Meadowlands: Pelling seeks stakes trifecta on Hambletonian Day undercard

Trainer Brett Pelling brings some heavy pacing power to the Meadowlands this Saturday in hopes of capturing three major stakes races on the Hambletonian afternoon program.

Test Of Faith, the 2021 Horse of the Year, will be looking to avenge an upset second-place finish from last year's Lady Liberty in the $171,400 contest slated as race seven on Saturday. Unlike a year ago, Test Of Faith finds a more suitable spot for this year's affair, having landed post three.

"She's coming into this race spot-on," said Pelling when asked about the 5-year-old daughter of Art Major. "That last race [July 15 Dorothy Haughton] she got body-slammed on the first turn."

The reference was that although driver David Miller tried to leave the gate from post 10, every time he went forward he got pushed wider through the first turn. Inevitably, Test Of Faith and her followers had to accept her racing in 11th place around the track and finishing eighth.

"That was a pretty impressive last three quarters in the qualifier," Pelling said of Test Of Faith's final tune-up for the Lady Liberty, a 1:49 1/5 effort on July 28 where she held Bythemissal at bay with a final half in 52 3/5.

While Test Of Faith appears ready for her best, the Lady Liberty has a quality field of 11 that includes last year's upset winner Kobe's Gigi (post 11), as well as three mares in the first tier that have been making waves this year. Grace Hill (post one) finished seventh in last year's edition from post 10 and now will look at the field from the inside out. A winner in six of eight starts this year, including the Roses Are Red at Woodbine Mohawk, Grace Hill regained winning form at Scioto Downs in the Cleopatra Invitational on July 29.

Mikala (post six) has rebounded from a slow start to her season with a pair of stake victories. Following up her Dorothy Haughton upset score at the Meadowlands on July 15 was a dominant performance in the Clara Barton at Plainridge on July 23. The Always B Miki-sired mare finished fifth in last year's Lady Liberty.

Silver Label, a 4-year-old by Bettor's Delight, has been brilliant this season while facing older mares for trainer Nick Gallucci. Silver Label landed post four and will be looking for her second significant Meadowlands stakes win, having captured the Perfect Sting here on July 1 first-up at the expense of race favorite and pacemaker Grace Hill.

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The 6-year-old Allywag Hanover has had a slow start to the season, but Pelling believes he's moving in the right direction in advance of the first of two divisions of the Sam McKee Memorial for Open Pacers. Allywag Hanover drew post seven in the $128,750 first division carded as race eight and will be in quest of his first win on the year in his sixth attempt.

"He's ready," said Pelling. "That last start [July 22] was not his kind of race. He's a horse that needs to be on the pylons on the last turn to be at his best."

Allywag Hanover won the Sam McKee Memorial in 2021 under Pelling's care.

If Pelling is to get his wish for Allywag Hanover, it is likely to be sitting behind Ruthless Hanover (post nine), the world champion that scored in 1:46 4/5 in winning the Dave Brower Memorial on July 1 at the Meadowlands impressively. Ruthless Hanover has since finished third and second in the two races that followed and hopes to bounce back despite the outside draw.

Trainer Ron Burke remains high on Bythemissal, his 4-year-old that drew post 10 in the second $130,000 McKee division carded as race 15.

"He'll be ready this week," Burke said. "It was a lot to ask for him in the Haughton [July 15] and he was good, parked every step. We are going to be very aggressive with him. He's going to get a chance to be a star."

Tattoo Artist (post five) has been second in his last two starts with a solid placing in the William Haughton Memorial followed by a runner-up finish as the pace-setter in the Joe Gerrity Jr. Memorial at Saratoga on July 22. The rugged veteran son of He's Watching will look to add to his lofty $2.1 million lifetime bank account.

The owners of Meadowlands Pace winner Confederate ponied up the $35,000 supplemental fee to add the homebred son of Sweet Lou to the lineup for the $315,750 Cane Pace programmed as race 14.

"He came out of that race great, and I probably could have raced him the next week if we had wanted to," said Pelling of Confederate's recovery following a huge 1:47 first-over victory in the Meadowlands Pace.

Pelling is ultra-confident in Confederate because he sees the colt do everything he's supposed to do.

"I try to be a problem solver with these horses," Pelling said. "With him my work is easy."

Confederate will meet a mix of horses he faced in the Meadowlands Pace and others arriving at the top of the 3-year-old stakes scene for the first time. From the "Pace," Hungry Angel Boy (post 11) finished second behind Confederate and then followed that mile up with a career-best 1:48 2/5 mile in the Tompkins Geers on July 29 at the Meadowlands.

El Rey (post two) never got into the hunt in the Meadowlands Pace and then followed that mile up with another traffic nightmare in the Tompkins-Geers stakes. El Rey was a solid closing second to Confederate in a Meadowlands Pace elimination race.

Christchurch is back for the first time since his pace-setting third-place finish in the "Pace" for trainer Nancy Takter. Christchurch drew post seven and adds Lasix for this start.

New Jersey champion Voukefalas landed post 10 while looking to regain winning form for trainer Mike Russo. Voukefalas was most recently second behind Hungry Angel Boy in the Tompkins-Geers.

The Hambletonian Day festivities kick off at noon eastern time.