Meadowlands: Breakfast With The Babies rolls along

Breakfast With The Babies, sponsored by Fashion Farms, got underway at 9:00 a.m. on a perfect summer morning at the Meadowlands. The temperature was a comfortable 71 degrees and the track nice and fast with negligible breeze to begin. John Rallis and Greg Blanchard called the action.

First up for the baby races today was a 1:57 win by Skillful Tactics (Yannick Gingras), who set all the fractions on a loose lead and held safe over his closest pursuer David Seaman S (Svanstedt) through a 28 1/5 final panel on his own. The Tactical Landing colt was bred by Chris Beiler and was a $35,000 (HBG) buy for Leblanc & Kribbs, Pryde Stable Inc., WG Beattie and In The Gym Partners.

Pretty Picky (Todd McCarthy) made it two straight for Tactical Landing and many of the same owners when she followed along in the pocket until before three-quarters, then zipped to the top in the lane and won over Ygritte (Dexter Dunn) in 1:58 1/5, home in 28 2/5. Tony Alagna trains Pretty Picky for Rob Leblanc, Pryde Stable Inc., WG Beattie and and breeder Crawford Farms. She was a $65,000 (LEX) yearling.

Trond Smedshammer drove his Walner colt Kingmen to a front-stepping 1:58 2/5 win over the debuting $1 million colt Cambridge Hanover (Dexter Dunn). Kingmen was a $50,000 (HBG) yearling bred by Southwind Farms and is owned by Peaceful Acres, Klee, Bolasci & Viero.

Ake Svanstedt drove his Gimpanzee gelding Campanzia to a close one over Miguel (Takter) after a stirring stretch duel in 1:59 3/5 (29 second final quarter). Svanstedt owns the $125,000 (HBG) yearling with Little E LLC., Graham Grace Stables and Kiwi Stables.

Race 9 was a Tony Alagna exacta as Frattina Diablo S (T. McCarthy) set the trot and closed out the 1:59 4/5 mile with a 28 1/5 final quarter to stay on over the bold close of Opulence (Andy McCarthy), who again had impressive late trot. The winner is a Dreamover Ab homebred by Captain Corey.

Nancy Takter had an exacta of her own in the 10th when Crown The Queen (Gingras) led all the way and took the win over the fast inside close of Leading Lady (J. Takter) in 1:57 3/5. Third time was the charm, as after breaks in the first two, she was straight and true this morning for the $250,000 (LEX) Walner filly owned by Rob Leblanc, Herb Liverman, Caviart Farms and Pryde Stables. James Avritt is the breeders.

Jimmy Takter drove Madam Cheval, a Walner filly from his great mare Shake It Cerry, to a 1:59 1/5 win in her debut. Third through the early going, Takter moved uncovered and wore down the leaders, finishing with a 28 2/5 final quarter over stablemate Funny Story (T. McCarthy). M Biasuzzi Stable paid $330,000 (LEX) for Madam Cheval to breeders Solveig's Racing Partners.

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Perfect Sting had a winner when the pacing races began with A Perfect Moment (Scott Zeron) converting a pocket trip into a 1:56 2/5 score over No Stranger To Me (Gingras). The winner is trained in the Alagna barn and is owned by the breeder, Dr. Fred Kruszelnicki.

Race 13 saw another stretch throwdown when Ocean B (T. McCarthy) and Fearless Partner (Zeron) went right to the wire, with Fearless Partner flying late into the 28 second end to the 1:54 4/5 mile but Ocean B hanging on for the close call. Brett Pelling trains the winner, a Winbak Farms homebred racing for their Bay Pond Racing.

Pelling won right back with another Perfect Sting, this one the filly Sunny Station (T. McCarthy), who took over before the half and drove in comfortably in 1:56 / 27 3/5 to defeat Snackcident (Dunn). Deo Volente Farms gave $65,000 (LEX) for the winner, bred by Spring Station Bloodstock.

It was then three straight for "Sting" with another filly winning. This time Beautiful Memory (A. McCarthy) cut the mile and held off the charge from Amira Hanover (Joe Bongiorno) through a 27 4/5 end to the 1:55 4/5 mile. From the prolific Reflect With Me, the winner was a $250,000 (LEX) purchase by David Cohen's Micki Rae Stable LLC. from breeder Brittany Farms.

Dexter Dunn threaded through a small opening late to get Show Me Your Ace up in the shadow of the wire for a 1:56 4/5 win, home in 27 2/5 over Up In Place (T. McCarthy) and a host of others. Chris Ryder trains and owns the American Ideal $150,000 (LEX) yearling with Demers, Minowitz and Ake Svanstedt. In The Dark Racing is the breeder.

Panther Hill (Dunn) wrapped it up the day's fastest when he tracked down Treacherous (Zeron) late to get the 1:53 1/5 / 27 1/5 win. Ryder again trains the Tom Hill homebred.

The session started with four qualifiers for 3-year-olds and up. Woman Of Passion, making her way east after a good run in this year's Kentucky Sire Stakes for 4-year-old mare trotters at Oak Grove, won the opener on the engine in 1:53 3/5 for Todd McCarthy and Carter Pinske, and 2024 Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Filly Trot champion Lady Landia took the lead past the quarter and went on to a handy 1:54 1/5 win for trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt in the second.

On the pacing side, Fan Hanover champ Miki And Minnie led through an easy clip of 29 4/5, 59 and 1:27 1/5, then sprinted home in 26 2/5 to win in 1:53 3/5 for Dexter Dunn and Chris Ryder, and in the fourth, North America Cup winner Louprint, who was prepping for next Saturday's Meadowlands Pace, sat third until the lane, then angled out and made up a lot of ground to the wire for Ronnie Wrenn Jr. and Ron Burke but couldn't reach De La Hoya Hanover (Todd McCarthy / Joe Bongiorno), who won by a length and a half in 1:51 4/5.

--press release (Meadowlands)--