Meadowlands: Rookies step out for first Breakfast with the Babies session

The first edition of Breakfast With The Babies, sponsored by Fashion Farms, got underway under perfect conditions at 9:00 A.M. on Saturday morning at the Meadowlands. Qualifiers followed the Baby Races, with a few notables going.

Ten races for 2-year-olds were contested, with trainer Nancy Takter and driver Yannick Gingras scoring five winners apiece, while Marcus Melander won four times, three of those with his brother Mattias doing the driving.

Pacing colts opened the card, with the Sweet Lou colt Blue Lou leading all the way in a 1:54 (26 4/5 last quarter) romp, winning as driver Andy McCarthy pleased. The $160,000 Lexington Selected Sale (LEX) purchase is trained by Takter for owners Morrison Racing Stables, Brian Gordon, and Marvin Katz, who also gets a breeder credit with Sam Goldband and Goran Anderberg. Its A Me Mario (Jason Bartlett) was second, with Kid From The Bronx third (Mark MacDonald).

Taker came right back to win the second with Captain Planet, a $150,000 (LEX) Captaintreacherous colt who went a similar pillar-to-post trip for Gingras, albeit in a much slower 2:00 (27 1/5 last quarter). Fred Hertrich bred Captain Planet, who is owned by John Fielding and Steve Heimbecker. Duck Dynasty (Bartlett) was second and Hurrikane Hunter (MacDonald) third.

Trotting fillies came along in race three and completed a natural hat trick for Takter when Brunella (Gingras), a homebred Father Patrick owned by Goran Falk and Nancy's mom Christina Takter, powered by the field in the stretch for the win in 2:00 3/5, her individual final quarter in 27 2/5 in-hand. Kayleigh S, sister to this year's top filly Joviality S, was a resolute second for Brian Sears, and Gigi Hanover checked in third (Ake Svanstedt).

The Melander stable sent out the winner of race four when Mattias drove the Muscle Hill filly Mirasol S to a front-end 1:59 (28 3/5 last quarter) tally over Gucci Girl (Dexter Dunn) and Wild Jiggy S (Svanstedt) win for his brother Marcus, the trainer. She's a homebred, racing for breeder Ab Svensk Rekiamfinans and S R F Stable.

Gingras was aboard Moni Maker Stable homebred Walner filly Moni Lisa to an impressive wide, closing win over Secret Volo (Sears) in 2:02 1/5, trotting home in 27 1/5. Exile (Dunn), the top-priced 2021 yearling at $800,000 (LEX) was along for third.

After a training break, Bella Macchiato (Gingras) gave Ms. Takter her fourth winner on the day. Yannick moved her to the lead at the 1:03 4/5 half and then won as she pleased, using a 27 3/5 close to the 2:02 mile. The Bar Hopping filly was a $50,000 Standardbred Horse Sales (SHS) purchase by Black Horse Racing, Christina and Nancy Takter and Goran Anderberg from breeder Hanover Shoe Farms. Canterbury Hanover (Sears) was second, with All The Rage (Svanstedt) third.

The Melander brothers struck again with Dire Straits in the seventh, cutting even fractions and winning easily in 1:57 1/5 (28 2/5 last quarter) on his own. Paramount Legend N (Svanstedt) closed well to be second, and Lindy's Inter Loper (Gingras) came in third. Dire Straits is a Muscle Hill homebred racing for breeder Richard Gutnick and partners Tom Pontone and Gary Cocco.

Upstaged was another Melander conditioned winner; this time Tim Tetrick took the lines and set all the fractions, closing the 1:59 mile with a 27 3/5 final quarter. Kennebago (Trond Smedshammer) followed the leader around to be second, with International Man (Gingras) along for third. Upstaged is another Muscle Hill, bred by James Avritt and sold to Stall TZ for $40,000 (SHS).

The Muscle Hill colt Oh Well cost Lennart Agren's S R F Stable $530,000 (SHS) at the sales last fall, and he got a half-million dollar performance from him today with a dazzling win from well back, storming by the field with a 27 flat end to the 1:59 mile for the Melanders. Concord Stud Farm bred the winner. Chapercraz (Smedshammer) would have won under virtually any other circumstance but settled for second here, with Winner's Bet (Domenico Cecere) a solid third.

Pacing filles competed in a single dash as race ten, and no matter the sex or gait, Nancy and Yannick were back at it, scoring the fifth winner of the day for each with the sharp-looking "Captain" filly Diamondsnpearls in 1:55 3/5 with an effortless 26 3/5 kicker. The winner is a homebred owned by Brittany Farms and Marvin Katz. B On The Hunt (Jordan Stratton) was second and Ucandoit Blue Chip (Scott Zeron) third.

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Top older pacer Allywag Hanover (Todd McCarthy) had a tour of the oval that lasted 1:50 1/5 for an easy win over Chase H Hanover (David Miller) and Meadowlands Pace hopeful Early Action (Sears).

The last race of the day would see 2021 Dan Patch Award winner King Of The North and Breeders Crown champ Rebuff make their first seasonal start on the Road the the Hambletonian. They went right to the wire together, with Rebuff edging by the "King" in the final strides of the 1:52 4/5 (27 2/5 last quarter) mile.

--press release (Meadowlands)--