The Meadows and Saratoga Offer Solid Saturday Cards
This coming Saturday standardbred racing fans will have the chance to watch quality pacers compete during the afternoon and then well into the evening as The Meadows hosts a solid daytime card featuring a pair of eliminations for the Adios Pace while Saratoga harness will offer a quality card highlighted by its signature event of the meet, the Joe Gerrity, Jr. Memorial for older pacers.
Saturday afternoon's card at The Meadows near Pittsburgh will feature a pair of eliminations for the Adios Pace and also include a trio of Pennsylvania Sire Stakes events for two-year-old colt pacers perhaps looking to have an early eye on the Adios next summer.
In fact, Saturday's third race is a $53,000 PASS split for juvenile colt pacers that appears to be a three-horse affair. Wild Bill (Scott Zeron) has won both of his starts for trainer Ray Schnittker, while Venier Hanover has already recorded five wins in seven outings for trainer-driver David Brickell. This Is The Plan (David Miller) finished a sharp second in his career debut for trainer Chris Ryder and looms the maiden with the biggest chance for an upset tally.
One race later on the card, Kwik Talkin (Jordan Stratton) will look to enhance his bankroll and resume despite drawing the outside slot in the second $53,000 PASS split for freshman pacing colts. A winner of all four of his starts this summer for trainer Rob Harmon, including the $110,000 Lawrence B. Sheppard final at Yonkers Raceway last weekend, Kwik Talkin should garner the favorite's role against Closing Statement (David Miller), Ideal Zip (Marcus Miller) and Lucky Leonard (Tim Tetrick) who all arrive with one win from two starts.
Then just past the midway point of the card in the third $53,000 PASS split for the juvenile pacing colts, Done Well (Tetrick) will look to continue to live up to his name for Brian Brown having won both of his starts, including a 1:51.2 score that caught plenty of attention. Karpathian Kid (Marcus Miller) has finished second in each of his first two career tries for trainer Erv Miller and rates the second best colt in this spot despite his maiden status.
Then one race later in the first of two Adios Pace eliminations, Huntsville (Tetrick) will look to continue the stellar start to his sophomore season when he leads this group. Fresh off a game, determined score in the $740,000 Meadowlands Pace final, Huntsville has won seven of eight starts this year for Schnittker and looms the odds-on choice in this spot against Miso Fast, Blood Line, Southwind Yukon and Highalator and last year's champion two-year-old colt pacing champ is one week away from meeting the only sophomore to defeat him this season.
In the second Adios elim, Fear The Dragon (David Miller) brings seven wins from eight starts this year for Brown, including a sharp score over Huntsville in the $750,000 North America Cup final at Mohawk Raceway in Canada last month. Fear The Dragon is also the top-rated horse in the latest Hambletonian Society/United States Trotting Association Top 10 poll and looms the odds-on choice in a suspect field that includes Independent One, Filibuster Hanover and Hurricane Beach.
That same evening at Saratoga Raceway in New York, the half-mile oval will offer a trio of New York Sire Stakes events for three-year-old colt pacers and feature the ninth edition of the $260,000 Joe Gerrity, Jr. Memorial for older pacers.
In the opening race on the card, the first of three $45,000 NYSS splits Funknwaffles (Corey Callahan) deserves the favorite's role despite an outside draw for trainer John Butenschoen, fresh off a victory in a division of the NYSS at Yonkers Raceway. Three races later Outkast Blue Chip and Heaven's Gait, another Yonkers hero, should decide the outcome in the second NYSS split and one race later look for Uffizi, America's Fleet and Talent Soup, a 1:48.4 winner at the Meadowlands three starts back, to settle the issue in the lane.
Then one race later in the $260,000 Joe Gerrity, Jr. Memorial, a stellar field will assemble behind the gate. Boston Red Rocks (Brett Miller) was a gritty second in the $425,000 William R. Haughton Memorial last weekend and has finished second six times in 10 winless starts this year and may be the best horse in the land without a victory this season. All Bets Off (Matt Kakaley) faded after a good trip in the Haughton, but should feel right at home again on a half-mile track. Somewhere In L A (Bartlett) owns a 9-4-2 slate and $400,000 bankroll from 22 starts this year for trainer Richard Banca and merits an upset chance. Sintra (Jody Jamieson) has won six of eight starts against four-year-olds and steps up to face serious older foes in this spot. Bit Of A Legend N (Stratton) was the runner-up in this event last year and looms a contender with a trip. Clear Vision has been among the comeback horses of the year and the Levy series consolation hero can be a factor with a trip. Mach It So is fresh off his determined score in the Haughton and looms a factor despite and outside draw, while Levy final and Ben Franklin final hero Keystone Velocity will get an acid test from post right for trainer Rene Allard.
