Meadowlands: Second edition of Breakfast with the Babies held

Breakfast With The Babies, sponsored by Fashion Farms, took place on a beautiful Belmont Stakes Day morning at the Meadowlands. Short sleeves were the order of the day with sunny skies, temperatures in the low 70's and a mild breeze facing the horses in the homestretch.

Duke Of Walner (Tim Tetrick) impressed in the last of the day's trotting races. Put on the lead from the word go through comfortable fractions, the Walner colt responded willingly when asked and easily held the late moves of both Berra (Ake Svanstedt) and Flying Kronos S (Sarah Svanstedt) at bay through a 28 2/5 end to the 1:59 2/5 mile. Bred by K R Breeding LLC., the winner was a $90,000 Lexington buy for Berg Brothers Racing, Joe Sbrocco, Daniel Plouffe and Lucaswallinjafracingmyfab.

Trotting fillies opened the card with four across the track at the wire, and Ruthian (Mark MacDonald) finding a seam between horses late to poke through for the win in 2:00 3/5. A Tactical Landing filly trained by Ray Schnittker and owned by Louis Palumbo, she brought $21,000 at the Goshen sale last fall for breeders Steve Jones, Mary Kinsey Arnold and Ted Gewertz. Scott Zeron cut the mile with Chapalonia, who bore across the track late, but held second.

The Menhammar Stuteri homebred Walner filly Greatladyoftennis (Mattias Melander) led all the way through even fractions, ending the 1:59 3/5 mile with a 29 second final quarter to hold off the mild inside rally of stablemate Date Night Hanover (Brian Sears). Marcus Melander trains both.

Sunkist Beauty (Ake Svanstedt) was an impressive winner for first-crop sire Six Pack, cutting the mile and stepping home in a lively 28 1/5 for an open length 2:01 win over Internationalmodel (Zeron). Racing out of the Svanstedt stable, just like her sire, the $63,000 Lexington sale filly is owned by the trainer in partnership with Stall Kalmar. Kiefer Elite Bloodstock and Martin Michalik bred Sunkist Beauty.

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Domenico Cecere, house trainer for Lindy Farms, took the lines behind Coach Calhoun for his first start and drove him to a 2:00 win. Poised in the pocket as Lynam S (Sears), a Greenshoe half-brother to Joviality S, set even numbers, Cecere edged the Walner brother to Warrawee Xenia to the outside late, and he responded willingly to get up. The winner was a $165,000 Lexington buy for Lindy Farms and Robert Rudolph. Warrawee Farms is the breeder.

Thinker Monkey, a $500,000 Lexington yearling brother to Gimpanzee, led all the way and shook off last turn pressure from All Too Well (A. Svanstedt) to finish a 2:01 mile with a 28 1/5 final quarter. My Way (Tetrick) and Sforza (Gingras) both were willing with late trot and in close attendance at the wire. The winner is owned by Howard Taylor, Judith Taylor, Daniel Plouffe and breeder Order By Stable and raced by the same team as his famous brother - Melander and Sears.

Crush Kill Destroy (Gingras) won the lone pacing race, closing it up nicely into the 28 2/5 end to the 1:56 3/5 mile. Per Engblom trains the Betterthancheddar colt for Evan Katz.

--press release (Meadowlands)--