It's “Go Time” for the Melander Stable in 2021
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DRF HARNESS HOME DIGITAL HARNESS EYE HARNESS PPS DRF BETS ENTRIES ARCHIVE THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021 It’s “go time” for the Melander stable in 2021 After four months of preparation, former Trainer of the Year Marcus Melander is ready to unveil his 2021 equine crew Crown,” said Melander. “I think every horse in the barn was sick at some point during EDITOR’S EYE November. It was disappointing because Hypnotic Am was scratched from the Matron By Derick Giwner and another 2-year-old was scratched from @DRFHarness the Kindergarten Classic, but we had been very lucky without sickness for the previous couple of years.” When Reign Of Honor marched down the Unlike in 2019 and 2020 when Melander’s road at The Meadowlands on March 27 to win stable was the talk of the town due to the an overnight race it was the first start of 2021 presence of eventual Trotters of the Year for trainer Marcus Melander and ironically Greenshoe and Gimpanzee, respectively, the Inside this issue his first horse to race in exactly four months 28-year-old could be flying a bit under the when that same horse used similar tactics to radar this year. That said, his barn remains prove victorious. loaded with trotting talent and it would be Jay Bergman: Racing one of many While four months might seem like forever foolish to discount them. benefactors of COVID-19, Page 5 for some stables to be inactive on the track, for the Melander Stable, it is all part of the plan. Pompano’s worst set to battle in “Honestly it was pretty nice,” said Melander, #Senditin Invitationals, Page 5 who ramped things up on March 30 by qualify- ing five more horses. “We do so much racing, Darin Zoccali: Will the Meadowlands normally from May to November but last year Task Force have an impact?, Page 7 from June to November because of the virus, that it is nice to have a couple of months for the Dunn maintains confidence in Let It horses and people to take vacation and refresh Ride N for Monday’s Borgata, Page 8 their batteries for the new season. “It is so relaxing to go to the barn in the On The Backstretch: Profile of Hall of afternoon and go over horses. Not racing Famer Tom Charters, Page 10 during the winter gives me more time to go over the horses and prepare them for the Best Bets & Analysis, Page 12 DERICK GIWNER season. You have to do so much preparation Gimpanzee won his third straight Industry Headlines: Pocono to lower during the winter so when we start racing in Breeders Crown trophy for trainer Marcus Melander in 2020 at Hoosier Park. takeout rates; Live racing starts Friday May or June the horses can race all year in the big races.” at Harrah’s Philadelphia, Page 12 While Melander had a strong year in 2020, Reign Of Honor was a very impressive Comments? Questions? seeing his barn finish sixth in earnings 1:52 1/5 winner at The Meadowlands and is ($3,823,805), everything went downhill after staked pretty heavily according to Melander. Email the Editor [email protected] Gimpanzee won his third straight Breeders While his first goal is the A.J. Cutler Memo- Crown on October 31 at Harrah’s Hoosier rial on May 15 at The Meadowlands, the TO ENSURE PROPER delivery Park. Five of the nine horses he entered in $440K-winning 5-year-old will prepare every OF THE NEWSLETTER VIA November last year had to be scratched, two weeks or so in overnights as he seeks to including three from stakes races. hit his peak form. EMAIL, ADD [email protected]. “The stable caught a bad bug and we were com to your contact LIST just lucky it didn’t hit until after the Breeders CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 Thanks to everyone who nominated their youngsters to the 2021 Ohio Sires Stakes! Conditions & schedule available at www.racingohio.net Kim Rinker, OSDF Administrator 614-779-0269 [email protected] © 2021 Daily Racing Form, LLC - 10 Grand Central, 3rd Floor, NY, NY 10017 The Best Trotting Colt of his Generation GREENSHOE KY Futurity Champion, Sub 1:50 trotter, Millionaire AMIGO VOLO 2x Breeders Crown Champion, World-Record Holder Other top earners include Crucial, Sister Sledge, Panem, etc. BY CANTAB HALL OUT OF GALA DREAM REDUCED 2021 FEE: $17,500 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The highest profile horse in the barn for 2021 is 4-year-old trotting mare Hypnotic Am. The winner of almost $1.2 million will be back at it versus