Meadowlands: Standout 3-year-old Twin B Joe Fresh tackles older in 2023 debut

Scheduling a return to the races for an elite 3-year-old can be difficult. High earnings prohibit finding a soft spot and the Grand Circuit doesn't hit high gear until mid-June. These were the problems for trainer Chris Ryder as he somewhat reluctantly dropped Twin B Joe Fresh in against older mares in an Open 2 Handicap at the Meadowlands on Friday night.

"If we don't go there we weren't getting a race, so we didn't have much choice. It was either there or qualify again," said Ryder, who admitted he was a "little bit" hesitant about dropping her in.

While the 3-year-old filly by Roll With Joe will face older foes in the sixth event on the 13-race card, she certainly has the class to handle the task. Twin B Joe Fresh is the second-fastest and second-richest horse in the race. In 2022 she posted a 10-8-2-0 record and a 1:48 4/5 mile as a 2-year-old while calling it a season in early October as the New York and Kentucky Sire Stakes champion.

Ryder reports that Twin B Joe Fresh has returned "terrific" and perhaps a little bigger than last year.

"She's always had a bit of size to her. She's a very wide filly," said Ryder.

Owned by Ryder, driver Dexter Dunn, Peter Trebotica and Barry Spak, Twin B Joe Fresh has qualified back sharply at the Meadowlands, clocking winning mid-May miles of 1:50 3/5 and 1:51 4/5. While Ryder suggested she may need a start or two to reach peak form, he wasn't exactly conceding the race before it was contested.

"I believe so," remarked Ryder quickly when asked if she could win. "It is completely up to Dexter [Dunn] how he races her, but I'm sure it will be on the conservative side."

Twin B Joe Fresh's main competition figures to come from Hot Mess Express off a sharp confidence-building victory over the oval last weekend and Kobe's Gigi, who owns a 1:48 3/5 win at the Meadowlands last year and should be ready for a strong effort in her second start back from winter vacation.

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A few races after watching Twin B Joe Fresh, Ryder sends out Walner Payton in the $240,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes final (race nine). While she has made just shy of $700,000 in her career and owns a 1:51 4/5 mark set on May 13, Ryder admitted that she's up against it versus 2022 divisional champion Special Way.

"It's not a great spot. That filly on the rail is about as tough as we've seen," said Ryder. "My filly is what she is. She's doing good and shows up, but Special Way is Special Way."

Ryder will also be on hand in East Rutherford on Saturday morning when he'll send out his star 4-year-old pacing mare Niki Hill in a qualifier. On Sunday (5/28 at Harrah's Philadelphia) she was used hard to get the lead from post eight through fractions of 25 4/5, 53 1/5 and 1:21 before fading to seventh to lose by nearly five lengths at the wire.

"She's ok. It wasn't an ideal scenario for her," said Ryder about Niki Hill, who adds Lasix and will head to Woodbine Mohawk Park next weekend along with Twin B Joe Fresh. The former will go in the Roses Are Red while the latter is scheduled to compete in the Fan Hanover.