Meadowlands: Dribbling Bi heads Cassar weekend trio

Sometimes having success with a trotter is out of the hands of the trainer. In the case of Dribbling Bi, a two-time winner at the Meadowlands this winter, things must go his way for him to be effective. Trainer Darran Cassar will again send out the 5-year-old son of Cantab Hall this Saturday, looking for a second straight win but by no means certain of the outcome.

"He's his own worst enemy," Cassar said of Dribbling Bi, pointing the finger directly at the horse that trotted impressively to a 1:54 3/5 victory last Friday (February 23) at the Meadowlands.

"Brett [Beckwith] did a great job of keeping him calm, and he finished up his mile very well," said Cassar of the effort against non-winners of $3,000 company.

On Saturday Dribbling Bi moves up in class to non-winners of $7,500, and while that looks like a major step up on paper, Cassar doesn't believe it will be a big issue.

"As long as he's relaxed out there, he'll be fine," Cassar said. "It's funny, he was fine up until a few months ago but suddenly he's become more aggressive. He's a pleasure around the barn and not a horse you would think would be a puller."

Dribbling Bi drew post four in Saturday's third race and faces seven others of varying ability. Kenobi (post three) will try the big track for the first time this year, having won two of his four starts this winter at Saratoga Harness. Sidd Finch gets what appears to be a welcome drop in class for trainer Irwin Rosenthal. After facing Open foes on February 17, he returns to the level of his last win here on January 19 and draws post five.

Dribbling Bi has been with Cassar since late in his 3-year-old season. "We bought him off of Jeff Gregory," said Cassar.

Since the purchase he's earned over $82K, adding 10 victories to the four he achieved under Gregory's care.

Cassar is hoping for some racing luck in race four with the veteran import Mister Donald A (post two) in a non-winners of $5,000 conditioned class.

"I was a bit disappointed in his last start [February 17]," said Cassar. "He might have been a little sick. We've given him some time to get well, and he should be fine."

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Mister Donald A has gone winless in five starts this year but has been knocking on the door with a pair of second-place finishes in his last four starts, both at this level.

"He needs a trip," said Cassar, while expecting a good effort from the 29-win son of Falcon Seelster.

Last year Mister Donald A had a long campaign that saw him set a personal-best 1:50 3/5 mile at Harrah's Philadelphia as one of seven victories on the season. On Saturday he faces a decent group that includes a Meadowlands favorite De Los Cielos Deo. That veteran son of Captaintreacherous was a 1:52 2/5 winner at the Meadowlands on February 3 against the lowest class but should fit comfortably at this level from post seven.

Love Your Work A is another staple in the Cassar stable, arriving on these shores late in 2022 and enjoying a solid campaign in his first season in North America last year with $54K earned in 30 starts. Though the son of Western Terror moves up and out (post seven) for Saturday's ninth race, a non-winners of $10,000 affair, the trainer believes he's got a shot.

"He doesn't have a lot of gate speed," said Cassar. "He needs a trip like they all do here."

Love Your Work A took a 1:49 4/5 record at the Meadowlands last year as one of his four wins on the season.

Cassar is training about a dozen horses and is looking forward to unveiling perhaps his best horse in the homebred Write Me A Rose. "He's in to qualify Saturday," said Cassar of the 4-year-old by Sportswriter and out of the Bettor's Delight-sired Caribbean Rose N. Cassar campaigned that mare for the better part of four years in North America after her arrival in 2015. Write Me A Rose is her first foal.

"He won the SBOA for Ontario-breds last year," said Cassar of Write Me A Rose, a career earner of $278K that has raced against the best in the Ontario-sired program over the last two years. "He's eligible to both the Ontario Graduate and the New Jersey Maturity."

Both races are exclusive for 4-year-olds and Write Me A Rose is Ontario-sired but also foaled in New Jersey.

Cassar buys a couple of yearlings each year hoping to hit the proverbial home run and likes a son of Cattlewash he purchased at Harrisburg. "We paid $22,000 for him. I've staked him in New Jersey and we've also paid him into the Metro," said Cassar.