Meadowlands: Rookies galore appear for Breakfast with the Babies

Breakfast with the Babies, sponsored by Jules Siegel's Fashion Farms, caught yet another perfect Saturday morning at the Meadowlands. It was slightly overcast and humid with temperatures in the 80's and track fast, and we got a good early start at 8:00 a.m.

The retail price of those on the card that went through public auction last fall exceeded $15 million, with a number of like-valued homebred gems sprinkled throughout.

Maryland (Dexter Dunn / Marcus Melander) got things off to a high-priced beginning by leading at every call through comfortable fractions, then closing out the 1:57 4/5 mile with a 27 2/5 end in his second start. Warrior (Tim Tetrick / Ake Svanstedt) closed nicely into that final frame for the Svanstedt barn to be second. The winner was a $475,000 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale (LEX) purchase by Courant Inc., PCW Racing, Holly Lane Stud East and SStewartRThorn Stable from breeder Hanover Shoe Farms.

Nordic Catcher is a Swedish import with an interesting pedigree, being by Six Pack and out of the pacing-bred Somebeachsomewhere mare That Woman Hanover, and he flew down the stretch like a pacer to finish a front-stepping 1:57 1/5 mile with a remarkable 26 3/5 final quarter to win by more than seven lengths. Ake Svanstedt owns, trains and drove the colt who was bred by Nordic Horse Farm and Joie De Vie Farm. Jula Ambassador (Yannick Gingras / Per Engblom) followed the winner around and went off-stride late trying to keep up.

Race three saw trainers Domenico Cecere and Tony Alagna make appearances in the bike and line up one-two for three-quarters of the mile before the strong close of Forward Path (Corey Callahan) and Monetary Justice (Svanstedt), who came as a team to finish 1-2 in a 2:00 4/5 mile. Forward Path was a $24,000 (LEX) buy for trainer John Butenschoen, Rich Preziotti, Mortgage Boys and Jim Crawford IV from breeders Bluestone Farms and Caldwell.

Owner Bill Pollock had a winner, along with partners Bruce Areman and trainer Andrew Harris, when their $450,000 (LEX) purchase Grande Via was an easy winner for Dexter Dunn, leading all the way in 1:57 2/5 / 28 second last quarter over pocket rider Castel Lindy (Cecere) and a fast-closing Gap Kronos S (Svanstedt). Steve Stewart and Timot Stables bred the winner, a son of Muscle Hill.

The "R's" had it in race five as R Dutchess (Tetrick) ground by leader R Charm (Scott Zeron / Linda Toscano) in the shadow of the wire to win in 1:55 1/5 with the last quarter on the board in 27 3/5. Pink Chou Chou (Dunn) closed furiously into the fast final fraction to be third. Both of the "R" fillies race under a lease to M&L of Delaware, with the winner trained in the Butenschoen barn. R Dutchess is a Father Patrick filly, sold by Coyote Wynd Farm for $300,000 last fall in Lexington.

Jimmy Takter shook off the dust and drove Champagne Problems to an impressive start to finish 1:55 3/5 win as she pleased for trainer and part owner, daughter Nancy Takter as Family Business (with her own children Ella and Marcus), tacking an effortless 27 4/5 panel onto the end. Jersey Slide (Tetrick / Jim Campbell) followed throughout and held her ground gamely. The winner flashed speed in her earlier outing while racing greenly but was straight and true this morning. The Tactical Landing filly was a $35,000 (LEX) purchase by Rojan Stables, Family Business, Patrick Hoopes and Caviart Farms from breeder Southwind Farm.

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Nancy came right back with the $110,000 (LEX) Walner filly Torrisi (Gingras), who also led at every call and went faster each quarter, finishing the 1:55 3/5 romp with a 27 second flat end while well in-hand. R Lady W (Zeron / Toscano) closed it up late to get second. Pryde Stable, John Fielding, Caviart Farms and Herb Liverman own the Crawford Farms-bred lass.

Lady Landia (Svanstedt) sat chilly behind the even rating of Belmont (Marcus Melander) past the 1:29 2/5 three-quarters, then burst by that rival and trotted strong through the wire in 1:57. Voguish (Jason Bartlett / A. Harris) rallied wide and fast to be second. The Tactical Landing filly is a homebred that went through Lexington for $225,000 with breeders Svanstedt and Little E LLC. including Santandrea Inc. as a partner.

Gingras came back with the Takter trainee Kendra for the filly's second impressive win in as many tries, cutting the mile and widening as the driver wished on a nice field of trotting fillies to a win 1:55 (27 3/5 last quarter) over Goodgirl Bi IT (Melander / Melander). Another winner for Walner, Kendra was bred by Karen Carroll and was sold at Harrisburg to Black Horse Racing and Eric Good for $140,000.