Saturday afternoon's card at The Meadows near Pittsburgh will feature a pair of eliminations for the Adios Pace and also include a trio of Pennsylvania Sire Stakes events for two-year-old colt pacers perhaps looking to have an early eye on the Adios next summer.
In fact, Saturday's third race is a $53,000 PASS split for juvenile colt pacers that appears to be a three-horse affair. Wild Bill (Scott Zeron) has won both of his starts for trainer Ray Schnittker, while Venier Hanover has already recorded five wins in seven outings for trainer-driver David Brickell. This Is The Plan (David Miller) finished a sharp second in his career debut for trainer Chris Ryder and looms the maiden with the biggest chance for an upset tally.
One race later on the card, Kwik Talkin (Jordan Stratton) will look to enhance his bankroll and resume despite drawing the outside slot in the second $53,000 PASS split for freshman pacing colts. A winner of all four of his starts this summer for trainer Rob Harmon, including the $110,000 Lawrence B. Sheppard final at Yonkers Raceway last weekend, Kwik Talkin should garner the favorite's role against Closing Statement (David Miller), Ideal Zip (Marcus Miller) and Lucky Leonard (Tim Tetrick) who all arrive with one win from two starts.
Then just past the midway point of the card in the third $53,000 PASS split for the juvenile pacing colts, Done Well (Tetrick) will look to continue to live up to his name for Brian Brown having won both of his starts, including a 1:51.2 score that caught plenty of attention. Karpathian Kid (Marcus Miller) has finished second in each of his first two career tries for trainer Erv Miller and rates the second best colt in this spot despite his maiden status.
Then one race later in the first of two Adios Pace eliminations, Huntsville (Tetrick) will look to continue the stellar start to his sophomore season when he leads this group. Fresh off a game, determined score in the $740,000 Meadowlands Pace final, Huntsville has won seven of eight starts this year for Schnittker and looms the odds-on choice in this spot against Miso Fast, Blood Line, Southwind Yukon and Highalator and last year's champion two-year-old colt pacing champ is one week away from meeting the only sophomore to defeat him this season.
In the second Adios elim, Fear The Dragon (David Miller) brings seven wins from eight starts this year for Brown, including a sharp score over Huntsville in the $750,000 North America Cup final at Mohawk Raceway in Canada last month. Fear The Dragon is also the top-rated horse in the latest Hambletonian Society/United States Trotting Association Top 10 poll and looms the odds-on choice in a suspect field that includes Independent One, Filibuster Hanover and Hurricane Beach.
That same evening at Saratoga Raceway in New York, the half-mile oval will offer a trio of New York Sire Stakes events for three-year-old colt pacers and feature the ninth edition of the $260,000 Joe Gerrity, Jr. Memorial for older pacers.
In the opening race on the card, the first of three $45,000 NYSS splits Funknwaffles (Corey Callahan) deserves the favorite's role despite an outside draw for trainer John Butenschoen, fresh off a victory in a division of the NYSS at Yonkers Raceway. Three races later Outkast Blue Chip and Heaven's Gait, another Yonkers hero, should decide the outcome in the second NYSS split and one race later look for Uffizi, America's Fleet and Talent Soup, a 1:48.4 winner at the Meadowlands three starts back, to settle the issue in the lane.
Then one race later in the $260,000 Joe Gerrity, Jr. Memorial, a stellar field will assemble behind the gate. Boston Red Rocks (Brett Miller) was a gritty second in the $425,000 William R. Haughton Memorial last weekend and has finished second six times in 10 winless starts this year and may be the best horse in the land without a victory this season. All Bets Off (Matt Kakaley) faded after a good trip in the Haughton, but should feel right at home again on a half-mile track. Somewhere In L A (Bartlett) owns a 9-4-2 slate and $400,000 bankroll from 22 starts this year for trainer Richard Banca and merits an upset chance. Sintra (Jody Jamieson) has won six of eight starts against four-year-olds and steps up to face serious older foes in this spot. Bit Of A Legend N (Stratton) was the runner-up in this event last year and looms a contender with a trip. Clear Vision has been among the comeback horses of the year and the Levy series consolation hero can be a factor with a trip. Mach It So is fresh off his determined score in the Haughton and looms a factor despite and outside draw, while Levy final and Ben Franklin final hero Keystone Velocity will get an acid test from post right for trainer Rene Allard.
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