Meadowlands: Contenders aplenty in Hambletonian and Oaks eliminations

A total of 19 horses were entered on Tuesday morning (July 28), forcing a pair of $100,175 eliminations this Saturday for the 101st Hambletonian, a Grade 1 event at the Meadowlands on August 8.

Jason Bartlett, the 2025 Driver of the Year, finds himself in a position he has not seen before in his illustrious career. Bartlett has a mount in each elimination, with Captain Naughty making his Meadowlands pari-mutuel debut in the seventh race and first division and Spencer Hanover, the 2025 Breeders Crown champion, going to post in the second division carded as race nine.

Could Bartlett have imagined five years ago that he would be in this position?

"No," said Bartlett bluntly. "It would have been something just to have one horse in an elimination but to be driving two is special."

While neither of Bartlett's horses are likely to be favored in their eliminations, there is plenty of room for optimism that they have the capacity to reach the final.

For Spencer Hanover, his sophomore season was moving along quite smoothly with four wins in four starts, including a win in the inaugural Oak Grove Trotting Derby. Then, in his last two starts, the Chapter Seven-sired colt made miscues in both the MGM Yonkers Trot and Stanley Dancer. The first over a half-mile track wasn't much of a surprise to trainer Marcus Melander, who recognized that Spencer Hanover was not always comfortable on four turns. The break in the Dancer was different.

"He was tracking nicely," said Bartlett of the Dancer. "I thought I was going to be right there on the wire with him before he made the break."

Spencer Hanover qualified back on July 18 with trainer Melander in the bike. "Marcus made a few changes and said he was fine in the qualifier," Bartlett said of his conversation with the conditioner.

As for Saturday's elimination race, Bartlett likes where Spencer Hanover drew (post three) in the field of 10, with much of the power coming on the outside of the starting gate.

"It looks like there's plenty of speed in this race and that it should set up nicely for us," said Bartlett.

► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter

Trainer Noel Daley will send out Minoan (post two) in the same division.

"I was kind of on the fence with him before last week," Daley said. "But he earned his starting fee so we put him in."

Minoan captured the Tompkins-Geers on the front-end on July 25 at the Meadowlands in a solid wire-to-wire mile.

"He's got great early speed and can put himself in position," said Daley, who thinks that although Minoan may not be the best horse on paper, he could find his way into the final.

"He reminds me a bit of Broad Bahn," Daley said, recalling his 2011 Hambletonian winner. "Broad Bahn wasn't the best of the group, but he had great speed and that made the difference."

Trainer Annette Lorentzon will be in search of her first Hambletonian with Big Ranger, a horse that came into her stable late in May. Undefeated as a 2-year-old, Big Ranger has won four of his six starts this year, including the last two for Lorentzon.

On June 13 he flew around the Scioto Downs oval in a 1:50 3/5 mile that captured the attention of everyone in North America and instantly made Big Ranger a Hambletonian threat. Lorentzon made a few more changes to the colt's equipment afterwards and then raced him again at Scioto on July 18.

"I didn't want to put him on the half-mile track in his last race before the Hambletonian," Lorentzon said when asked of her decision to race Big Ranger against weaker Ohio-sired horses for just a $20,000 purse. Big Ranger scored by open lengths in a 1:51 4/5 clocking.

Lorentzon says that Big Ranger has a great disposition and gets turned out every morning. She will train him on Wednesday (July 29) and then ship to New Jersey on Thursday in advance of Saturday's elimination race.

Captain Naughty (post two, first elim) will be making his first start for new trainer Per Engblom on Saturday, and Bartlett is excited following an impressive qualifier at the Meadowlands on July 24.

"He was very sharp in the qualifier," Bartlett said. "Per has been telling me how much he liked this colt since he got him."

Captain Naughty showed talent as a freshman, winning four of his nine starts, but has gone winless in five tries this year heading into Saturday's contest.

"It's a tough field with Apex and American Power on the outside," said Bartlett.

It won't just be Apex (post seven) and American Power (post eight), the solid Marcus Melander-trained tandem in the field, that Bartlett must contend with. Endurance (post nine) has won four of his five starts this year for trainer Chris Beaver and driver Andrew McCarthy. His Meadowlands debut was a solid victory in the Stanley Dancer. Endurance has also won 10 of 13 career starts, finishing second in two others.

Apex was an easy winner in his division of the Stanley Dancer in 1:52 and prior to that took the New Jersey Sire Stakes Platinum final. A winner of eight races in 12 career starts, he's widely considered the Hambletonian favorite.

American Power enters the contest following a career-best 1:50 victory in the Zweig Memorial at Vernon Downs on July 19. The son of Walner is out of the 2017 Hambletonian Oaks winner Ariana G.

MGM Yonkers Trot upsetter Inexpressable (post three) trotted his final quarter in 25 4/5 in the Dancer on July 11 but could only get third behind Apex in that Meadowlands contest. The Lucas Wallin-trained colt drew post three in what appears to be the stronger of the two elimination divisions.

The Hambletonian eliminations go as races seven and nine on the 14-race card that starts at 6:20 P.M. (EDT).

Daley has representation in two of the three $50,175 Hambletonian Oaks eliminations with Carve (post five) entered in the first division (race one) and Emmas Mystery CCL (post seven) going in the second division carded as race four.

"Carve is a bit like Minoan in that she's got speed and can get herself into position," said Daley of the Captain Corey-sired filly that was a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes winner on July 10 at Harrah's Philadelphia in a career-best and track record 1:51 3/5 clocking.

Carve will face likely favorite Jailbird Jog in her division. The daughter of Tactical Landing has won five of eight starts in 2026, including the Oak Grove Trotting Oaks back in May.

Emmas Mystery CCL is a Muscle Hill-sired filly that Daley is extremely high on. "She went an incredible last three-quarters in the Tompkins-Geers," said Daley, noting the filly traveled that distance in 1:22 while racing on the outside. "I think I can make her a little faster by taking off the shoes."

Daley is hopeful that Emmas Mystery CCL, who will meet up with undefeated-in-2026 Nezuko Kamado S on Saturday, will advance to the August 8 final and can race in front of owner Patty Key, who is also sponsoring this year's Hambletonian.

The final Oaks elimination (race six) sees a resurgent Setyoursightshigh drawing pylon position for trainer Marcus Melander on a two-race winning streak. The race will hardly be a walkover as she tackles a number of talented and sharp fillies.

The first five horses in each Hambletonian elimination will advance to the $1,000,000 August 8 final on the Meadowlands afternoon program. The $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks final field will be decided with the first three finishers in each of its eliminations guaranteed a spot in the final and the tenth horse determined by the fourth-place finisher with the highest lifetime earnings.