Meadowlands: So Rock N' Roll looks to step up in Big M debut

So Rock N' Roll has been a stakes winner in Maine and Massachusetts during his career, and now the 4-year-old pacer will kick off his 2024 campaign with a visit to the Meadowlands.

Bred by Les Leighton and owned by Leighton Property, So Rock N' Roll has hit the board in 32 of 37 career races, winning 11 and earning $255,531. Last year, he was second to stablemate Luke McGook in the Maine Standardbred Breeders Stakes final for 3-year-old male pacers, as well as second in the Massachusetts Sire Stakes championship.

"He's done very well," co-owner Victoria Leighton said. "We're very proud of him. He's one of my favorites. He has a wonderful personality, and he's so friendly."

So Rock N' Roll, a son of Western Maverick-So So Sweet, ended last season with consecutive victories in conditioned races at First Tracks Cumberland in Maine. He will start Saturday at the Big M from post three in a $10,500 conditioned pace. George Brennan will be in the sulky for trainer Benson Merrill. So Rock N' Roll is 6-1 on the morning line.

"I know he hasn't raced for a few weeks, but he feels good," Merrill said. “As long as he gets away somewhere close and gets put in play, he should be right there. I don't think the horse really knows how fast he is."

So Rock N' Roll's start at the Big M will be his first on a big track. All his previous races were on half-mile ovals in Maine, or the five-eighths-mile oval at Plainridge Park. Trained previously by Marc Tardif, the gelding joined Merrill's stable following the end of last year's stakes season. He has made eight starts for Merrill, winning three.

"When I first got him, my driver (Kevin Switzer Jr.) said he would get to the lead horse and kind of hang up," Merrill said. "I changed his head rigging and it seemed to help. I kind of opened him up a little bit on the inside and now he just goes right by, he doesn't stop. So, I think that helped a lot.

"He's good spirited. He always seems to feel good. If he's not feeling good, you'll know it. Fortunately, we haven't had that yet. He seems like a very happy horse."

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So Rock N' Roll is one of three horses competing Saturday at the Meadowlands for Merrill. Art Of Endurance is 6-1 on the morning line in a $10,000 conditioned pace and Bush Man N is 12-1 in a claiming handicap going for a purse of $15,000. Brennan will drive both horses, who, like So Rock N' Roll, are making their seasonal debuts.

Art Of Endurance brings a five-race winning streak to his start. The 6-year-old gelding, an August 2022 purchase, had a history of going off-stride, but has been putting his best foot forward lately.

"We always hold our breath when he races," Merrill said. "He's super-fast but a little funny in the turns, so I would think he would benefit from the Meadowlands. He's been a project. We almost got rid of him quite a few times. But we kept trying different things, and I don't know if we just got lucky, but he's won five in a row. He’s been unbelievable."

Bush Man N, a 9-year-old gelding who joined the Merrill Stable in November 2022, heads to his start Saturday off a 1:56 3/5 win at Cumberland.

"That's a monster mile at Cumberland in the wintertime," Merrill said. "He's a bully. They know he's in the race. He's got a lot of early speed. He's a neat horse. He definitely has a different way to himself, some quirks. I don't know how fast he can go. He's a big horse and I think the big track will help him."

Although all three of Merrill's horses are racing for the first time since late last year, the Augusta, Maine, native is hoping for strong performances.

"They seem to be pretty sharp," Merrill said. "We've got a farm up here in Maine with a track and I trained them pretty good. Hopefully, they go go good."