Meadowlands: North America Cup top three have eyes on Pace trophy
When the stone dust settled for the Meadowlands Pace eliminations, whether watching from the grandstand or the comfort of your home, handicappers and fans had to be left with the realization that one of the top three finishers from the North America Cup – Captain Crunch, Bettor’s Wish and Workin Ona Mystery – are indeed going to come out on top in the $682,650 final this Saturday (July 13) at The Meadowlands.
One of 10 stakes races on a spectacular 13-race card, the Meadowlands Pace is programmed as the 8 race with a field of 10 looking to follow in the footsteps of 2018 winner Courtly Choice.
Captain Crunch and Bettor’s Wish were elimination winners and earned inside post positions for their efforts, with ‘Crunch’ starting from post 1 as the 2-1 morning line choice and Bettor’s Wish picking up the four-hole and listed at 3-1.
[MEADOWLANDS PACE: Free Harness Eye PPs, 10% Rebate on WIN wagers & Live Video for the entire Meadowlands Pace card on Saturday.]
Both Captain Crunch and Bettor’s Wish took charge en route to victory with decisive moves to the front between the first and second quarters. Captain Crunch stopped the timer in 1:48 3/5 winning by a half-length over Workin Ona Mystery while Bettor’s Wish was clocked in 1:49 1/5 and 2-1/4 lengths clear of the field. Neither horse worked particularly hard and were both able to sprint home in a sizzling 25 4/5 to sew up the wins.
“When you look on the backside, it looks like he’s jogging and taking a leisurely stroll,” said trainer Nancy Johansson about the performance from her Captain Crunch. “It was perfect, (driver) Scott (Zeron) did a good job. His earplugs were still in. I think he’s got a little more in the tank.”
After coming away third in the 27 1/5 opening quarter, North America Cup winner Captain Crunch posted fractions of 55 2/5 and 1:22 4/5 in victory. Despite finishing second, trainer Brian Brown and driver Tim Tetrick were equally satisfied with the performance from Workin Ona Mystery, though the conditioner was concerned with the prospect of drawing post 9 in the field.
Derick Giwner Nancy Johansson & Scott Zeron took home the NA Cup and hope they'll get the Meadowlands Pace trophy next.
“I knew it was going to be hard off those fractions to outsprint [Captain Crunch], but my horse at the wire still thought he won because we shot up the inside and he got a little run,” said Tetrick, who felt that late surge would only boost his colt’s confidence. “I guarantee it does.”
“Timmy is not overly concerned about the post position. I am,” said Brown. “When you draw bad you have to expend that much more energy getting to where you need to be, whether it is out of the gate, the middle of the race or the end. But I need to quit worrying about that and let Timmy do his job.”
Johansson and Brown both skipped the Max Hempt at The Downs at Pocono in late June, giving their colts three weeks off prior to the Meadowlands Pace. For Captain Crunch, or any top horse which needs to go sub 1:50 miles on a regular basis, Johansson said the breaks in the schedule are very much welcomed.
“More than anything, they need a little time to recuperate,” said Johansson. “Even though he went (1):47 2/5 last time easily, he’s still an animal, they still have bones and muscles and lungs.”
As comfortable as Captain Crunch and Workin Ona Mystery were in their eliminations, Bettor’s Wish was able to get away with a middle half of just 56 2/5 in his victory with Dexter Dunn in the bike. That breather allowed the colt to sprint clear and coast to a comfortable win over Best In Show.
Bettor’s Wish was second in the North America Cup and had a bit of late traffic trouble, though Dunn wasn’t using that as an excuse for the three-quarter-length loss.
“At the top of the straight, if I had a bit more go I could’ve gotten through because there was a big enough gap for me, but I was sort of flat out. Looking back now, I don’t think it cost me winning or anything. The recall got me more because he got all fired up, which he doesn’t usually do. It really gave him a fright. We got down to the half in like 52 and I was really trying to slow him down,” said Dunn about the Chris Ryder trainee, who took a moment to assess his colt’s chances versus Saturday’s competition.
“My colt hasn’t put in a bad performance. Obviously Captain Crunch was an outstanding 2-year-old and he put in a brilliant run in the North America Cup, too. Timmy’s horse has been racing well week after week as well. I think mine proved in the North America Cup that he isn’t far away from them.”
While Captain Crunch, Bettor’s Up and Workin Ona Mystery may have the best opportunity to win the 43rd Meadowlands Pace, Tony Alagna will likely hope there is strength in numbers. The trainer of 2013 winner Captaintreacherous shows up with three of his sons hoping history will repeat itself. Captain Ahab (post 3, 12/1), U S Captain (post 8, 12/1) and Captain Trevor (post 10, 15/1) join Captain Crunch and Workin Ona Mystery to form a quintet by the former Horse of the Year. Alagna also sends out Escapetothebeach from post 2 (15/1) to make it a four-pack from his barn.
Perhaps the most intriguing longshot in the field comes from newly enshrined Hall of Fame trainer Linda Toscano. After showing early speed in his elimination, Best In Show was bottled up for the first half of the stretch and finished up willingly for second when clear with new driver Brian Sears at the controls. The well-bred son of Bettor’s Delight-Put On A Show will have to overcome post 7 on Saturday.
Completing the field are Hurrikane Emperor (post 5) and Reigning Deo (post 6).
Off time for the Meadowlands Pace final is scheduled for 10:10 PM. The first race kicks off at 7:15 PM.
For complete entries for the Meadowlands Pace card, click here.