Meadowlands: First group of baby races in the books

Breakfast With The Babies, generously sponsored again this year by Jules Siegel's Fashion Farms, kicked off the 2023 season at 9:00 on a cloudy Saturday morning with temperatures in the mid-60's and a slight opposing breeze in the homestretch at the Meadowlands.

The first winner of the year was Alfaromeo, a Father Patrick colt who went all the way for trainer/driver Lucas Wallin. He set moderate fractions through three-quarters, then sped home in 28 seconds to hold safe over pocket-sitter Security Protected (Tim Tetrick) in 2:01 1/5. Alfaromeo was an $85,000 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale (LEX) purchase by Mal & Janet Burroughs, Alfaromeo Stable and Howard Perlmutter's Pit Bull Stables. He was bred in Kentucky by Black Creek Farm, Northern Lane Farm, Four Corners and Hickory Hollow Stables.

Situationship, a Chapter Seven colt trained and driven by Ake Svanstedt, rolled by his rivals through the stretch in a purposeful 2:00 4/5 winning effort while trotting home in 27 3/5. French Kronos (Mattias Melander) cut the mile and stayed on for third, with Call Of The Wild (Brian Sears) splitting that pair. The winner was an $85,000 (LEX) buy for Tristan Sjöberg's Knutsson Trotting, Jeff Gural's Little E LLC. and Tomas Andersson. Crawford Farms is the breeder.

The Melander barn sent out the third race winner, an easy task as all three in the race came from that stable. Dreaming Of Sydney (Tetrick) led early, released Landaluci (a Greenshoe sister to Hannelore Hanover) as they approached the half, then tipped and edged past that one in the 28 3/5 end to the 2:03 2/5 mile. The winner is a Walner filly, bred by Kentuckiana Farms LLC and Eddie Gran, and sold for $200,000 (LEX) to AMG Stables, K. Kjellgren Heights Stable and Mantorp LLC.

The Wallin stable struck again with The Moment (Tetrick), a Father Patrick filly who closed nicely from third down the stretch, ending the 1:59 4/5 mile with a 27 4/5 individual last quarter for the win. Good Faith Hanover (Dexter Dunn), also from the Wallin barn, cut fair fractions and held on for second. The winner was an $85,000 Harrisburg (SHS) purchase for Al Libfeld, Marvin & Lynn Katz and Sam Goldband. Shmuel Farhi is the breeder.

Marcus Melander added a second win with Wild Ticket (Sears), who moved to the front going to the 1:02 1/5 half, then sped home in 28 seconds to hold off Stormcloudfashion (Tetrick) from the pocket and Supernova Hanover (Dunn), who was composed early and very willing late, home in 27 2/5. AMG Stables, K. Kjellgren, Heights Stable and Mantorp LLC. share ownership of the winner, bred by Al Libfeld and sold for $200,000 in Lexington last fall.

The day's only 2YO pace went to Robert Hirsch's Huntsville filly I'm A Believer (Jordan Stratton), who sat behind a slow pace set by Price Of Memories (Josert Fonseca), then rallied through the inside to better that rival in 2:03 2/5, home in 28 3/5. A $40,000 (LEX) yearling purchase, the winner is trained by Mark Ford and was bred by Southwind Farms.

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Among the horses racing in qualifiers on the card, Christchurch, currently third in Dave Little's Road to the Meadowlands Pace, was still a handful for Dunn but did rate some early, then dashed home in 26 3/5 on the end of a 1:51 3/5 mile on what was not a great day for speed.

Allywag Hanover was considerably more focused today than last week's debacle and put up an effortles 1:52 4/5, 26 3/5 mile for Pelling and Todd McCarthy.

Justice made his first appearance of his 4-year-old season for Svanstedt and trotted home impressively in 28 seconds to win in 1:55 2/5, and Strong Poison, a top freshman pacing filly for Ron Burke and Yannick Gingras, scored in 1:53 4/5.

--press release (Meadowlands)--