From birth to a race like the Meadowlands Pace is a long and arduous road for any Standardbred. For Diamond Creek Racing, who are a huge part of the equation on three of the finalists in Saturday’s $668,000 signature event at The Meadowlands, it has been a team effort, and perhaps that’s appropriate considering the 6-5 morning-line favorite is their Confederate. Confederate literally means “united” and Adam Bowden’s team at both Diamond Creek Farm and Diamond Creek Racing is certainly banded together with a goal of breeding and racing at the highest levels. With Confederate, as well as his other two contenders in the Pace Final, Bowden has a strong group of like-minded people with their sights set on winning the Meadowlands Pace. “They are all homebreds for us,” said Bowden, owner/President at Diamond Creek Farm and owner of Diamond Creek Racing, about Christchurch, Confederate and Cannibal. “I know we don’t get listed as the breeder on Christchurch but we bought the mare in-foal and raised him. “It starts with the farm staff and the people that prep them before they get sent out to the trainers, grooms and drivers. Then there is selecting the trainers and the chaos that goes with that, followed by making sure they stay sound and healthy while learning what they need to learn; it is a team effort. Marcus [Johansson] is involved as our racing manager. It is a whole operation. “This is the culmination of everything that we’ve done the last 15 or 16 years. At least being present in these big races with a chance to win.” ♦ Get FREE Harness Eye Past Performances for Saturday at The Meadowlands ♦ DRF BETS: 7% REBATE on The Meadowlands this Saturday ♦ Derick Giwner's Saturday full-card analysis ♦ Stakes selections & analysis from DRF and industry handicappers ♦ Watch $100K Guaranteed Pick 4 analysis with Matt Rose & Derick Giwner Diamond Creek Racing is the sole owner on both Confederate and Cannibal and co-owner with Farhi Standardbreds and Spreydon Racing on Christchurch. Along with Combustion, who didn’t make the final, they represent the best group Diamond Creek has ever sent forward to begin their 3-year-old campaigns. “We felt the talent was there,” said Bowden. “As spring went along, Marcus kept telling us that Cannibal made the biggest jump from 2 to 3. Then you get excited because we don’t just have Confederate. Christchurch came out with such a good first start. He’s been very good. “So far everything has gone to plan. [Trainer, Brett] Pelling has done a great job [with Confederate]. He went in 1:47 3/5 last week after three weeks off and we expect he’ll be as good or better this week.” After tracking hot fractions of 25 4/5, 52 1/5 and 1:20 1/5 set by Christchurch, driver Tim Tetrick pulled Confederate off the pylons on the final turn and rallied wide around a tiring foe to open up a two-length lead, but the final margin was only a diminishing half-length at the wire. “He was taking care of himself,” said Tetrick in the post-race interview. “The big money is next week and I didn’t want him to go that fast.” Confederate starts from post five in the Meadowlands Pace. The Tony Alagna-trained El Rey wound up second behind Confederate as he charged home through the final eighth to just miss for driver Scott Zeron. The visually impressive finish earned him 9-2 status on the morning-line as they start from post seven. “Tony pulled out all the stops out. He added Lasix, started him with aluminums for the first time and added a Swedish pull-down bridle,” said Zeron about the changes made that perhaps helped El Rey turn in a better performance. “We had a good trip but not great. I was sliding up the inside pretty quick and Ammo came back down on me. I slowed up and then Jody [Jamieson, Stockade Seelster] was off stride, so we were all indecisive waiting for whatever was going to unfold to happen. I really had only about an eighth-of-a-mile to go from a standstill to getting him going, and he exploded. That’s the best he’s raced for me and really the expectation we’ve had all year with that horse.” Despite the sizzling fractions, Christchurch missed by just a length at the wire. It was a brave performance for a horse that has shown the ability to battle with anyone on the front end and live to tell about it. “If I’m being completely honest, I think by the end of the year [Christchurch] is the best horse in the country,” said Bowden about the Always B Miki colt that starts from post three. “Going 52 1/5 to the half under pressure and only finishing a length back in 1:47 3/5, that doesn’t happen very often. [Driver] Dexter [Dunn} just sat there with him in 52 1/5. He didn’t pull the plugs or chase him. He has a world of talent. “I think Christchurch has proven that if you take a run at him, he’ll park you and empty your tank.” Another wrinkle to the equation on Saturday will be that Christchurch (10-1) will get a new driver in Yannick Gingras, who actually qualified Hungry Angel Boy (now Todd McCarthy, 20-1, post five) for the final but chose off. Zeron stuck with El Rey, which opened up a spot on elimination winner