Meadowlands: Harris with a full slate for Saturday stakes card

A major night of stakes action comes to the Meadowlands on Saturday (June 28), and trainer Andrew Harris has compiled a stable with designs of being represented on nights such as this. His Abuckabett Hanover rose to the Dan Patch Award in 2024, racing and beating the best Open pacers in North America. Abuckabett Hanover is back and Harris believes the 7-year-old is in quite similar form as he hopes to get the ball rolling in 2025 with a win in one of two divisions of the Dave Brower Memorial.

"He came into this race last year after finishing third in the Gold Cup at Mohawk," said Harris. "This year he was third again and just had no room."

Abuckabett Hanover used the prep in Ontario last year as a springboard to victories in the Brower and then William Haughton Memorial races that were two weeks apart last year and once again in 2025. He landed post three this year in the sixth race and first $86,500 Brower division on the 14-race card at the Meadowlands after drawing posts eight and 10 in his last two starts at Woodbine Mohawk Park

"This division is always tough," said Harris when asked if he expected Abuckabett Hanover to handle rivals this year as he did a year ago. "There are horses like Bythemissal, who has come back strong, and then you add Captain Albano and Nijinsky to the mix, and you know it's going to be tough."

In Saturday's contest Abuckabett Hanover will be looking for his first win of the year against Ken Hanover (post eight), a recent winner in the Battle of Lake Erie who enters the Brower riding a four-race winning streak.

Harris has another horse in the second $86,500 Brower division carded as race eight, but he didn't seem as confident about Seven Colors' chances despite landing the pole position.

"Those last two starts he was used very hard. He's going to need an easy race just to get his confidence back," said Harris.

Seven Colors pushed Ken Hanover hard in the Battle of Lake Erie and paid the price in the stretch. Two weeks ago, he was used again in the third quarter and tired in an Open pace at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Perhaps Harris' feelings about Seven Colors may have something to do with the quality of the field he's up against, with Bythemissal returning to the Meadowlands just seven days after scorching the Scioto Downs oval in 1:47 1/5, a career-best mile for the 6-year-old son of Downbytheseaside. It was a big bounce-back mile for Bythemissal following a lackluster overland journey in the Battle of Lake Erie.

Last year's Breeders Crown winner Coach Stefanos returns to East Rutherford, New Jersey, for trainer Erv Miller, hoping to get on the winning track. In five starts this year Coach Stefanos has won just once.

Ontario invader Ervin Hanover has been razor-sharp for trainer Dave Menary, and he was explosive in winning an Preferred event at Woodbine Mohawk Park on June 21 in 1:48. Ervin Hanover drew post six,

Locally, Maximus Miki (post three) has put two impressive victories together over the Meadowlands mile surface but will meet much tougher foes on Saturday.

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Driver Scott Zeron was more than pleased with the first start for It's My Show, the 2023 North America Cup champion. "He's always good fresh," said Zeron of the 5-year-old who paced a 25 4/5 final quarter while finishing third behind Maximus Miki in his 2025 debut.

"If he's in the right spot turning for home, he's always a factor," said Zeron with supreme confidence in the Linda Toscano-trained son of Sweet Lou. Last year, It's My Show was in the right spot when he took down Abuckabett Hanover in the Canadian Pacing Derby.

Zeron has the likely favorite in Periculum in Saturday's richest race, the $164,000 Crawford Farms Trot (race nine). Periculum has raced just once this year, and that came in May when he captured the Cutler Memorial over this surface in 1:51 4/5. Since then, he's been preparing via qualifiers.

"When I went with him (in a qualifier) on June 14 he was by himself, and they wanted me to go in 1:57, and that's what they did. They knew he would have a second qualifier," Zeron said.

Periculum was just as strong last Friday (June 20), winning in 1:53, exactly the time trainer Marcus Melander was looking for when he sent Zeron to the track.

"He's just very sharp and at the top of his game right now," said Zeron, who guides Periculum (post three) against eight rivals, including stablemate Aetos Kronos S, the winner of the Maxie Lee at Harrah's Philadellphia on May 25 who was denied entry into the Cutler for lack of earnings. Aetos Kronos S drew post six.

Harris has another pair racing on Saturday, with the 3-year-old Yo Tillie making just her second start of the year. Eligible in Kentucky, Harris has chosen to keep the daughter of Tactical Landing in New Jersey.

"I didn't want to race her at Oak Grove," said Harris. "We'll have this race on Saturday ($33,375 Reynolds Memorial – race 10) and then go for the Del Miller Memorial (July 12)."

Yo Tillie was awesome in her sophomore debut, winning the Garden State on May 17 at the Meadowlands in a career-best 1:52 3/5 clocking. "She was very strong in her qualifier," said Harris of the June 14 prep.

My Girl EJ (post two) races six rivals in the $116,500 Perfect Sting for older pacing mares (race 11), and Harris is more than realistic about her chances. "You have to do a lot of work just to get in the right position behind Twin B Joe Fresh," Harris said.

My Girl EJ was able to finish second behind the defending Horse of the Year in the Betsy Ross at Harrah's Philadelphia on May 25 but got used very hard in the Roses Are Red at Woodbine Mohawk on June 14 and finished off-the-board.

The Perfect Sting pits rival Sylvia Hanover (post one) against Twin B Joe Fresh (post three). The former was the dominant of the two in 2023 when they were sophomores, but last year Twin B Joe Fresh was close to invincible.

The Perfect Sting also drew Blue Chip Matchmaker champion Aardie B Miki N (post five), a 5-year-old daughter of Always B Miki that was third in the Roses Are Red.