Meadowlands: Don't Let'em much the best in Peter Haughton Memorial

Race favorite Greenshoe couldn't stay on-stride for the third straight race, allowing 3-1 second choice Don't Let'em to make an easy lead and go on to a 1:51 4/5 track record score in the $422,350 Peter Haughton Memorial for rookie trotting colts on Saturday afternoon at the Meadowlands.

Driver Brian Sears had Greenshoe right up on the gate this week, and he got away cleanly, but then jumped it off on the straightaway before the turn. He did get back on stride on the turn at the rear of the field, but was obviously left with a ton of work to do from there. With the 3-5 choice out of the picture, Don't Let'em and Gingras moved around Marseille (Ake Svanstedt) for control before the 27 1/5 opening quarter.

Don't Let'em would maintain clear control through middle-half splits of 55 3/5 and 1:24, with Gerry (Tim Tetrick) unable to reach him after coming first-over from fourth. Green Manalishi S (David Miller) had a second-over trip, but he was outside the whole way from post ten, and Greenshoe picked up spots with a three-wide sweep around the turn.

In the stretch Don't Let'em had no intention of "letting 'em" get any closer as he continued to pour it on, winning by open lengths over a game Green Manalishi S, who was up for second after the parked trip. 60-1 shot Mass Fortune K (Matt Kakaley) came up the inside to just get third ahead of Gerry. Greenshoe flattened out in the lane and wasn't among the top-five finishers.

"He broke right alongside of me, so it definitely changed the complexion of the race," Gingras said about Greenshoe jumping it off. "My horse raced great, and I thought I had a really great shot to beat him regardless."

A colt by Muscle Hill, Don't Let'em is trained by Jimmy Takter for co-owner/breeder Brittany Farms and co-owners Christina Takter, John Fielding, and Herb Liverman. Don't Let'em has a record of 3-1-0 from four starts, and he has now earned $233,675. He is out of the Angus Hall mare Passageway (2:01, $5,910), making him a half-brother to the exported Zack's Zoomer (Deweycheatumnhowe, 1:54 4/5 $169,031). Don't Let'em paid $8.00 to win.

"It doesn't surprise any of us from the farm or any of the ownership. He's a very, very talented horse," remarked Art Zubrod from Brittany Farms. "The only knock on him as a yearling was that he wasn't real big, but they said the same thing about Manchego, so I guess that's not a real knock, is it?"