Meadowlands: Super Chapter, Go Dog Go score in Stanley Dancer Memorial

Super Chapter and Go Dog Go will head into this year's Hambletonian eliminations in two weeks with momentum on their side following victories in the pair of Grade 3 $119,500 Stanley Dancer Memorial divisions for sophomore colt and gelding trotters on Saturday night at the Meadowlands.

Driven by Dexter Dunn in the first split, Super Chapter led through fractions of 27, 55 1/5 and 1:23 3/5 before he closed with a 27 second final quarter to win by a length and a quarter in 1:50 3/5. Monserrate (David Miller) went first-over out of fourth on the far turn and finished well to get second and Blank (Scott Zeron) gained positions to check in third.

"He's been super from Day One since he came back in. He's been perfect," said Mattias Melander, assistant trainer to his brother Marcus. "Dexter can really do whatever he wants with him."

Jeff Snyder and Art Pronti own Super Chapter, a Hanover Shoe Farms-bred colt by Chapter Seven. This year's MGM Yonkers Trot champion has a summary of 9-3-1 from 15 starts, has put away $804,185 and returned $2.20 to win.

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Melander and Dunn went for the sweep in the second flight with Maryland, last year's Dan Patch Award winner for the group. After settling in fourth to the quarter in 27 3/5, he followed Go Dog Go (Todd McCarthy) to the outside and cleared that rival beyond the 56 1/5 half-mile marker. Go Dog Go, coming off a victory in the W.N. Reynolds at the Meadowlands last time out, pulled the trigger two-wide before the 1:24 3/5 three-quarters, and although Maryland was game, Go Dog Go got by him, then kept him at bay to the wire, winning by a neck in 1:50 4/5. Early leader Nordic Catcher S (Ake Svanstedt) got third.

"There was a little bit of pressue coming from the outer flow. He felt so good at the time and I really didn't want to risk getting put in a pocket there," McCarthy remarked about his decision to go after Maryland before three-quarters. "The move I made in the backstretch, I felt like I didn't have to use a lot of energy to do so. Maryland raced great, too, but the way my guy felt, I was kind of happy to take my chance and pop the pocket and let him trot on from just before the last quarter. He raced great."

Carter Pinske trains Go Dog Go, colt by Greenshoe, for breeder/co-owner Wiesman Farms and co-owner Al Libfeld. Go Dog Go has five wins, two seconds and two thirds from 13 trips behind the gate, has pocketed $411,387 and returned $4.60 to win.

"Bob Brady (from Kentuckiana Farms), I have to say, picked him out when he was a baby. He said this is the best colt I've ever seen. Everything else is history," said John Wiesman. "Our first stakes win ever as an owner was last weekend in the Reynolds, so it's very, very special."