Meadowlands: Crucial wins Doherty Memorial elim, gives Burke career victory 10,000

Some sparkling efforts by 2-year-old trotters in the James Doherty Memorial (fillies) and Peter Haughton Memorial (colts and geldings) eliminations on Friday night at the Meadowlands were joined by a major milestone for trainer Ron Burke as he scored the 10,000th win of his career.

Burke started the day eight victories shy of reaching 10,000, but after winning races through the day at Scioto, The Meadows, and Yonkers, he stood at 9,999 triumphs as Crucial (Yannick Gingras) went behind the gate in the third $20,000 Doherty Memorial elim. She would brush from third to first going to the 57 4/5 half, and after a three-quarters in 1:27 4/5, she sprinted home in 26 4/5 to win by a length and a quarter in 1:54 3/5, giving Burke the landmark moment. Sherry Lyns Lady (Tim Tetrick) was second, Queen Of The Hill (Scott Zeron) came in third, and Bayou (David Miller) got fourth.

According to records on both sides, Burke is the first trainer of either Standardbreds or Thoroughbreds to reach 10,000 victories. Dale Baird, who passed away in 2007 while still training Thoroughbreds, had 9,445 wins, and the current active Thoroughbred leader is Steve Asmussen with 8,513.

The victorious daughter of Father Patrick-Jolene Jolene, owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC., W.J. Donovan, J&T Silva- Purnell & Libby, and Weaver Bruscemi LLC., is now two-for-two in her career. She was a $200,000 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale buy and paid $6.00 to win as the 2-1 second choice today.

Hypnotic AM (Brian Sears), coming off a track record mile at Yonkers, dazzled with a big rally back in the first Doherty Memorial elim, stopping the clock in 1:53 3/5. Hello Tomorrow (Gingras) took the lead passing the 28 2/5 opening quarter and would go on to hit the half in 57 3/5 and the three-quarters in 1:26 2/5. Ms Savannah Belle (Tetrick) would come first-over from third on the last turn, giving a second-over trip to Hypnotic AM, who had found a seat in fourth from post eight. Hello Tomorrow clung to the lead for almost the entire stretch drive, but Hypnotic AM surged confidently three-wide in the last eighth, and she got there in the last stride to win by a nose. Ms Savannah Belle took third, with Dune Hill (Andrew McCarthy) fourth.

A Chapter Seven-Daydream AM filly trained by Marcus Melander, Hypnotic AM is a homebred for Courant Inc. She has won all three of ther attempts, and she returned $2.60 to win as the 1-5 favorite.

Rounding out the Doherty Memorial elimination winners was 9-1 shot Solsbury Hill (Zeron) in 1:55 3/5. Zeron planted her in the three-hole through fractions of 28 1/5, 58 3/5, and 1:27 3/5, then split rivals in the lane to get up and prevail by three-parts of a length. Panem (Dexter Dunn) was the runner-up, with Word Of Honor (Andy Miller) third and Sans Defaut (Matt Kakaley) fourth.

Solsbury Hill, a Muscle Hill-Emmylou Who filly bred by Hanover Shoe Farms Inc., broke her maiden in her fourth kick at the can. Andrew Harris trains the half-sister to two-time Breeders Crown Open Mare Trot champion Emoticon Hanover for owners Howard Taylor, Rojan Stables, and W.J. Donovan, and she was a $120,000 acquisition at the Standardbred Horse Sale. She paid $20.20 to win.

The first of the pair of $20,000 Peter Haughton Memorial eliminations for the boys went to Synergy (Gingras) in 1:54 4/5. He pressed on to the engine past the 27 4/5 first quarter, reached the half in 57 3/5 and the three-quarters in 1:27 1/5, and came home in 27 3/5 to win by a length and a half over Stay Close (David Miller). Capricornus (Tetrick) rallied for third, with Expectations (Sears) and Ontopofthehill (Dunn) also moving on to the final on Hambletonian Day.

Per Engblom trains Synergy, a Father Patrick-Southwind Sauna colt bred by Southwind Farms LLC., for owners Brittany Farms LLC., John Fielding, Herb Liverman, and David Anderson. Synergy, who fetched $275,000 at the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale, has been victorious in both of his performances, and he returned $6.20 to win as the 2-1 third choice.

The other Peter Haughton Memorial elimination was taken by Real Cool Sam (David Miller) in 1:54 1/5. S Class (Gingras) clicked off the 27 4/5 opening quarter, but he gave way to Legion Of Honor (McCarthy), who would then be overtaken by a parked-out Real Cool Sam at the 56 4/5 half. Real Cool Sam would stave off a first-over bid of Back Of The Neck (Mattias Melander) to the 1:26 2/5 three-quarters, then finished up in-hand through a 27 4/5 end to the win. He downed Rome Pays Off (Tetrick) by a length, with Back Of The Neck third, Hellbent For AM (Sears) fourth, and Dublin (Kakaley) fifth.

Real Cool Sam, a Muscle Hill-Cooler Schooner gelding, is trained by Jim Campbell for owner/breeder Fashion Farms LLC. He has visited the winner's circle following all four of his tries, and he paid $2.40 to win as the 1-5 choice.