The Meadowlands' marquee event for pacing glamour boys, the Meadowlands Pace, will have two $50,000 eliminations on Saturday night (July 8) happening alongside a pair of Graduate Series finals for four-year-olds going to post on the 14-race program.
Meadowlands Pace elimination action gets underway in the sixth race on the evening with seven going to gate. The first elimination includes a pair of Pepsi North America Cup finalists in Voukefalas, who finished fourth in the Cup and will start from post one, and Fulton, who finished third in the Cup and will start from post three. Jordan Stratton drives Voukefalas, conditioned by Michael Russo, while Dexter Dunn has the call on Fulton for trainer Linda Toscano. The race also includes Combustion, entering off a fourth-place finish in an elimination prep at The Meadowlands on July 1, and Cannibal, who is unbeaten from three starts this season including a 1:49.1 mile against overnight competition.
Elimination two for the Meadowlands Pace goes as Race 10, following the pair of Graduate Series finals. In the second elimination, Cup runner-up Confederate will work from post one for driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Brett Pelling against a stacked contingent including Breeders Crown winner Ammo from post two, Metro Pace winner and Cup consolation winner Stockade Seelster from post three, Governor’s Cup winner El Rey from post five, elimination prep winner Christchurch from post six and Cup fifth-place finisher Save America from post seven.
The top five finishers from each elimination will advance to the final, which will take place the following Saturday, July 15.
The $230,000 Graduate Series Trot goes to gate as Race 8 on the night. The lone mare Jiggy Jog S will look to again dominate her male competitors following a facile 1:51 victory in the $112,500 Six Pack Stakes, where she sprinted a :26 final quarter under wraps. The millionaire Ake Svanstedt trainee will start from post one and faces another millionaire in Hambletonian winner Cool Papa Bell, who starts from post eight in rein to Todd McCarthy for conditioner Jim Campbell. Canadian Trotting Classic winner Slay also competes in the final from post five, right alongside Kentucky Sire Stakes champ Keg Stand from post six in the eight-horse affair.
A loaded field of 10 goes to post in the $240,000 Graduate Series Pace in Race 9. I Did It Myway, the lone millionaire in the field, will start from post eight off a 1:47.3 pocket-pop victory in the Graduate Series preliminary on June 24. Andy McCarthy drives the Tony Alagna trainee in against dual prelim winner Mad Max Hanover, in rein to Tim Tetrick for trainer Jake Leamon from post four, along with other preliminary winners in Dreamfair Arnie B from post one, Captain Cowboy from post three and Stonebridge Helios from post five.
Racing at The Meadowlands gets underway on Saturday at 6:20 p.m. (EDT).
To view Saturday's complete entries, click here.