Meadowlands: Beckham’s Z Tam in Preferred as a stepping-stone for Levy

Veteran trainer Bruce Saunders sends out a trio of 1:50 or better performers on Saturday night at The Meadowlands. Heading the group is Levy-bound Beckhams Z Tam, who landed the outside post in the eight-horse $25,000 Preferred Handicap feature.

“They sent him to me because they wanted to race in the Levy,” Saunders said of Beckhams Z Tam, the 2017 Breeders Crown champion at Hoosier Park in the sophomore pacing division. “I was happy with the way he qualified and satisfied with last week’s race. He’s going to have to race four or five weeks in a row in the Levy so I thought I’d give him a start at The Meadowlands.”

A 5-year-old son of Always A Virgin, Beckhams Z Tam had a good year as a 4-year-old but likely didn’t live up to expectations garnered from the Breeders Crown victory. “I didn’t have him last year so I can’t say specifically what happened to him,” Saunders said. “It’s a tough transition from 3 to 4.”

While Beckhams Z Tam drew outside, there’s no reason to believe he can’t go with the other seven in Saturday’s field. “He’s a quality horse,” said Saunders. “He can come home as fast as a horse can.”

While the Levy is just two weeks away, Beckhams Z Tam, a 15-time winner lifetime with in excess of $708K in the bank, could use the Meadowlands start as a springboard to success. Saunders noted that the horse has historically done well over the half-mile track while admitting to some degree that his first start of the year at Yonkers wasn’t among his finest. “He definitely stalled some on the turns,” said Saunders, who witnessed Beckhams Z Tam lose by a diminishing nose to Somewhere In L A last Saturday at Yonkers.

Heavenly Sound got even less help from the draw for Saunders, starting from post number 10 in race 11, a non-winners of $5,000 event. “He’s a very nice horse,” said Saunders. “I was happy with his first race back but that’s a tough place to start from.”

Heavenly Sound showed some ability as a sophomore and Saunders lamented that racing luck weighed heavily on the New York Sire Stakes competitor. “There could have been a lot more money on his card,” said Saunders. “He had a good chance in the New York Sire Stakes final but going into the first turn Springsteen went sideways and took half of the field out.” Heavenly Sound wound up fourth in the $225,000 race.

A son of the Saunders-trained 2010 Horse of the Year Rock N Roll Heaven, Heavenly Sound could find more opportunity this year according to Saunders. “We’ve put him in the Graduate and I think he’ll be fine against other 4-year-olds,” Saunders said.

Saunders considers the extremely fast Talent Soup his most likely chance at victory on Saturday. The 5-year-old is on the comeback trail and makes his second 2019 start at the basement level. Beaten by 27 lengths in a qualifier on February 8 at The Meadowlands, Talent Soup finished seventh in his first start back last Saturday night.

“That qualifier was my fault. I was probably two weeks away and expected the race to go in 1:56,” said Saunders explaining the effort. “It was very windy that day and the (1):52 and change mile was more like a (1):49 mile.”

Talent Soup was a Meadowlands Pace finalist in 2017 but drew poorly and was a non-factor. “He got sick last year and we gave him the necessary time off,” said Saunders of last year’s 13-race season.

Talent Soup drew post six with Eric Abbatiello in the bike for The Meadowlands nightcap.

Saunders has 16 horses in training of which seven are 2-year-olds. “At this point in time it’s more about who you don’t like with the 2-year-olds,” said Saunders. “I like all of them.”

Perhaps of greater interest to the racing public is the 3-year-old return of Mangogh, a son of American Ideal that captured the Governor’s Cup elimination last year at The Meadowlands but finished fourth in the final.

“I turned him out for three and a half weeks before bringing him back in,” said Saunders, who confided that he never turned out champion Rock N Roll Heaven between that one’s freshman and sophomore season. “I’m getting him ready to be back by May,” said Saunders. “Obviously the stretch in June and July with the Somebeachsomewhere, North America Cup, Hempt and Meadowlands Pace is where you want to be at your best.”

Mangogh took a 1:50 3/5 mark as a juvenile. “I definitely think he’s a top 10 colt,” Saunders said.