea has also shown vast improvement over the years, and Smedshammer believes she's a bit easier to handle as a 4-year-old. "She was a hot horse to hold as a 2-year-old," said Smedshammer. "She was better last year and a bit better this year."

Smedshammer believes Walspea races best when she isn't caught inside or forced to slow down excessively. The 13-horse field and added distance could work to her advantage once again in the Maturity given the improved draw.

Greenma (post 12) is a gelding that has had his share of mishaps this year.

"That every horse gets one percent of the purse is probably the only reason we entered him," said Smedshammer of his thought process for entering the son of Greenshoe.

The Maturity could prove a showcase for defending Dan Patch winner Super Chapter and Graduate champion On To Norway. On To Norway provided cover for Super Chapter in last week's Graduate final and eventually found an inside path to victory for Yannick Gingras. Super Chapter traveled a bit of extra distance, going wide on the final turn, and that left him a neck short on the wire. Dexter Dunn handles Super Chapter, a $1.8 million career winner, while Yannick Gingras will drive On To Norway, a winner 32 times in 39 lifetime starts and a world record 1:48 3/5 mark taken last Saturday (July 4).

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Beaver is looking for a measure of revenge, as well as some experience for his sophomore sensation Endurance. The Captain Corey-sired colt has won three of his four starts this year, with the only defeat coming at the hooves of Spencer Hanover in the $500,000 Oak Grove Trotting Derby. The two will meet in the first of two divisions of the $145,900 Stanley Dancer Memorial (Grade 3), going as race four.

"I wanted him to get at least one start over the Meadowlands before the Hambletonian," said Beaver.

Endurance (post four) has rebounded nicely following the second-place finish at Oak Grove and most recently captured the $90,675 Currier & Ives at The Meadows (June 26) in 1:52 4/5, overcoming post nine and a long overland trip.

"Andy (McCarthy) has done a great job with the horse," said Beaver. "He's come back after the races and told me that there was plenty left in the tank."

Just a $14,000 yearling purchase, Endurance is already approaching $800K in career earnings, with the purse money ramping up as we enter the major summer stakes action.

Spencer Hanover tasted defeat for the first time in 2026 when he broke stride in the MGM Yonkers Trot on June 26 and finished ninth. Prior to that, the Marcus Melander-trained son of Chapter Seven followed Endurance's cover in the Oak Grove Derby for driver Jason Bartlett to gain victory and then followed that up with a score in the $176,530 Empire Breeders at Vernon Downs on June 2. Spencer Hanover landed the rail in the eight-horse field.

There are other talented sophomores in the Dancer field, including Silverstein, most recently third in the MGM Yonkers Trot for trainer Matt Burkholder. Matt Kakaley guides the Chapter Seven-sired gelding from post five.

Nix Nacken (post eight) is the fastest sophomore trotter this year by virtue of his 1:50 victory in the New Jersey Sire Stakes (Silver) final on June 12 at the Meadowlands. That, however, was the lone win in six attempts for the gelded son of Muscle Hill this year.

Highland Destiny, a half-brother to the 2024 Hambletonian runner-up Highland Kismet, was unraced as a freshman and had captured his first four races before making a break in the July 4 Reynolds at the Meadowlands. Trainer Nancy Takter put him right back in the box for the Dancer with Scott Zeron in the bike from post two.

Trainer Linda Toscano has another solid sophomore trotter in It Could Be Worse. The son of Captain Corey enters this Dancer division following a career-best 1:50 3/5 mile in capturing a $33,625 Reynolds division at the Meadowlands on July 4.

Division leader Apex (post two) will meet stablemate American Power (post three), as well as MGM Yonkers Trot champion Inexpressable (post seven) in the $144,650 second Stanley Dancer Memorial division carded as race six of 14 on the Meadowlands program.