Cannibal (6-1, post four). He gets Andrew McCarthy, who got Save America (30-1, post 10) into the final and now cedes that drive to Matt Kakaley. And finally, Dunn elected to choose Fulton (8-1, post one) over Christchurch. All of the movement led to a tweet from the Diamond Creek Racing handle showing a frustration about a “lack of loyalty” from the drivers. Bowden, who saw two of his drivers choose off, didn’t back down when asked about it. “It’s about frustration and it is a bigger thing than Dexter [Dunn] and Scottie [Zeron]. It is more about that the drivers as a whole wield a tremendous amount of power in the sport. They are very happy to get off your horse when it is convenient for them, but if we want to make a change, ever, it is not reciprocal,” said Bowden, who added that he wasn’t upset with any of the drivers. “If I’m Scott, I probably choose Tony too. They are looking out for their best interests and I understand that, as am I.” ♦ DRF BETS: 7% REBATE on The Meadowlands this Saturday Voukefalas (7-2, post two) is sure to be on the short list of handicappers looking to upset Confederate. He sat off fractions of 26 and 53 before driver Jordan Stratton came first-over to attack the leader and eventually take command, but Cannibal tracked him nicely and pulled clear nearing the wire in a 1:48 mile. “It was good, not great. He should’ve won. I figure with that same trip and the same horse following me, that horse would beat him one out of a thousand times,” said trainer Michael Russo about the effort from Voukefalas. “My horse had some issues in the race steering. Jordan was struggling with him. [Voukefalas] was just locked up on a line, which he’s never been in his life. I’m assuming that took something out of him.” Russo said the vet went over Voukefalas on Sunday (7/9) and pronounced him healthy and sound. He also had a dentist and chiropractor take a look, with the final diagnosis being neck stiffness. “I’m 99% happy with him now. He trained today [Wednesday] and was really good. He didn’t show any of the signs of what he was doing,” said Russo, who added that the son of Lazarus may race without any headpoles on Saturday as he felt that may be hampering him more than helping. “I think he’s the best horse in there. It’s not that I don’t think Confederate is good, but my horse would’ve done the exact same thing as him in the elimination if he wasn’t having those problems,” said Russo. “I have no concept of how the race will go . . . I feel like Jordan wasn’t happy with his drive in the North America Cup, so maybe he’ll be more aggressive now, but that may not be the type of driver that he is either. He’s pretty smart and he probably won’t carry that into this race.” To Russo’s earlier point, Cannibal did work out the ideal trip in his elimination win. After settling in early he lined up behind Voukefalas’ perfect cover and pounced with a 26 2/5 final quarter for the win. That earned him a good post and a chance at a mild upset in the final for trainer Nancy Takter, who also conditions Christchurch and Save America. “I think with [the elimination] he should go forward, be a little tighter next time. Having said that, he was super [Saturday]. I’m very happy with him. He’s one of those horses that you almost forget you have because he’s never a problem. He’s like your straight-A student that does their homework every night and you never have to check on them,” said Takter about the son of Sweet Lou who is undefeated in four starts in 2023. “He showed a lot of ability last year, he was just sore all the time and couldn’t really put it together. He just needed the time to grow out of the growing pains that he had.” ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter No horse came home faster than Its A Me Mario in their elimination. The son of American Ideal posted a 26 1/5 final quarter to finish third behind Cannibal. The task at hand for driver Lauren Tritton will be getting Its A Me Mario (20-1) into the race from post eight. “He’s been really sharp,” said Tritton, who drives the colt for her husband (trainer Shane Tritton) and owner Joshua Jay Graber. “I feel like this track will really suit him and the quick tempo doesn’t seem to worry him. He’s very versatile. He’s very quick off the [gate] if you need him to be and he relaxes, comes back to you nicely, and when you ask him to go, he gives you everything he’s got. That’s all you want in a horse, really.” Fulton finished fifth in his elimination but still ranks as a top contender given that his trip was far from ideal. The son of Heston Blue Chip floated away from the gate and never saw the pylons until clearing the front just before the half-mile pole. He then faced heavy pressure from Voukefalas before fading a bit in the stretch. Completing the field for the Meadowlands Pace is Ammo (30-1) from post nine. He has the early speed needed to make some noise but hasn’t lived up to his 2-year-old form in 2023. The Meadowlands Pace is scheduled as race 11 on the 14-race Saturday card that includes eight other stakes and starts at 6:20 PM (EDT).