Meadowlands: Breakfast with the Babies continues

The Meadowlands Saturday morning fan favorite Breakfast With The Babies (BWTB), sponsored by Fashion Farms, began at 9:00 a.m. today under comfortable conditions for this time of year with temperatures in the 70's and no rain in sight. The wind today was considerable and against the horses in the stretch.

On North America Cup day, when most of today's participants will soon be off to Canada for one of racing's biggest days that will feature many graduates of last year's BWTB programs, trainer Tony Alagna won the day with five training successes over the 17 2-year-old races carded, while Yannick Gingras drove four winners.

The opener featured filly trotters, and Secret Volo (Brian Sears) got up out of the pocket to edge by Moni Lisa (Gingras), who had taken over just past the 1:00 3/5 half, in 1:57 3/5, home in 29 1/5 into the wind. Marcus Melander trains the winner, a $40,000 Lexington Selected Sale (LEX) graduate, for Fred Persson, SD Heights Stable, Rick Wahlstedt and Kenneth Kjellgren. Jorgen Jahre Jr. and Kentuckiana Farms bred the daughter of Walner.

Race two confirmed that the wind was taking a toll, particularly on the leaders, as Royal Filly (Dexter Dunn) also emerged from a pocket trip in the stretch to get the win in 2:00 / 29 3/5 last quarter, holding off Bella Macchiato's (Gingras) late rally. The Chapter Seven filly is trained in the Tony Alagna barn for Crawford Farms. Jonas Schlabach is listed as the breeder, although there is no auction information or price listed.

Brunella (Gingras) rallied late by Danielle Hall (Ake Svanstedt), who had set all the fractions, for the 1:58 4/5 / 29 3/5 last quarter win in the third, her second in as many starts. The winner is trained by Nancy Takter for Christina Takter and Goran Falk, who bred and own the daughter of Father Patrick.

Mambacita (David Miller) made a mockery of any perceived bias and went right down the road in 1:58 2/5 off a half in 1:01 1/5, trotting strong into the stretch headwind in 28 2/5 to win by open lengths. Piano Bar (Svanstedt) followed loosely the whole way and did hold second. Mambacita is from the first crop of Tactical Landing, and the filly was an $80,000 (LEX) purchase by trainer Tony Alagna as Alagna Racing, breeder Crawford Farms and Pryde Stables, Inc.

Race five went to Exile (Dunn) who cut the mile and held sway by a diminishing margin over Paradise Lindy (Gingras) in 1:59 4/5 / 29 3/5 last quarter. This royally-bred daughter of Walner demanded $800,000 (LEX) at auction last fall from Brixton Medical, Caviart Farms, trainer Nancy Takter and breeder Diamond Creek Racing.

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Pacing colts came up after a break, and the $300,000 Captaintreacherous colt Save America (Gingras) set all the fractions and moved away from his rivals late in 1:56.2 / 28 1/5 last quarter with something left. Admiral Hanover (Tetrick) made a late rally to get up for second. The winner is another Nancy Takter trainee, this time for the partnership of 3 Brothers Stable and Caviart Farms. Breeder Fred Hertrich sold the precocious colt at the Standardbred Horse Sales (SHS) last fall.

Tony Alagna sent out a "Captain" colt named El Rey (Dunn), who rallied wide off cover to track down Undeniablebluechip (Sears) in the final strides of the 1:56 2/5 / 27 4/5 last quarter mile under minimal encouragement from the driver. Brittany Farms, Steve Head and Larry Denley share ownership of El Rey with breeder Riverview Breeding.

It's My Show (Scott Zeron) knifed through late with plenty of pace to get up over Cant Stop Lou (Gingras), with Blue Lou (Andy McCarthy) completing the Sweet Lou trifecta in 1:55 2/5 / 28 second last quarter. It's My Show is a Richard & Joanne Young homebred from their great world champion Put On A Show and is trained by Linda Toscano.

Colt trotters began with race nine and Dire Straits, driven by his trainer Mattias Melander, impressed once again with a last-to-first stretch brush through the 30 1/5 final quarter to track down Sevecheetah (Trond Smedshammer), the mile in 1:59. This Muscle Hill colt was bred by Richard Gutnick, who now owns him in partnership with Tom Pontone and Gary Cocco.

