Meadowlands: Road to the 2021 Meadowlands Pace includes diverse group

What will you be doing three months from today?

Some people are concerned with just finishing out their day and others might be looking a day or a week ahead, but the trainers, owners and drivers associated with the 42 horses currently eligible for the Meadowlands Pace are hoping to be in New Jersey vying for what should be a purse in the $700,000 range.

Unlike 2020 when "The Pace" led off the stakes schedule for 3-year-old pacers since the North America Cup was moved to August and the Max Hempt was canceled, this year's Meadowlands Pace is supposed to be No. 3 on the Grand Circuit schedule after the June 19 NA Cup at Woodbine Mohawk Park and July 2 Messenger at Yonkers. Of course with Canada back in a lockdown, who knows what travel restrictions will be in place and what the participation will be in the NA Cup, and only 14 horses are eligible to both the Meadowlands Pace and Messenger. So, for some of the top 3-year-olds, the Meadowlands Pace could be their first taste of Grand Circuit action.

As society continues to change, so too does the harness racing landscape. While including all of the top names you'd expect -- Perfect Sting, Always A Miki, Southwind Gendry, etc. -- the 2021 Meadowlands Pace certainly contains an eclectic group that was more than willing to "ante up" in order to participate.

Ohio is well represented with the connections of Charlie May and Heart Of Chewbacca putting up the $7,500 supplement fee on February 15 along with the $2,000 March 15 payment to remain eligible. Indiana-sired JK Going West also paid his way in for $7,500 to join fellow Hoosier State eligible Joelsyy Hanover. The Canadian sire Shadow Play has a supplemented son in Lawless Shadow. New York gets in the picture with a few from American Ideal including the once-defeated (eight starts) supplemented American Courage. Pennsylvania has a plethora of Always B Miki, Betting Line, Captaintreacherous and Sweet Lou sons who'll look to make some noise in the July 17 final. There is even a son of A Rocknroll Dance eligible.

An amazing 10 horses were supplemented to the Meadowlands Pace in 2021, which if not a record, has to be the highest number in the last 20 years. Strangely one of the 10, an Indiana-bred named Velocity Gator, never made the March 15 payment, so we'll have to assume that gelding suffered a setback or injury.

Two of the more interesting supplements are from a barn that has never even started a horse in the Meadowlands Pace. Eddie Dennis trainees Hellabalou and Capt Jack Hanover, two horses with a combined 1-for-16 career record, both qualified on Tuesday (April 6) at Harrah's Philadelphia and the 53-year-old trainer explained that there were reasons neither horse jumped up at age 2.

"Hellabalou had breathing issues that were really bothering him," said Dennis. "He got to the Sire Stakes consolation at Pocono and was sitting a perfect second-over trip and just backed through the field. We scoped him after the race and saw he was having some ulceration around his palate, so we stopped with him and had it worked on.

"Over the winter it has really seemed like the light bulb has come on for him," continued Dennis on Hellabalou. "I think he is finally realizing that he can breathe properly and not be scared to do it. Even when he had the issue, he still tried hard, he just couldn't get enough oxygen.

"Capt Jack Hanover was good up until the day he was sitting the two-hole at The Meadows [August 29, 2020]. He was looking good to make the Sire Stakes final and he bled that day. We put him on Lasix and he rebounded to come back and pace in 1:52 3/5 [2nd in Sire Stakes consolation], but he didn't seem to be as sharp as he was prior to that. At the end of the season I had chips taken out of his right front ankle."

Hellabalou posted an impressive qualifying effort, setting fractions of 29 2/5, 59 and 1:27 before sprinting home in 27 2/5 to complete a 1:54 2/5 mile with Dennis in the bike. The final time was the fastest of 11 races on the card and more than a second quicker than last year's 3-year-old Male Pace Breeders Crown champion Sandbetweenmytoes (1:55 3/5).

Two races later the trainer/driver left for a pocket spot in a 29 2/5 opening quarter and waited behind the pace-setting Crunch Hanover through three-quarters in 127 2/5. In the stretch, Dennis took aim with Capt Jack Hanover and got up by a nose with a 27 3/5 final quarter and 1:55 2/5 final clocking.

"They were both good," said Dennis. "The track was still slow, heavy and deep. It was cupping out really bad and was deepened out along the rail."

The decision to pay $8,000 on February 15 to make the pair eligible was done partly because of a missed opportunity in the past.

"I kind of screwed up with Brassy Hanover when I had him and didn't supplement him," said Dennis, recalling his former trainee who was second in the 2019 Max Hempt at Pocono. "If you are not eligible, you can't get into the race. So we talked about it during the winter and just decided to take a shot. If it works out, great. If not, we lost $8,000.

"Just being in some of these big races is huge. When I finished second with Brassy Hanover in the Hempt it was a big thrill. It made everything we've worked for worth it. We've been trying to buy a little better quality lately. We are taking baby steps and trying to get to the top."

When it comes to supplements, it is also worth noting that four horses -- Brookview Bullet, Charlie May, Heart Of Chewbacca and Highlandsbeachsbest -- paid $6,000 for a chance to race in the MGM Grand Messenger in 2021. There are no supplements to the North America Cup or most of the other stakes for 3-year-old pacers during the summer. The Cane pace allows for supplements prior to the draw.

The 2021 Pace also includes a number of horses who are winless in their careers. Texas Miki (Sarah Andrews -- Trainer), Mikimoto (Nancy Takter) and As Always (Per Engblom) are three eligible horses who have yet to even start in a race. All three have qualified in the last 10-14 days in preparation for their debuts. While Texas Miki will start in a non-winners-of-1 race on April 8 at The Meadows (race 3), the others are still in the "cooking" stage of their development.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Texas Miki started after this article was written and finished second timed in 1:54 4/5 at The Meadows on April 8.]

"He's a big, growthy colt," said Takter about Mikimoto, who finished third in a April 3 qualifier at The Meadowlands. "He has the ability to be in there."

"I think he has pretty high potential but is still very green," said Engblom about As Always, fourth (1:52 2/5) on April 10 in a Meadowlands qualifier. "I'm hoping he will catch up with the others, but it is hard to say when."

Now about 90 days before the Meadowlands Pace eliminations, it is anyone's guess how many of these horses will enter and which one will step up to win the coveted Pace trophy. With 10 horses already "into" the race for $10,000 in entry fees, you can be sure most of those will be in attendance. Add in another seven to 10 logical horses coming off strong rookie campaigns and we should see at least two eliminations and hopefully a classic final.