Meadowlands: Daley duo look to add New Jersey Classic titles to resumes

Noel Daley liked Buy A Round from the moment he began training the female trotter, particularly because she reminded him of past stable star Cedar Dove. The 2-year-old filly has done little to change Daley’s opinion since the beginning of her campaign, winning three of four races, including the New Jersey Sire Stakes championship a month ago.

On Friday at The Meadowlands, Buy A Round will be one of four NJSS champs looking to add a New Jersey Classic final to their list of accomplishments. Daley also trains one of the other three, 2-year-old male trotter Sig Sauer. The remaining two are 2-year-old female pacer Pulp Fiction and 3-year-old male trotter Air Power.

New Jersey Sire Stakes champs also will be in action in Saturday’s two New Jersey Classic finals, 3-year-old male pacer Voukefalas and 3-year-old female pacer Ucandoit Blue Chip. The NJC finals for trotters go for purses of $275,000 while the pacers race for $150,000.

The NJC, sponsored by The Meadowlands and Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey, is for N.J.-sired horses and horses eligible to the New Jersey Standardbred Development Fund stakes.

Buy A Round is a daughter of Walner-On Your Tab owned by breeder Fred Hertrich III. Last week at the Big M, she won her NJC elimination from post nine by 1-1/2 lengths over Walcango in 1:54.3. She starts the final from post three with Andy McCarthy in the sulky and is the 3-1 morning-line favorite.

“From day one, she reminded me of Cedar Dove, and I knew I had a good one real early with her,” Daley said, referring to his 2011 Dan Patch Award winner. “She’s a little natural. She’s as good a going trotter as I’ve ever had. She’s all business.”

Daley also will send out Miss I La, who finished second to Sunkist Beauty in the other elimination for rookie filly trotters. Miss I La (Walner-Southwind Venus) has raced four times, with two seconds and a third in her three most recent outings. She has been within three-quarters of a length of the winner in all three.

“I trained her down with Buy A Round and loved them both,” Daley said. “Miss I La got sick and had a few little issues along the way, but she will be much improved from that race last week. She was a little aggressive the other day. If she settles down and trips out, she can be right there. She’s not going to out-muscle them right now, but it wouldn’t shock me at all if she won.”

Miss I La will start from post four with driver Scott Zeron and is 10-1.

Sunkist Beauty (Six Pack-Orange Bigi) is the 7-2 second choice after her 1:54.1 score last week. She will leave from post one with trainer-driver Ake Svanstedt.

Sig Sauer, undefeated in three races, is the 2-1 favorite among the 2-year-old male trotters. He won his elimination in 1:55.4, finishing a neck ahead of Southwind Metric. He leaves from post one Friday with McCarthy in the bike.

“He’s always been very nice,” Daley said. “He’s a very strong horse. He’s got a lot of power to him. I don’t think we’ve seen anywhere near the best of him yet. He’s got a lot more to give, I think.”

Daley trains the son of Muscle Hill-Sigilwig for owners Patricia Stable, Joe Sbrocco & JAF Racing, Allister Stables, and Caviart Farms. He was purchased for $200,000 at the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale.

“For us, it was a lot of money; we don’t usually go in those numbers,” Daley said. “I don’t want to over-race him. I think he’ll be a better 3-year-old. I don’t want him to have more than about eight starts. If everything goes to plan, which it never does, we’ll take him to Kentucky for two and then the Breeders Crown for two and that’s probably it.”

In the final for 2-year-old female pacers, Daley-trained Miraculous Deo will take on a field that includes 2-1 favorite Pulp Fiction, who is undefeated in four starts for trainer Michael Hall. Miraculous Deo, who finished second in her elimination, starts from post seven with driver Brian Sears and is 5-1. She has hit the board in five of six races, winning one.

“If she happened to trip out, she’s good enough to win it,” Daley said about Deo Volente Farms’ homebred daughter of Stay Hungry-Worldly Beauty. “I think she’ll go with all of those.”

In the final for freshmen male pacers, Daley will send out longshot Avellino for breeder-owner Anthony Monica. The gelding, a son of Lazarus N-Raise Your Glass, has one win in three starts. He will leave from post seven with driver McCarthy.

“Realistically, we’re just looking for a piece,” Daley said. “We liked him early, then the first time I qualified him, he lost the plot. But he’s heading in the right direction now.”

Newsroom (Always B Miki-Well Hello There) is the 3-5 favorite in the race. He is 4-for-4 for trainer Joe Holloway and driver David Miller and will start from post five.

In the remaining NJC finals Friday, Air Power (Muscle Hill-Beyond Blue) is 9-2 on the morning line in the race for 3-year-old male trotters, third choice behind 2-1 favorite Oh Well (Muscle Hill-Fine Tuned Lady) and Celebrity Bambino (Muscle Hill-Celebrity Ruth) at 5-2. Secret Volo (Walner-Secret Serenity) gets the 5-2 nod among 3-year-old female trotters.

Marcus Melander trains Air Power, Oh Well, and Secret Volo. Ron Burke trains Celebrity Bambino.

Friday's races to be broadcast on Fox Sports 2

When it comes to national television exposure, The Meadowlands has had plenty during 2023, and this Friday (Sept. 8) night, the TV departments at the New York Racing Association (NYRA) and The Big M will combine forces to show five of the six finals for the New Jersey Classic Series for 2- and 3-year-olds of each sex and gait live during a two-hour live presentation on Fox Sports 2 (FS2) beginning at 9 p.m.

Big M TV’s Jessica Otten will provide the harness racing analysis on the broadcast, which will also feature Thoroughbred action from Charles Town Races.

If business from a week ago is an indicator of things to come, Friday should be a big night.

“One week ago, despite racing having been on a three-week hiatus after Hambletonian Day, total handle was just shy of $3 million,” said track Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir, “which represented a 71 percent increase over the corresponding Friday from the year prior. Everything is trending in the right direction for the NJCS on Friday.

“We want to thank NYRA and Fox for their extraordinary efforts and talent, allowing The Meadowlands to show our sports’ greatest events on “America’s Day at the Races”. It’s an honor to be a part of such a first-class broadcast.”

This weekend marks the end of the Big M’s four-card “Mini Meet”. Racing will take place Friday and Saturday with a first-race post time of 6:20 p.m.

-with files from The Meadowlands