Alagna Armada Invades The Big M

Meadowlands qualifiers

This week's edition of Breakfast With The Babies, sponsored by Fashion Farms, Independence weekend edition, opened up at 9:00 a.m. on a muggy Saturday (July 2) morning with just a slight breeze against them in the stretch over a fast Meadowlands racetrack.

Trainer Tony Alagna won the day with an impressive seven winners and a few other from the barn that going good trips, often following their stable mates under the wire.

The trotting fillies were first up and My Annas Dream (Dexter Dunn) got the day off to a fast start with a pillar to post 1:55.1 score over a fast-closing Unicorn Blue Chip (Tim Tetrick) in a match-up of fillies with a future. Lady Remi (Corey Callahan) stayed on for third after a pocket trip. The winner is a Wiesman Farms homebred daughter of Father Patrick, trained by Nancy Takter, who shows going through the Lexington Selected sale for $100,000.

Tetrick put the Brittany Farms homebred Father Patrick filly Yes Please on the lead this morning and she held sway over pocket rider Flyingdrumstick S (Emanuel Miller), the mile in 1:57.2 in what was her second appearance for trainer Tony Alagna. Baby Take A Vow (Callahan) was flying late from last to be third.

In another remarkable speed display, Dunn set friendly fractions through a minute half then hit the go button for a :55.4 and :27.3 closing fractions in a 1:55.4 win with Crawford Farms Chapter Seven lass, Royal Filly. She finished well in front of the field, with Trick Play (David Miller) staying for second and Grande (Jimmy Takter) rallied by other for third. She also races from the Alagna barn and Jonas Schlabach is listed as the breeder.

Alagna sent out a Captaintreacherous pacing colt trifecta in the fourth, fronted by Captains Choice (Scott Zeron) first across the wire in 1:54.1. Senor Soldado (Andy McCarthy) followed along for second and Admiral Hanover recovered to be third. The winner is a Riverview Racing and Steven Head home bred, they now share ownership with Larry Denley and Michele Head.

A good group of colts that all had one or two under their belts resulted in a sharp 1:53 win for El Ray (Dunn) and another Captain - Captain - Captain finish. Save America (Gingras) bolted up the inside late for second with Captain Up (Zeron) third. The winner was the fourth on the day for Alagna and another Riverview Racing homebred that is owned in partnership with Brittany Farms, Steve Head and Larry Denley.

A short group of four trotting colts faced the gate in the sixth race. Andy Miller put French Wine on the lead early and set all the fractions in a 1:56.4 score over Chapercraz (Trond Smedshammer). The Bar Hopping colt, trained by Julie Miller, was a $120,000 Lexington yearling, bred by Katz and Libfeld and now racing for Andy Miller Stable, Daniel and Jean Christophe Plouffe and Michael Cote Gagnon.

After a training break, M Maurrone (Andy Miller) led all the way and won by many over Southwind Admiral (Dave Miller) in 1:58.3. Jeff Cullipher trains the Donato Hanover gelding for himself and partner Pollack Racing LLC.

First-crop sire Crazy Wow had a winner in Some Kinda Crazy (Corey Callahan) who left the field in his wake with a :27.4 end to a 1:58.2 mile over Hillasviva (Smedshammer). John Butenschoen trains the winner for Andray Farm, Jim Crawford IV, R. Preziotti and VIP Internet Stable who gave $20,000 for the ridgling at Harrisburg. Stephen Dey II is the breeder.

Scratch My Back gave Andy Miller his third driving win and trainer/wife Julie a double when the Tactical Landing colt cut the mile in 1:59 and held on over a closing Khaosan Road (Svanstedt) and Harko (J. Takter). The Millers share ownership of the winner, a $47,000 Lexington yearling bred by Steve Jones, with Michael Anderson and Never 2 Late stables.

Mint Julep Hanover (A. McCarthy) was Tony Alagna’s fifth winner of the day when she scored in 1:56. The Stay Hungry filly wound up in front at the half when rival Mikado broke and held sway under minimal urging over stablemate Everheart Hanover (Todd McCarthy). Tony shares ownership of the $100,000 Hanover-bred Harrisburg yearling with Brad Grant and Jablonsky Held Stable.

A pair of expensive and impressive Captaintreacherous fillies from the Alagna barn finished one-two in the 11th when Seashell (A. McCarthy) held off the late rush of Bellissima Hanover (T. McCarthy) in 1:53.2, win number six on the day for Tony. Seashell sat behind rapid fractions set by Southwind Guiness, paced by that rival mid-stretch and kept it going through the wire. The winner was a $450,000 Lexington yearling, bred by Brittany Farms and now co-owned with Marvin Katz. Bellissima Hanover brought $400,000 at Lexington for Riverview Racing, who bred her with Hanover and retained the filly in partnership with Alagna Racing, Caviart Farms, Steve Head and Daniel Plouffe.

The races ended with the twelfth, so Alagna was held to seven winners on the day when Treacherous Dame (A. McCarthy), a Willow Oak Ranch homebred won in 1:53.3 over barn mate Treacherous Penny (T. McCarthy) with a third Alagna trainee, Reggae Hanover closing up for third in another Captaintreacherous-sired sweep of the top three.

It's Fan Appreciation night at The Meadowlands and the feature races are top class Grand Circuit events for older horses. Free programs are available on The Meadowlands website as always for the first post at 6:20 p.m.

(Meadowlands)

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