Meadowlands: Ramona Hill heads Alagna triple in qualifiers

Tony Alagna's barn won three of the five qualifiers on Saturday morning at the Meadowlands.

Alagna teamed with Andrew McCarthy to win with both Ramona Hill and her 2-year-old half-sister La Vie En Blanc. Ramona Hill sat fourth through opening-half fractions of 29 and 56 4/5 set by stablemate Robert's Hanover (Todd McCarthy) began a first-over move before the 1:25 2/5 three-quarters, and got up in the lane to win by a length and a half in 1:53 3/5. La Vie En Blanc took command past a 31 1/5 opening quarter, opened up on the point from there, and cruised home an 8 1/2 length winner in 1:59 4/5.

The other member of the Alagna Armada to win was Prayforthewicked (Brian Sears), who tracked another Alagna trainee, Bali Beach (A. McCarthy) through stations of 28 4/5, 57 2/5, and 1:26 4/5, tipped out in the lane, and surged by late to tally by half a length in 1:53 2/5. Prayforthewicked is a 3-year-old full brother to Captaintreacherous.

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Stakes winners Niki Hill (Dexter Dunn/Nifty Norman) and Nicholas Beach (Brian Sears/Jenn Bongiorno) rounded out the morning's victors. Niki Hill, a 2-year-old Always B Miki sister to Cattlewash, led through a 29 2/5 quarter, 58 1/5 half, and 1:26 three-quarters, putting many lengths on her rivals in the process, and a 26 3/5 final kicker got her to the wire 14 lengths to the good over another stakes winner in Gotthegreenlight (Steve Smith) in 1:52 3/5. Nicholas Beach brushed to the point before the 58 second half and then paced a 54 3/5 back-half and a 27 3/5 last quarter to score by ten lengths in 1:52 3/5.