Overcast skies plagued the Saturday morning June 27th edition of Breakfast With The Babies at The Meadowlands. Temperatures hovered around 70 degrees with just a hint of a breeze as the morning faithful feasted on bagels shipped in from Manhattan courtesy of Murray Brown.
Trotting fillies led off the babies and the first winner of the day was from the (surprise) Jimmy Takter barn. The Muscle Hill homebred rode the pocket for Takter through easy fractions, fanned off mile cutter Skara Brae's back then duel;ed that one to the wire, prevailing in 1:58.4 with a :28.4 final quarter. She’s owned by the Silver Linden Farms of Indiana.
The second race demonstrated that the gloves are officially off for the babies with stakes racing on the near horizon. Caprice Hill already had a big rep off her 1:58 Gaitway win and was making her Big M debut for Yannick Gingras, Tony Alagna and owner Tom Hill. Gingras settled Caprice Hill in the pocket behind Takter and Hollywood Hill as that one sailed through the three quarters in 1:29, tipping her out as they straightened up and going by for the 1:56.4 win. Caprice Hill is a Kadabra filly from the good race mare Bramasole who cost Mr. Hill $55,000 at Harrisburg last fall.
Memories of the great trotting mare Peace Corps were relived as John Campbell and Tommy Haughton combined to win the third race with New Leaf. She is a Muscles Yankee homebred that Haughton is training for Joe Thomson’s Winbak Farm. She held the late-charging Monarchs Sequel at bay in a 1:59 mile with a :28.2 final quarter.
Dave Miller drove Radiant Beam to a 2:02 win for trainer Andrew Harris and owners Arrhythmic LLC. She’s a Holiday Road that has turned out to be a $7,000 Lexington bargain purchase.
Bar Hopping sure looked good this morning for Takter. He was making his third morning appearance, this time driven by the trainer. He followed along through a 1:31.1 three-quarters then zipped past the leader while tacking a :27.3 end to the 1:58.4 mile. Bar Hopping is a son of Muscle Hill that was sold to Christina Takter, Bud Hatfield Stable, Marvin Katz and Al Libfeld at last year’s Harrisburg sale for $190,000.
Takter cut the mile with his Cantab Hall colt Cantabra in the next race through a 1:31.1 three panels before Manofmanyimages tipped out and trotted by, then broke as he crossed the wire, the mile in 2:00. Manofmanyimages is from the first crop of Manofmanymissions, a $70,000 Harrisburg buy for Richard Gutnick, TLP Stables and Joseph Lozito. He is trained by Ed Hart.
“Tyson and Zlayton...Zlayton and Tyson...Zlayton!” was track announcer Sam McKee’s call in race seven as Jimmy Takter won another. This time it was with Zlayton, a $37,000 Muscle Mass colt that he bought on behalf of his longtime patrons Mrs. Takter, Fielding, Fielding and Liverman. The mile was covered in 2:01.2 with the final quarter in :28-seconds flat.
Thatsoveryverynice was an impressive 1:54.4 winner for Tim Tetrick in the first of the pacing races. She left for the lead, settled third then moved first over from third off the final bend and went by with the last quarter on the board in :27.3. Thatsoveryverynice, from the first crop of Vintage Master, is owned and trained by Tony Alagna.
JK Fannie won in 1:56.4 with Tetrick driving much like the previous race, leaving for position then fanning wide in the stretch to get up through the :28 flat last quarter. Always Covers snaked through late with good pace for the place. The winner is a homebred Rocknroll Hanover lass from the 3 Brothers Stable. Nancy Johansson is the trainer.
Some sharp looking colts took the track for the tenth with Talk Show leading the field throughout to win in 1:55.1, with a :26.4 final quarter, well in hand to John Campbell. He’s an Art Major $40,000 Lexington yearling trained by Steve Elliott for Pegasis Investments, Team S Racing and Barbara Bongiorno. Highlandbeachycove followed the winner right through the wire with pace and the Cancelliere Brothers homebred Uncle Nicky actually gained into the fast last quarter to be third. Key race.
The fastest race of the two-year-old season thus far was the 1:53.4 mile by Tommys Delight, a Roll With Joe first cropper driven for trainer Casie Coleman by Dave Miller. He shot from the gate and set fast fractions throughout under mild Miller urging. American Passport and Rock Power also impressed with late pace closing in near the wire.
Voracity went well this morning, winning in 1:57 from the pocket for Scott Zeron into a :27 flat final quarter, tracking down a game Katies Rocker. The Sportswriter colt races from the Tony Alagna barn for his interest as Alagna Racing with partners John Fodera and Brad Grant. Voracity cost the group $47,000 in Lexington last fall.
A few interesting qualifiers were part of the day’s activity including world champion Mission Brief returning after a short break following her New Jersey Sires Stakes final win. Yannick Gingras put her on the lead and was clearly letting the filly trot as she opened a long lead but missed a step or two heading into the stretch where she eventually rolled off on to the gallop.
JK Endofanera had a public 1:50 flat workout at day’s end for Gingras as he led by many at every call versus two over-matched rivals.