Pacing fillies came up next and the Gingras / Takter connection picked right up with the flashy first-timer Faze, a Sweet Lou homebred from Darlinonthebeach who flew past rivals to score in 1:53 2/5 - home in 27 3/5 while well in-hand. Impressive. Kallos (Andy McCarthy / Tony Alagna) was a valiant second. Diamond Creek Racing, Farhi Stables and Spreydon Racing are the proud owners of Faze.

Odds On You impressed in her Magical Acres start a fortnight ago and was nothing but more impressive this morning over the mile, jogging home by open lengths through a restrained 27 1/5 end to the 1:53 3/5 mile for Scott Zeron and Linda Toscano. Both second-place finisher JK ATM (Gingras / Takter) and Caviart Lyra (Todd McCarthy / Tony Alagna) were quite valiant while chasing in their first starts. The winner, from the first crop of Papi Rob Hanover, is a Carl Howard and Odds On Racing homebred.

Tony Alagna brought a full complement of pacers up from his NJ training center for the races and among them was Duration (Dunn), who was making her second foray into racing and was super again today, setting moderate fractions before taking off through the stretch, leaving her rivals in her wake with a geared down 26 4/5 close on the 1:53 2/5 mile. Bequeath (Zeron / Toscano) and JK Fancy Nancy (Gingras / Takter) closed nicely as a team late stretch after the issue had been decided for minor placings. Rob Leblanc, Joe Sbrocco, Pryde Stables and JAF Racing gave $200,000 for the Captaintreacherous filly in Lexington from breeders Robinson, Mondillo, Cheatham & Stewart.

Another sharp invader from the Magical Acres races, Champagne Room (Andy McCarthy) moved forward off that effort with a ground-saving 1:52 4/5 (26 1/5 last quarter) win, getting through inside pace-setter Simply Perfect (Dunn / Alagna) and holding off the wide bid of Chakra (Anibal Boras /Alagna). She is another Papi Rob, from the noted race mare See You At Peelers, bred by Diamond Creek and sold in Lexington for $310,000 to Patricia Stable, LA Express & Sjoblom and Michael Dolan. Noel Daley is the trainer.

Captain Optimistic (Gingras) marked the fifth winner on the day for Nancy Takter, converting a pocket trip and using a 25 4/5 final quarter to post a 1:53 4/5 win over a very-willing World Beater (T. McCarthy / Alagna), who stayed close for second. Fair Winds Farm bred the Captaintreacherous colt, who brought $160,000 from 3 Brothers Stable, Marvin Katz and Caviart Farms.

Linda Toscano had a winner for her longtime owner Kenny Jacobs with the Bettor's Wish colt Smoken Bob (Zeron). Zeron cut the mile and roused Smoken Bob as the field turned into the stretch; the response was a 26 2/5 final fraction on an impressive 1:53 1/5 mile to win by five. Strangerinthenight (Jordan Stratton / Alagna) closed it up nicely to be second. The winner is Hanover-bred, sold at Harrisburg for $80,000.

Making History (Brett Beckwith) is one of a very few sons of the iron-tough Breeders Crown winner American History, who is still racing at a high level by the way, and the colt demonstrated some of his father's grit in a game 1:53 win, home in 27 1/5 after being out to the quarter and setting the pace from there. Making History is a Riverview Racing homebred, trained by Tony Alagna for the Riverview principals, Myron & Stephanie Bell.

Young Mr. Beckwith came right back with a pick-up drive on Papis Pistol for Sam DePinto and came home a winner from the pocket in 1:53 3/5, using a 26 4/5 final quarter to just barely snap Delray Beach (Gingras / Takter) at the light in a game effort from both colts. Anthony Perretti gets a breeder's credit as well as an owner's share on the winner, owned with Shannon DePinto and Chris Arvanitis, bred with Davino & Shackman.

The last of the 18 2YO winners on the day was Tall Dark Stranger colt, a likely result with four of the five colts being by that first-crop sire. It was White Lotus who led all the way to be Yannick Gingras's fifth of the day, this one in 1:53 4/5 / 26 4/5 last quarter for trainer Per Engblom. The Real Thing (Dunn / A. Harris) followed the winner and stayed for second. A $110,000 (LEX) buy for Morrison Racing, the colt is a Lindy Farms bred.

Older horses to win qualifiers on the program included last month's Maxie Lee Memorial winner Venerate in 1:52 3/5 for Scott Zeron and Marcus Melander and double millionaire and world champion Allywag Hanover, a 1:50 victor for Jordan Stratton and Brett Pelling.

--press release (Meadowlands)--