Meadowlands: Elimination fields set for Hambletonian Oaks

Twenty fillies entered today for the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks, the filly division of the Hambletonian.

Hambletonian Festival week kicks off on July 30 with two $50,000 eliminations to narrow the field to 10 for the $500,000 Oaks Final on Hambletonian Day, Sat., Aug. 6, at The Meadowlands Racetrack, East Rutherford, NJ.

The favorite in the field of 20 will be Dan Patch divisional Champion Broadway Donna, a daughter of 2007 Hambletonian winner Donato Hanover and 2009 Oaks winner Broadway Schooner. Owned by Jules Siegel’s Fashion Farms and trained by Jim Campbell, Broadway Donna has made just three starts this year, with two wins and a second. She prevailed by a gritty half-length in her division of the Del Miller Memorial over All The Time and Celebrity Eventsy on July 16 at The Meadowlands.

The other Miller Memorial division featured a rare deadheat between Unica Steed and Woman’s Will. Those two will match up again in the same Oaks elimination along with Ontario Sires Stake star Caprice Hill, making her first pari-mutuel Meadowlands appearance after racking up more than $578,696 north of the border.

Swedish trainer-driver Ake Svanstedt entered a total of five fillies in the Oaks elims. Jimmy Takter has three representatives, including Unica Steed, a daughter of 1998 Hambletonian winner Muscles Yankee and Premier Steed by Workaholic. Unica Steed was foaled in Italy, sired in France and is owned by French stable Ecurie AB Trot, and yet has American trotting blood coursing through both sides of her pedigree.

$50,000 Oaks Elim for Sat., July 30

Post Position	Horse	Trainer	Driver
1	WILDFLOWER	Ake Svanstedt	Ake Svanstedt
2	CELEBRITY EVENTSY	Staffan Lind	John Campbell
3	SPICEDBOURBONGIRL	Jeff Gregory	Jeff Gregory
4	SYNONYMOUS HANOVER	Chris Oakes	Brett Miller
5	ALL THE TIME	Jimmy Takter	Yannick Gingras
6	DOUBLE EXPOSURE	Tony Alagna	Tim Tetrick
7	MISS TEZSLA	Jimmy Takter	Brett Miller
8	BROADWAY DONNA	Jim Campbell	David Miller
9	SOUTHWIND PEARL	Jonas Czernyson	Scott Zeron
10	GRACIE HANOVER	Ake Svanstedt	TBA

$50,000 Oaks Elim for Sat., July 30

Post Position	Horse	Trainer	Driver
1	SIDE BET HANOVER	Jonas Czernyson	Corey Callahan
2	UNICA STEED	Jimmy Takter	Tim Tetrick
3	BLACK BROADWAY	Michael Eaton	Brian Sears
4	DREAM CHILD	Linda Toscano	John Campbell
5	CAPRICE HILL	Tony Alagna	Tim Tetrick
6	DANCING IN THEHALL	Ake Svanstedt	Ake Svanstedt
7	WOMANS WILL	Julie Miller	Andy Miller
8	WINDOWSHOPPER	Ake Svanstedt	Ake Svanstedt
9	GINNY WEASLEY	Ake Svanstedt	Ake Svanstedt
10	FLOWERS N SONGS	Paul Reid	Yannick Gingras

The top five finishers in each elim will advance to the final on Aug. 6. Elimination winners draw for inside posts 1-5 and all other finalists will then be placed in an open draw. The winner of the final on Aug. 6 is the Oaks winner, regardless of elimination finish on July 30.

Entries for the Hambletonian Oaks and Hambletonian close at 9:00 a.m. on Aug. 1 at The Meadowlands race office.

Post positions for the $500,000 Oaks final and Hambletonian eliminations (possibly Cashman Memorial and Cane Pace, as well) will be drawn and morning lines assigned on Monday Aug. 1, at the Hambletonian Press conference and post-positions draw, at 4:00 p.m. in Victory Sports Bar at The Meadowlands. The draw will be streamed live on the Meadowlands web site.

The $300,000 John Cashman Jr. Memorial, $284,000 Cane Pace, $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks and $1 million Hambletonian will be featured on a live 90-minute broadcast on CBS Sports Network from 4-5:30 p.m. [EDT] on Aug. 6.

Hambletonian Day is closing day with a post time of 12:00 noon, and the zenith of the Championship Meet.

--edited release (Hambletonian Society)