Meadowlands: Cassar looks to strike a high note with his weekend quartet

Trainer Darran Cassar will send out four horses this weekend to race at the Meadowlands, with half of them having a rather unique background. Both Hockey Hanover and Lifeonthebeach A, entered on Saturday night, were recently members of the sport's premier stable of Ron Burke. Purchased by Cassar's connections, the trainer hopes he can perhaps do one better than Burke.

"I bought him off of Burke," said Cassar when referring to Hockey Hanover. "I didn't have any trotters in my stable, and I thought he could do well."

Hockey Hanover was a solid winner in his last start on January 8 at the Meadowlands, going down the road, but Cassar is hoping he can change the 7-year-old's racing style over time.

"He's got great gate speed," said Cassar. "When he's in lower classes I can understand why drivers would put him on the front-end, but once he moves up the ladder, he's going to need to race from behind."

Hockey Hanover was entered to race last Saturday night (January 15), but Cassar knew something wasn't right and had him scratched.

"He tied up in the paddock and was a little bit keyed up," said Cassar.

As far as purchasing a horse off of Burke, Cassar feels perhaps his operation can give them more of a personal touch.

"They have so many horses, and I just think with our operation we can devote more time to them," said Cassar, who recently purchased a 10-acre farm in Mansfield, New Jersey, not very far from Winners International training center. "I can turn them out in the field and freshen them up."

As for Hockey Hanover, who landed post two in the second race eight-horse field, Saturday's contest may be proving grounds of sorts for the speedy gelding. He'll meet JL Cruze (post one), a horse that needs no introduction at the Meadowlands but suddenly finds himself down in class and blessed with the inside draw. The Burke-trained All The Truth (post four) finished second in this class a week earlier and has two victories in his last four starts.

"I think he's a big-track horse," said Cassar of Hockey Hanover. "With his early speed I may try him at Yonkers, but I think he'll be better suited later for the five-eighths mile tracks as well."

Lifeonthebeach A drew post six in Saturday's 11th race, and the ex-Burke import may have found a perfect race for Cassar.

"I think this is a good spot for him," Cassar said of Lifeonthebeach A, "We gave him some time off over Christmas, and he probably needed that start."

Lifeonthebeach A had been racing against $75,000 claiming company in December but returned in the $40,000-$60,000 class last Friday (January 14). On Saturday he's in for a $50,000 tag, with half of the field priced at $40,000.

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There was a time that Italian Delight N had hinted that he was going to be an Open-type pacer, but the now-9-year-old son of Bettor's Delight is more of a mid-to-upper level conditioned horse for Cassar in 2022.

"When I got him he had a reputation for being a bleeder," said Cassar, who has managed to get the most out of Italian Delight N right from the first time he arrived stateside.

In January of 2020, Italian Delight N debuted at the Meadowlands with a stunning 1:50 1/5 effort and quickly climbed the class ladder to Open company. Last year, Italian Delight finished on the board in 19 of his 34 starts, earning $94,040 in the process.

"He's just a very consistent type of horse," said Cassar. "I wish I had five more just like him."

On Saturday, Italian Delight N drew post seven in the opening race on the program, a non-winners of $10,000 last five class that should suit him well. In the same condition last Saturday, Italian Delight N came up the inside in the stretch and missed by just a head in finishing third.

Originally, Cassar had hoped to race the 4-year-old trotting mare Mnemonic at Yonkers this week, but that didn't work out.

"I needed to get her raced, and when she didn't get in at Yonkers on Thursday, we put her in at the Meadowlands on Friday," Cassar said.

While the trainer confirmed that the Iowa-bred was perhaps better suited for the half-mile track, he thinks she fits with the caliber of stock she'll meet in Friday's second race, a handicap of sorts for non-winners of 2/3 races.

Mnemonic got sick in November and missed time, and Cassar believes she needs to be raced more often to get back in top shape.

The Meadowlands offers a pair of 15-race cards this weekend, with a start time of 6:20 p.m. and $50,000 guaranteed Pick 4s in races six and 10. Saturday's card also offers the first of six qualifiers for the World Harness Handicapping Championship on September 10.