Meadowlands: Johansson switches focus to trotters in Friday stakes action

With her win in the C$1 million North America Cup last Saturday night in the books, trainer Nancy Johansson decided to concentrate her attention this weekend on the trotting side of her stable.

After Captain Crunch’s powerhouse performance at Woodbine Mohawk Park last week, the sophomore pacing colt got a day off but is back in training. Johansson felt after capturing the Cup that entering the Max Hempt Memorial at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono this week was not in the cards. “He won the North America Cup,” Johansson said. “It’s not as if he has to prove himself.” Instead, Captain Crunch will get ready for The Meadowlands Pace.

Johansson had planned to race her top sophomore trotting filly and colt on Friday night at The Meadowlands in separate races but when the draw came out both Peter Haughton winner Don’t Let’em and Merrie Annabelle champion The Ice Dutchess had actually been put in the same race.

“I scratched The Ice Dutchess,” said Johansson. “I entered them in different races. I wanted Yannick to get to sit behind Don’t Let’em for a few races.”

It was an awkward position Johansson was placed in as the seventh race on Friday found the race office combining multiple classes to make a single race. In the process they managed to pair two horses from the same stable and ironically no one noticed that Gingras had been put on both.

“Hopefully we’ll find a race for her next week,” said Johansson of The Ice Dutchess, who after winning a Pennsylvania All Stars on June 9 has no stakes on her schedule until next month.

Still there is plenty for Johansson to look forward to with Don’t Let’em. The son of Muscle Hill captured last years Peter Haughton in 1:51 4/5, so there’s never been a question of his speed. Yet last year towards the later part of his 2-year-old campaign the wheels began to come off.

“My dad (Hall of Famer Jimmy Takter) said he was fine and things got bad for the colt when he started to travel with him. So this year we decided to just keep him at The Meadowlands from the start and hopefully we’ll have him as good on Hambletonian Day as he was last year,” Johansson said.

That’s why Don’t Let’em had three qualifiers at The Meadowlands before making his sophomore debut on June 7, a fast-closing second-place finish against older foes that included a 26 1/5 final quarter. He’ll again face many older horses from post four on Friday but also encounters a pair of Hambletonian eligibles in Union Forces (post 2) and Gerry (post 5).

“Right now I think we’re second best behind Greenshoe,” said Johansson of Don’t Let’em.

On the 4-year-old front, Manchego will compete in one (race 6) of two $50,000 divisions of the Graduate for trotters and once again the daughter of Muscle Hill will be compromised some by the draw. “I can’t believe we drew outside again,” said Johansson, who finds Manchego making her third start of the year, having drawn post eight in her first two starts, both at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

On Friday Manchego will pick up Dexter Dunn in the sulky. “The owners decided to make a change and perhaps get someone who’s more aggressive,” said Johansson. Clearly in both races at Woodbine Mohawk Park Manchego was well off the early pace. In her last start, the elimination for the Armbro Flight on June 7, Manchego trotted her final half in 53 and change while finishing seventh. “Had she been on Atlanta’s back in the final, I think she would have given her a scare,” said Johansson, obviously recognizing her mare had to sit the final out.

“She trained super,” said Johansson of Manchego, who will get cheek rolls when Dunn drives her on Friday night.

Manchego meets Atlanta again and last year’s Hambletonian winner drew post eight in a field that also includes other Graduate leg winners Crystal Fashion (post 2), Custom Cantab (post 3) and Muscle M Up (post 6).

Johansson revealed that Blood Money suffered a minor fracture to the “P1” bone that has kept him out of action. “We’ve got him on the same schedule my dad used when Always B Miki had the same injury,” said Johansson, while stating that Blood Money’s injury was less serious. “He’s sound now and we hope to have him training back soon.”