Meadowlands: Hard Seven is number one in Saturday night's Dexter Cup
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The first major stakes card of the Championship Meet at the Meadowlands was held on Saturday night, and Hard Seven took the biggest prize in the $115,500 Dexter Cup for 3-year-old male trotters.
Moved to the Meadowlands after last year's closure of Freehold Raceway, the Dexter Cup saw Hard Seven, driven by Todd McCarthy, go to the front and post fractions of 27 4/5, 57 2/5 and 1:26 4/5. My Degenerate (Andy Miller) sat in the pocket behind Hard Seven, came to the outside in the lane and rallied to the wire, but Hard Seven was able to hold him off, prevailing by a head in 1:53 4/5. Civilian Drone (Dexter Dunn) was third.
"He really actually started to grow up a lot at the end of last year," noted winning trainer Nancy Takter. "He finished with a nice win streak down at Cumberland Run racing in Kentucky Sire Stakes. He came into this year confident and he's grown up a bit. I'm kind of really excited about the way he has progressed.
"He's a quick colt. He definitely knows what it's about. He just kept fighting when Andy was coming at him down the stretch tonight. He's got all the tools to get (to the Hambletonian). We've got just to have some luck and some health on the way and he should be just fine."
A Chapter Seven colt, Hard Seven was bred by Ola Yoder and is owned by Let It Ride Stables Inc., Maurice Chodash and Boca Racing LLC. He has a summary of 5-2-0 from 11 appearances, has earned $176,165 and paid $2.80 to win.
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In the companion $45,000 Lady Suffolk for sophomore trotting fillies, Conversano (Andy McCarthy) sat third while Halfadozen (Dan Dube) clicked off panels of 29 4/5, 59 and 1:27 4/5. McCarthy then brought Conversano off the rail in the lane, and she had the best kick in the lane, getting up to defeat pocket-sitter My Debt Collecter (David Miller) by half a length in 1:55. Halfadozen faded to third.
Juan Cano trains Conversano, a daughter of Muscle Hill, for owner Hot Lead Farm. The Joseph Parisi-bred has three victories from nine trips behind the gate and has banked $54,875. The Lady Suffolk was a non-wagering race.
New Jersey Sire Stakes 3-year-old pacing contests for 2025 also began on Saturday night. Making History (Brett Beckwith, 1:52 1/5), an American History colt trained by Tony Alagna and Smooth Dream (Todd McCarthy, 1:49 3/5), a Noel Daley trainee, took the $25,000 tilts for colts and geldings, while Beach Babe, a daughter of Cattlewash, was a 1:52 victor for Yannick Gingras and Ron Burke in the single $25,000 flight for fillies.