Veteran trainer Ron Coyne Jr. doesn't have the size or scope of most major trotting outfits, but that hasn't stopped him from coming up with horses of superior talent racing in New Jersey. A few years ago, Coyne had the sophomore Southwind Admiral poised for the Yonkers Trot following a promising 2-year-old season. That son of Tactical Landing suffered an injury that curtailed his sophomore season. With what he had learned, Coyne returned to the yearling sales to purchase Southwind Alamo in 2024, and on Saturday night hopes he has the goods to compete in the Grade 3 Dexter Cup (race 10) at the Meadowlands, a $157,125 event that opens the Grand Circuit for the prestigious sophomore trotting division. "He definitely belongs with these," said Coyne, affirming expectations for the colt that showed glimpses of potential racing exclusively in New Jersey as a freshman. "He got to bullying last year," said Coyne of the colt's demeanor. "By the end of the year I think it just wore him down." A solid third behind divisional leader Apex in the New Jersey Classic for 2-year-old colts and geldings last September, Southwind Alamo's lone stakes victory in 2025 came in an early round of the Kindergarten Series at the Meadowlands where he took his seasonal mark in his first career pari-mutuel start, a 1:55 1/5 clocking. Following a solid winter training back, Coyne felt that Southwind Alamo had turned the corner and was going to be a better horse this year. "He started to mature and become a lot easier to handle," said Coyne. "I was happy with the way he qualified both times." As he did last year, Southwind Alamo came out strongly in his season's debut for Todd McCarthy and powered to a 1:53 3/5 career-best clocking, cruising around the Harrah's Philadelphia five-eighths-mile oval impressively. "I'd say he was within himself in that mile," Coyne said of the colt he plucked from the Lexington Selected sale for $57,000. "He's filled out physically," said Coyne of Southwind Alamo, who drew post four in the Dexter Cup and meets seven rivals from the sport's major trotting stables. Coyne's charge is one step ahead of his rivals on Saturday in that he's the only horse to have a race under his belt, with his seven rivals all coming off qualifiers. It's hard to say if that's a major advantage considering trainer Ake Svanstedt and Marcus Melander have significantly larger stables, giving each an easier gauge to a horse's progress. Svanstedt and Melander each have two in the field. Nordic Dancer S and Magic Punk drew posts five and six, respectively, with the former having limited Grand Circuit exposure as a freshman and Magic Punk showing promise, finishing second in both the William Wellwood and Peter Haughton Memorials during a campaign that saw him win four of his eight starts. Nordic Dancer S took his 1:56 1/5 record in a division of the Simpson at Pocono last October, and the full brother to the 2025 Hambletonian champion Nordic Catcher S will need to step up his game this year if he wants to compete at the same level. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter Melander's pair of Midwind Chimp (post one) and Neighver Punt (post eight) spent plenty of time during their rookie seasons racing in Kentucky. The pair lacks much in the way of Grand Circuit credentials, though Neighver Punt was a close second in a division of the International Stallion Stakes at The Red Mile last October. When you spend seven figures at an auction, as trainer Andrew Harris did for his ownership at Harrisburg in 2024, you are looking for a horse with the pedigree and talent to win the big ones. Cambridge Hanover, a $1,000,000 buy, did not win a race as a freshman in nine starts, but nevertheless was quite intriguing, earning a spot in the Breeders Crown final. The half-brother to former standout Maryland started as many times as his sibling in his first year of racing but had six fewer victories. Cambridge Hanover (post seven) gave the appearance of a different horse in 2026 in both of his qualifiers this year, with driver Jason Bartlett putting the Walner-sired colt in good position and not asking of much. Saturday's Dexter Cup will be a good barometer to see where he fits in the sophomore crop. Nine fillies entered the $67,650 Lady Suffolk (race 11) on Saturday, and Coyne's Abbey Blue Chip drew post eight. Also by Tactical Landing, Abbey Blue Chip makes her third start of the year in search of a first victory. "I'm sure she can go with these," said Coyne with some confidence. "She drew post eight in her first start at Pocono and was very good finishing." Abbey Blue Chip's second outing on April 17 at Harrah's Philadelphia was even better. "She was in with a 4-year-old horse that figured to win, and she fought right to the wire," said Coyne. Abbey Blue Chip had some of the same issues as her stablemate last year according to her trainer and likely ended her season not as sharp as she started it. The Lady Suffolk marks the sophomore debut of last year's Grade 1 Goldsmith Maid winner All Time Trot S (post six) for Team Svanstedt. All Time Trot S was first or second in six of her seven starts as a freshman and returns to action following a solid 1:56 qualifier on April 24 at the Meadowlands. Svanstedt will send out stablemate Busy Miss Lissy S (post two), a six-time winner in 2025 that captured the Grade 3 Kindergarten final but finished third in the Goldsmith Maid. Sister Wine (post nine) makes her first stakes appearance of the year for trainer Julie Miller. The daughter of Bar Hopping closed out a successful freshman campaign with a win in the Simpson and second-place finish in the Liberty Bell in 2025, earning $70K for the season. Coyne has Southwind Alamo well-staked in 2026. The colt is ineligible to the Hambletonian but was named into the Earl Beal at Pocono, as well as the Canadian Trotting Classic at Woodbine Mohawk Park. A New Jersey-eligible, Southwind Alamo has the Sire Stakes, as well as the New Jersey Classic on his stakes schedule. Saturday's 14-race Meadowlands card starts at 6:35 P.M. (EDT) and also features multiple divisions of New Jersey Sire Stakes for 3-year-old pacers.