Meadowlands: Trainer Patrick Lachance sends out strong quartet Saturday night

Trainer Patrick Lachance does most of his racing year-round at Yonkers Raceway. With the Westchester County half-mile oval taking a break during the holiday season Lachance will send out four horses on Saturday night’s Meadowlands program, the majority with excellent chances for success.

Leading off the four-pack will be the aged veteran Digitial Z Tam. A nine-year-old that has spent a long and prosperous career in the Lachance stable, Digital Z Tam steps out of a $25,000 claiming race at Yonkers for the B-2 event at the Meadowlands carded as race three.

“I think the B-2 level is too tough for him,” said Lachance, who admitted that he hadn’t seen the program but was aware of what some of the other B-2s were going like over the past few weeks. “I think the $25,000 claiming level at Yonkers is cheaper,” Lachance said.

As far as the condition of Digital Z Tam, a winner just twice in his last 56 starts in 2012-13, the trainer believes the horse is fit and “ready to go.” Regardless it appears from post seven that Digital Z Tam will be a longshot in the field of ten that also includes double millionaire Silent Swing.

Sir Michigan Z Tam, a three-year-old gelding by the heralded stallion Somebeachsomewhere, drew post six in the evening’s fourth race strictly for sophomore pacers that are non-winners of three races or $40,000 lifetime. Without question Lachance thought that Sir Michigan Z Tam wouldn’t be fitting this class at the end of the year after a promising beginning.

“He got sore as a two-year-old,” said Lachance. “We’ve had issues with him this year too.”

The trainer believes that some of those problems are under control and the evidence seems clear on the racetrack where Sir Michigan Z Tam has begun to turn things around since returning in November.

“He seems to be hitting on all cylinders now,” said a confident Lachance. “His last race (a win at Harrah’s Philadelphia) he did that easily.”

Sir Michigan Z Tam won in the non-winners of three races class at Harrah’s on December 16 coming from off the pace on an off track and winning easily in 1:54 3/5.

The move to the Meadowlands figures to be ideal according to Lachance. “He’s a big horse and I think the bigger the track for him the better.”

Machs Beach Boy has been racing very sharply at Yonkers. “I think he’s won $40,000 in his last six starts,” said Lachance. The four-year-old has been with Lachance for the last six months and he believes the field he’s up against on Saturday will be the toughest since coming to the United States.

“This is the toughest field he’s faced for sure,” said Lachance. “I really feel he can handle it.”

Machs Beach Boy has raced on the big tracks in Ontario (Mohawk) with some success but has never faced a field with this much class. Included in Saturday’s eleventh race, a $30,000 A-1/FFA Handicap, are some heavy hitters including the millionaire Versado (post 5), the 1:48 performer Abelard Hanover (post 6) and the gritty Bettors Edge (post 7).

With the handicap Machs Beach Boy drew post one as part of the A-1 group.

The $578,171 winner Sir Ziggy’s Z Tam rounds out Lachance’s entries on Saturday night. The five-year-old by Art Major drew post six in a C-1 class that should suit him fine. Last week in the same class Sir Ziggy’s Z Tam finished fourth as an 8-5 favorite for catch-driver John Campbell.

“He’s a trip horse. John drove him as well as you could putting him on the front end as the favorite,” said Lachance. The trip however didn’t work out and Lachance is hopeful he’ll be able to work out a better one this Saturday.

“He doesn’t like to do all the work,” Lachance stated bluntly about a horse that’s been consistent over time while at the same time lacking victories.

Sir Ziggy’s Z Tam has two fourth place finishes to his credit since arriving at the New Meadowlands and on paper is a major contender in the evening’s finale (race 13).

Post time for the Saturday night card is 7:15 p.m.

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