Saturday morning served as Opening Day for the 2015 edition of Breakfast With The Babies at The Meadowlands.
It was a beautiful, windless morning with temperatures in the 70’s. There were but four two-year-old races with short fields in all.
The first race was for trotters with a field of three fillies. Royal Treason led all the way with a :28.4 sprint on the end of a mile in 2:02.2 for driver Tim Tetrick. She’s a daughter of RC Royalty owned by trainer Paul Kelley in partnership with Charlie Iannazzo, Steve Michaels and Jim Winske. She was a $26,000 purchase at the Morrisville sale last fall.
Colt trotters came up next and the Andover Hall colt Mikkeli Hanover looked like his $130,000 Harrisburg price tag may have been a bargain. He set all fractions as driver Yannick Gingras did his best to rate the colt through a sensible 1:01 half, tacking a :28.2 final quarter on the 1:59.3 mile under wraps. He sure is big and pretty! Ron Burke trains the half-brother to O'Brien Award winner Stubborn Belle for his Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, Frank Baldachino and Panhellic Stable Corp.
Also noteworthy in this race was the sharp-looking Cantab Hall colt Rocky Hanover, who followed along willingly to be second just a few lengths off the winner, finishing under his own power. Rocky Hanover will sell tomorrow in the Tattersalls Mixed Sale as Hip #9 for trainer Tony Alagna and Steve Stewart.
A pair of Burke pacing fillies squared off in the third with Yankee Moonshine holding Eloquent Grace (a half-sibling to millionaires Ginger And Fred and Fred And Ginger) at bay though a sparkling :26.3 close to a 1:57.2 mile. Matt Kakaley drove the $42,000 Harrisburg Yankee Cruiser filly (a full sister to Pennsylvania Sires Stakes champion Yankee Bounty) for Burke Racing, Stable 45, Larry Karr and Weaver Bruscemi. The Roll With Joe filly Play Again went along nicely to be third here and she will be sold in tomorrow’s sale as Hip #7.
Stolen Glimpse looked sharp, easily winning the colt pace in 1:55.3 with a :27.2 final quarter for Gingras and Burke. The Art Major colt was a $100,000 Harrisburg purchase by Stable 45, J&T Silva and Burke Racing. No Shame Blue Chip, also sale-bound as Hip #6, set the early fractions here.
Moving on, one of last season’s top freshman filly trotters and half-mile track world record holder Wild Honey breezed a mile in 1:54.1 with a :27.2 final quarter for Gingras. She looked fantastic today for trainer Jimmy Takter scoring a decisive open length win over the good colt Billy Flynn.
Gural Hanover (Gingras) and JL Cruze (John Campbell) came out to sharpen up for next week’s second leg of the Graduate Series and sharpen up they did. Gural Hanover cut the mile as JL Cruze followed along in second through a 1:24.3 three-quarters, then threw up a :27 flat last quarter to finish the 1:51.3 mile that drew a couple of “Wows” from the small crowd of attendees. JL Cruze actually closed it up a bit in the final eighth under no urging at all.
The field of pacers that lined up next would be the feature at any track with three of the entrants, Foiled Again, O'Brien Award winner McWicked and Bettors Edge accounting for more than $9 million. There were all nearly upstaged by Thats My Opinion, who bull rushed the field just past the McWicked-led 57.2 half and opened up by three or four. Ultimately, the old warrior Foiled Again (Gingras) saved the day by tracking Thats My Opinion down near the wire in 1:51 flat and he looked good doing it. It’s good to see him back. Thats My Opinion sells as Hip #84 tomorrow, he may be the sleeper of the sale.
JK Endofanera (Gingras) and Somewhere In LA (Brett Miller) were also getting in some work before the Graduate leg, the former zipping around the oval in 1:50 off a half in :56 for Burke, going under the wire four in advance of his chief rival.
Three-year-old pacer King Of Delight closed it out with a 1:51.3 win for trainer/driver Richie Silverman over Dreams Beachboy and the sale-bound Suchasenseofhumor (Hip #54), who set the fractions and held well late.
Live racing resumes tonight at 7:15 p.m. and it will be accompanied by the annual Food Truck battle known as JerseyFest.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)