Winner's Bet was ultra-impressive this morning as driver Yannick Gingras insisted the son of Walner come back to him and sit in fourth as the early lead changed hands several times, with Five Stars (Sears) the last to cross over just before the 59 4/5 half. Things picked up considerably with a 28 flat third panel, and as the field turned home, Gingras had Winner's Bet clear in the four path, and he rolled on by under his own power in 1:58. Five Stars stayed on for second. The winner was a $200,000 (LEX) purchase last fall by Lindy Farms of Connecticut and Robert Rudolph from breeder S R F Stable.

S R F Stable came right back with a winner in race 11 when Oh Well (Tetrick) won his second in as many tries from well back in 2:00 4/5 / 29 3/5 last quarter, with International Man (Gingras) closing inside for second. Concord Stud Farm is the breeder of Oh Well, and they collected $530,000 (SHS) for the son of Muscle Hill last fall. He is trained in the Marcus Melander barn.

S R F struck again in race 12 with Gates Hanover, a $135,000 (LEX) Walner colt, coming from just off the leaders in a 2:01 1/5 / 30 second last quarter mile. The Ake Svanstedt trained and driven colt was bred by Hanover.

Melander sent out the sharp-looking Muscle Hill colt Upstaged (Tetrick), who impressed with a front-end effort two weeks back and demonstrated versatility today, waiting patiently for the "Go" signal from the driver, then tracking down mile cutter White Lightning (D. Miller) for a 2:00 2/5 / 29 1/5 last quarter win. Jim Avritt bred the colt, who extracted a $40,000 (SHS) winning bid from Stall TZ.

Finally, the pacing fillies closed out the card beginning with race 14 where Diamondsnpearls (Gingras) won the for second time at BWTB and was just as impressive as the first. Gingras settled the Captaintreacherous filly just in behind the lead through workman-like fractions and when he asked, she took off, closing in 28 1/5 to hold off Lisa Lane (Patrick Ryder) for the 1:55 4/5 win. Diamondsnpearls is a Brittany Farms & Marvin Katz homebred.

Showmemagic (Tetrick) was a sharp winner for the Cullipher barn, converting a perfect pocket trip into a 2:00 / 29 second final quarter win over pace-setter Lazin On The Beach (Andy Miller). The top two are Lazarus fillies, the first crop of that International star are showing up, and they'll get their chance to shine next Friday with the first leg of the New Jersey Sire Stakes for pacers. Trainer Jeff Cullipher owns the $20,000 (LEX) Deo Volente Farm-bred lass in partnership with Pollack Racing.

The first foal of the top race mare Penpal, Treacherous Penny (Todd McCarthy), was a winner at first asking for trainer Tony Alagna. McCarthy had the Captaintreacherous filly settled in third as Reggae Hanover (Dunn) set an honest pace, then had clear sailing up the pegs as the leader bore out and was a 1:56 1/5 / 28 4/5 last quarter winner. Bred by Pat Lachance and M&M Harness Racing, Treacherous Penny was a $150,000 (LEX) buy for Rob Leblanc, Big Al's Stable, Caviart Farms and John Fodera.

Another daughter of a great race mare brought the curtain down on today's BWTB when Bellisima Hanover (Todd McCarthy) went all the way in 1:58 2/5 / 28 3/5 last quarter over Seashell (Andy McCarthy) for the Alagna stable. Another by Captaintreacherous, "Bellisima" is from Alagna and Myron and Stephanie Bell's wonderful Bedroomconfessions, who won over $1 million in her racing career, and went through the ring for $400,000 (LEX). She was Tony's fifth winner of the day, and he owns her in partnership with the Bell's Riverview Breeding, Caviart Farms, Daniel Plouffe and Steve Head.

Stakes winners Charlie May (David Miller/Steve Carter, 1:53 3/5), Keg Stand (Scott Zeron/Nancy Takter, 1:56 3/5), and Venerable (David Miller/Nifty Norman, 1:56 4/5) won the qualifiers for 3-year-olds and up after Breakfast with the Babies concluded.

--press release (Meadowlands)--