Meadowlands: Power-packed Miss Versatility divisions set for Saturday

Trainer Lucas Wallin finds himself in a solid position heading into Saturday's first leg of the Miss Versatility at the Meadowlands. The young conditioner has the 4-year-old mare Ab'sattitudexpress prepared to tackle the best in the aged division and will face just six rivals in one of two $30,000 divisions.

"I'm happy the way she's coming into the race," said Wallin on Wednesday. "It will be her third race in three weeks, and that's something I usually don't like to do."

On the positive side, Ab'sattitudexpress has won both of her starts in a preliminary and final of the New Jersey Maturity over the last two weeks, defeating just one horse in each contest.

"I think they were both good efforts, and she only had to trot the final half both times," remarked Wallin.

Tim Tetrick will guide Ab'sattitudexpress from post six in race 12 on Saturday, and the daughter of Trixton appears to be getting better with age.

"We got her in May of her 2-year-old season," said Wallin of the late start that saw the filly race just three times in 2019. "She showed talent the first time we turned her."

For Wallin and Ab'sattitudexpress, the 3-year-old season saw her knock heads with some of the sport's superstars, including Hambletonian winner Ramona Hill. Ab'sattitudexpress surprised Ramona Hill as a 34-1 outsider in a Bluegrass division at The Red Mile last October, part of a late-season campaign that also saw her finish third in both the Breeders Crown and Matron.

"It was great beating Ramona Hill," said Wallin. "I would say it wasn't the best day for Ramona Hill, and that Ab'sattitudexpress raced her best race that day."

The result was a 1:51 4/5 career-best victory for the filly, who now gets a chance to show herself against older foes.

While Wallin didn't want to get ahead of himself with his mare facing older foes, the good news at least for the first leg of the Miss Versatility is that there is only one horse in the race older than 4, and that's the recent Swedish import Ghostintheshell S (post one), making her North American debut for Ake Svanstedt.

Last year's Hambletonian Oaks champion Sorella (post four) makes her season's debut for trainer Nancy Takter following a pair of "even" qualifying miles. The daughter of Muscle Hill won eight times during her sophomore season.

A Fancy Face, one of Ohio's top trotting fillies a year ago, makes her Meadowlands debut for trainer Todd Luther. The seven-time winner in her lone season at the races drew post five with Scott Zeron picking up the catch drive.

No Mas Drama is another 4-year-old in the field that changed hands from her 3-year-old season, and the New York-sired mare has won all three of her starts this year for new trainer Mike Russo. No Mas Drama enters the Miss Versatility following a 1:53 3/5 career-best mile on April 29 at Harrah's Philadelphia. David Miller will guide her from post seven.

The first Miss Versatility division (race three) appears to have a few more heavy hitters, as the seven-mare field includes last year's Breeders Crown 3-year-old champion Next Level Stuff (post one), 2019 Hambletonian Oaks champion When Dovescry (post three), and multiple New York Sire Stakes champion Hypnotic AM (post six).

Next Level Stuff made her 4-year-old debut in an overnight last week and finished out her mile in powerful fashion for trainer Jim Campbell and driver Tim Tetrick. The homebred by Sebastian K finished first or second in 10 of her 13 starts during a solid sophomore campaign.

Trainer Brett Pelling returns When Dovescry, having taken over the conditioning of the Muscle Hill-sired mare in 2020.

"I was happy with her qualifier," Pelling said of the 1:56 4/5 victory on April 30 at the Meadowlands. "I think she'll be fine on Saturday, but she's not as far along in her conditioning this year as she was last year at this time."

Hypnotic AM returns as a 4-year-old having finished first or second in 18 of her 22 career starts. The daughter of Chapter Seven out-sprinted Felicityshagwell S to win a 1:54 4/5 qualifier at the Meadowlands on April 24 and will start right next to that rival on Saturday, with Felictyshagwell S landing post five.

The 13-race card starts at 6:20 p.m. on Saturday at the Meadowlands and also features a pair of returning pacers looking to kick off their 2021 season, as well as a $30,000 Preferred Pace.

In a rematch of the 2020 Progress Pace, winner Fortify will face-off with second-place finisher No Lou Zing in race six. Then in race nine, Nicholas Beach, a 1:48 1/5 winner last weekend, will put his two-race winning streak on the line versus nine top rivals.