Meadowlands: Jersey Beach seeks Sire Stakes success in career debut mile

The first round of the New Jersey Sire Stakes for 3-year-old pacers kicks off at the Meadowlands on Saturday night with a pair of $30,000 divisions for colts and geldings and a single $30,000 leg for pacing fillies.

Driver Jason Bartlett has been a regular at the Meadowlands on Saturday night since the season began and he has a likely outsider in the seventh race first division for colts and geldings. While the nine-horse field includes the $510K winner Better Is Nice (post eight), Bartlett finds himself with a first-time starter in Jersey Beach (post six), a son of Lazarus that has just qualified twice this year after going unraced as a 2-year-old.

"He's a nice, big-gaited horse," said Bartlett of Jersey Beach, who he drove to victory in a 1:53 clocking at Pocono during a qualifier on April 24.

Deborah Daguet trains the gelding that also flashed high speed in an April 17 qualifier at Pocono. "He came a last quarter in 27 in that first qualifier," said Bartlett. "I couldn't make it for that race, but I did train him for Deborah before his first qualifier."

Bartlett has sat behind many a quality horse in his career and wouldn't speculate on how well Jersey Beach might fit in while making his career debut in a stakes race.

"I think with his gait he may be better suited for the big track," said Bartlett.

Just how well Jersey Beach stacks up against the competition remains to be seen but his first trip in a pari-mutuel race will certainly be a good place to find out since he'll face Better Is Nice, a seven-time winner as a freshman while racing in New Jersey, Kentucky and the Grand Circuit, and a horse with a ton of experience and talent to back it up. Trained by Tony Alagna, Better Is Nice has had two qualifiers over the Meadowlands surface to prepare for his sophomore debut, with driver Andrew McCarthy keeping him covered up and pacing 26-second final quarters.

Alritealritealrite earned $83K last year while going winless in six trips for trainer Paula Wellwood. He returned this year with a sharp effort in his season's debut at Woodbine Mohawk Park on April 25 with a 1:53 4/5 effort while coming from off- the-pace. Alritealritealrite drew post four in this division.

Trainer Nancy Takter's Caviart Justice was on the board in eight of his 11 starts as a freshman and makes his 2024 debut on Saturday from post two. The homebred son of Lazarus took a 1:52 1/5 mark last year.

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The second New Jersey Sire Stakes division (race nine) finds another of last year's better 2-year-olds facing a field looking for stakes identity. Wish You Well, 10 times first or second in 14 starts in 2023, makes his season's debut for trainer Nifty Norman. Wish You Well finished sixth behind Captain Luke in his final start last year in the Governor's Cup and was fifth while chasing the same horse in his most recent qualifier at the Meadowlands on April 20. Wish You Well landed post seven.

While many of last year's top performers are making their first start of the year in the New Jersey Sire Stakes, the same can't be said for Ain't Nostopn Time. The half-brother to Always B Miki has won half of his 10 starts this year and should be fit from the pole position for trainer Per Engblom.

Bonaparte (post five) has turned things around this year. Following a winless campaign in seven starts as a 2-year-old, Bonaparte has won three of six races this year, all coming at Pocono. The Bettor's Wish-sired gelding was a solid second behind the highly-regarded McCrunch at the Meadowlands on March 30.

The fourth race on Saturday's card is the $30,000 NJSS for sophomore pacing fillies, with a pair of last year's standouts hoping to make winning debuts. Odds On Steno (post five) was nine times first or second in 11 starts as a freshman for trainer Tony Alagna. She will debut following a pair of qualifiers at the Meadowlands. Pulp Fiction (post eight) had some vintage performances last year in New Jersey Sire Stakes action for trainer Michael Hall that led to six wins and $189K banked in 2023. Pulp Fiction tuned up for the Sire Stakes with a third-place finish at Rosecroft on April 16.

Bartlett has a busy schedule these days, clocking a ton of miles with plenty of days with doubleheaders scheduled.

"I'll be at Plainridge tomorrow [May 2]," Bartlett said following Wednesday morning qualifiers at Pocono.

"I drove a colt I like that I raced last year for Deborah Daguet in the Excelsior series," said Bartlett of Escape To America, a 1:55 winner in the qualifier with a 27-second final quarter. "I also drove that nice mare that Shane Tritton brought over August Moon A. He's still trying to get the kinks out with her."

Bartlett has been a regular at Pocono on Mondays and Tuesdays, doing double duty at Yonkers in the evenings. He also plans on being active in the New York Sire Stakes with those races kicking off this month.