Meadowlands: From Grand Circuit to Sire Stakes, Campbell has a busy weekend

Trainer Jim Campbell has a busy weekend planned, with four horses racing on Friday and Saturday night in stakes action at the Meadowlands and a fifth headed for The Meadows on Saturday afternoon for the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes. The biggest race of the weekend purse-wise is the $141,250 Arthur J. Cutler Memorial at the Meadowlands where Campbell sends out last year's Breeders Crown Open Trot runner-up Crystal Fashion against nine rivals.

"I was happy with his first race," said Campbell of Crystal Fashion, a 6-year-old gelding that enters the Cutler with in excess of $2 million earned, making him the second-richest horse in the field behind Manchego.

"He's a big horse and he needs a lot of work," said Campbell, thinking more long-term for the veteran that managed to show up when the big money was riding a year ago, earning a shade under $300,000 in 13 starts. Crystal Fashion drew post six and will have Jordan Stratton in the bike in the Cutler.

Manchego returns for her 6-year-old debut for trainer Nancy Takter, and the champion mare won't have the luxury of a start under her belt. Manchego had two qualifiers at the Meadowlands in April, with an effort on the 24th that proved sub-par.

"She was pretty sick," said Takter. "But her blood is good. She scoped clean and trained well. Of course, I would have liked to get another race in her."

The Cutler could be a good spot for Lindy The Great to continue his winning form. Trainer Julie Miller sends out the 7-year-old by Crazed in great shape considering he's won both of his starts in 2021 after enjoying just one victory in 16 attempts a year ago. Andy Miller will guide him from post seven.

Trainer Luc Blais has brought some solid trotting talent with him from Ontario, and the Cutler will mark the seasonal debut of the 2019 Hambletonian winner Forbidden Trade. Unfortunately, the 5-year-old by Kadabra has not raced competitively since last August and gets a double whammy after drawing the outside post ten.

The $1.4 million career earner Guardian Angel AS (post three) had little chance but still offered a solid late kick in finishing fifth in the Charlie Hill Memorial at Scioto Downs on May 6. The 25-time winner drew favorably for trainer Anette Lorentzon and will have Tim Tetrick in the bike.

Others in the field of ten for the Cutler are Reign Of Honor, Oney Hall, Play Trix On Me, Majestic Player A, and Felicityshagwell S.

The second leg of the Graduate for 4-year-old pacers has a pair of $50,000 divisions on Saturday, with Campbell's 2020 Breeders Crown winner Sandbetweenmytoes looking for his first victory of the season in the tenth race division.

"It's kind of hard to come from off-the-pace when they are going 53-second final halves," Campbell said.

Sandbetweenmytoes paced home in 25 3/5 in the opening Graduate leg on May 1 and didn't get a check.

"He's a versatile horse that just needs to get into the race," said Campbell about his charge.

Sandbetweenmytoes drew post two, with the rampaging Ruthless Hanover, already a leg winner in the series, landing post eight on the outside of the select group.

In the first Graduate division on Saturday (race eight), Captain Barbossa seeks his third consecutive win on the season for trainer Tony Alagna. The altered son of Captaintreacherous landed post six and finds some solid competition to his left with a pair from trainer Nancy Takter's potent stable drawing the inside post positions. No Lou Zing (post one) was a sharp winner in his 4-year-old debut, scoring in 1:49 3/5 last Saturday (May 8) at the Meadowlands. Ocean Rock (post two) makes his long awaited 4-year-old debut following a wicked 1:50 3/5 qualifying effort on May 8.

On Friday, Sire Stakes action kicks off at the Meadowlands for 3-year-old New Jersey-sired trotters, and Campbell is optimistic that a pair of his sophomores will be able to perform at a high level. Cool Trix (post five) is a Trixton-sired half-brother to Real Cool Sam that makes his career debut (in race three) off a May 8 Meadowlands qualifier.

"I was very happy with the way he raced in the qualifier," Campbell said of the pace-setting mile that netted out at a 1:55 2/5 clocking.

Last year Cool Trix had numerous qualifiers but no starts and was racing with trotting hopples. This year he qualified without the hopples.

"He was a little immature last year," said Campbell. "He's grown up and can handle his speed much better."

Cool Trix faces a field of seven rivals, many with stakes experience, including last year's Valley Victory champion Bee Forever (post four) and Peter Haughton Memorial champion Zenith Stride (post six). This field also includes the $700,000 yearling Really Fast (post three), who has captured both of his sophomore starts effortlessly for trainer Nancy Takter. Lindysmusclemania (post one) won four of seven starts as a juvenile and makes his sophomore debut for trainer Ake Svanstedt off a vicious 1:53 2/5 qualifying victory on April 30 with a 28 second final quarter into the wind.

With two qualifiers under his belt, Campbell believes Cricket Fashion (post five, race ten) is ready for his sophomore debut. The Muscle Hill-sired colt earned $137,622 last year, finishing on the board in eight of 10 starts. Campbell is expecting Cricket Fashion to be ready but suggested he's got a long schedule ahead that could include the Hambletonian.

Sandwiched between his Meadowlands appointments, Campbell sends out Broadway Don in one of three divisions of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for sophomore male trotters at The Meadows on Saturday afternoon.

"He's a horse with a lot of talent," said Campbell of the full brother to the $1.4 million winner Broadway Donna.

Broadway Don spent much of his 2-year-old campaign learning the ropes and then needed three qualifiers at the Meadowlands to trot a flat mile. To his credit, the 1:54 2/5 mile he trotted on May 8 was most-impressive since he cut the mile, trotted a final quarter in 27 1/5, and was only passed by a pair of top-ranked stakes winners in the last few yards.

$141,250 Cutler Memorial - May 15 Meadowlands - Race 9

1-Reign Of Honor-D.Miller-15-1

2-Oney Hall-T.McCarthy-10-1

3-Guardian Angel AS-T.Tetrick-5-1

4-Play Trix On Me-S.Zeron-15-1

5-Majestic Player A-Y.Gingras-6-1

6-Crystal Fashion-J.Stratton-8-1

7-Lindy The Great-A.Miller-3-1

8-Felicityshagwell S-A.Svanstedt-10-1

9-Manchego-D.Dunn-9-2

10-Forbidden Trade-B.McClure-7-2