Meadowlands: Volume Eight erupts in Kindergarten final for male trotters

Volume Eight cruised to a 1:52 victory in the $268,180 Kindergarten Series final for freshman male trotters on Saturday night at the Meadowlands, just missing Don't Let'em's track record by a fifth of a second.

Up Your Deo (Ake Svanstedt) blasted out from post five and led the field of ten to the 27 second opening quarter. Purple Lord (David Miller) would move two-wide out of third past that marker, with Volume Eight (Andy McCarthy) right on his heels after landing in fourth from post seven.

Purple Lord cleared before the 55 4/5 half and strung out Volume Eight to make the front until after that station, but Volume Eight never had an issue once he had command, sailing through three-quarters in 1:25 and powering away to the win by 8 1/4 lengths thanks to a 27 second kicker. Purple Lord held off Some Kinda Crazy (Corey Callahan) for second, and Southwind Admiral (Todd McCarthy) wound up fourth after an unsuccessful first-over try on the final bend. Te Amo Lindy (Dexter Dunn) grabbed fifth.

"I had him in a headlock the whole way down the stretch. He was wanting to go a little more," Andy McCarthy said in the winner's circle. "He's still got another race left [the Valley Victory], so I was trying to save a little bit, but he wants to do his job, that's for sure."

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Volume Eight didn't hit the track for the first time until late August, but McCarthy noted he's quickly making up for lost time.

"I think he had a little injury with his foot or something, something minor. They kind of knew how good he was, so they just protected him," he remarked. "He missed the New York circuit, but it seems like it might have been a blessing in disguise now."

Volume Eight raced without shoes tonight, something he also did in a 1:52 1/5 International Stallion Stakes victory on October 7 at The Red Mile.

Trainer Noel Daley also co-owns Volume Eight, a colt by Chapter Seven and bred by the late Robert J. Key, with Sjoblom Racing, Joe Sbrocco, La Express And Jaf Racing, and Mario Mazza. Volume Eight has a record of 6-0-0 from eight starts, pushed his bankroll to $241,200, and paid $3.20 to win as the 3-5 favorite.