Hambletonian Oaks winner Sorella and Hambletonian winner Ramona Hill in 2021 as well as facing the previous two Dan Patch winners for top older trotting mares in Atlanta and Manchego. “Even if she’s never won every big race she’s been in, she’s never thrown in a bad race either. The first time she ever missed the board was in the Breeders Crown final when she was fourth. It is hard to think that she isn’t as good as [Manchego, Atalnta, Ramona Hill and Sorella]. They are great horses but I think she can go with them. It will be exciting to see how she does,” said Melander, who said now that the seasons are changing Hypnotic Am is starting to feel good. “She doesn’t like the cold. Now with the heat she has lost her winter hair and looks great. We’ll take her to The Meadowlands on Saturday (April 3) to train and qualify in mid-April.” Hypnotic Am has the typical stakes schedule for her division. The Courant Inc.-owned daughter of Chapter Seven is looking at the Graduate series and Hambletonian Maturity versus 4-year-olds early AMANDA STEPHENS before taking on older mares as the year goes on. Her only assignment Dancinginthedark M displayed high speed as a 2-year-old and versus the boys, should she feel up to the task, is in the Maple Leaf has matured over the winter according to Marcus Melander. Trot at Woodbine Mohawk Park during the fall. Certainly all eyes in the Standard- Melander about In Range, who can’t race at The Meadowlands outside bred world are on of the Hambletonian because of the rule which bans sons and daugh- the Hambleton- ters of sires which did not race as a 4-year-olds. ian trail each year As one of only two yearlings to ever sell for at least $1 million at and Melander has auction, Damien will once again be in the spotlight in 2021. The son of a number of them Muscle Hill-Danae didn’t start last year as a 2-year-old and Melander where that trotting is hoping that his patience will pay off in his sophomore season. classic is the ulti- “He trained at The Meadowlands last Saturday (March 27) and mate goal. Perhaps he’ll go back one more time to go a bit more of a mile next time before at the top of a list that qualifying,” said Melander. “We were very happy with how he felt and includes In Range, behaved in his first time there. At this point he feels like a good horse, Iznogoud Am, but he was immature as a 2-year-old and didn’t race, so it will take Damien, Sonofam- him more time. We have to start him from the bottom, Non-winners- istery and others, is of-1, and work his way up. The others have more experience than him, Dancinginthedark which is why he is qualifying a bit earlier.” M, who displayed The aforementioned Iznogoud Am was well-thought-of enough to raw speed winning make the trip to Woodbine Mohawk Park in 2020 to race in the inau- in 1:52 2/5 as a gural Mohawk Million. After finishing a well-beaten ninth, Melander 2-year-old but lacked put the son of Muscle Hill away and now projects him as perhaps a FOTOWON maturity. sleeper to look out for on the colt side. Caretaker Mikaela Melander and driver “We worked a lot “Iznogoud started out really good but he got a little sore on us. He Brian Sears are part of the team behind with him behind raced in the million-dollar race in Canada but wasn’t sound that day now 4-year-old mare Hypnotic Am. horses this winter and we turned him out. He’s come back really good,” said Melander and I like the way Two more to watch are Sonofamistery and Gimme Shelter. The he’s developed. He feels like he’s really matured,” said Melander. former was always fast according to Melander but just not mentally “He’s filled out nicely and I am really excited about him coming back.” there yet while the latter, a filly, is new to the barn. Gimme Shelter As a son of Readly Express, Dancinginthedark M is only eligible to won a couple of PA Sire Stakes legs last year under the care of Mike the Kentucky Sire Stakes program, which doesn’t get underway until Palone and Melander is happy with what he has seen so far. late in the summer. That means a later start to his season with an Melander also has a barn full of 2-year-olds learning the ropes and emphasis on stakes and whatever overnights work into the plan. He like most trainers in early April, he’s mostly satisfied. “Yeah, I’m has the Goodtimes at Woodbine Mohawk Park on June 19 and perhaps happy, but a lot of people are happy right now when they are going showing the trainer’s true faith in his horse’s mental growth over the about 2:20.