DRF HARNESS HOME DIGITAL HARNESS EYE HARNESS PPS DRF BETS ENTRIES ARCHIVE THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020 Sitting outside the Hambletonian spotlight Marcus Melander was the focus of the 2019 Hambletonian as the trainer NEW PLAYERS of the top three favorites. Now he’s back with a less heralded bunch DOUBLE YOUR By Derick Giwner HAMBLETONIAN – 1ST ELIMINATION FIRST DEPOSIT One year removed from sending out four 1. BACK OF THE NECK (SCOTT ZERON), 2-1 horses in the Hambletonian eliminations, 2. THIRD SHIFT (AKE SVANSTEDT), 8-1 UP TO $250 including the three favorites - Greenshoe, 3. AMIGO VOLO (DEXTER DUNN), 7-2 Gimpanzee and Green Manalishi S - trainer 4. BIG OIL (ANDY MILLER), 10-1 JOIN NOW Marcus Melander is back with a more under- 5. MAESTERAEMON (BRIAN SEARS), 12-1 the-radar quartet that could very well make 6. HOLLYWOOD STORY (TIM TETRICK), 10-1 up for the let-down on the first Saturday in 7. RAMONA HILL (ANDY MCCARTHY), 5-1 August of 2019. 8. BEADS (JIMMY TAKTER), 9-2 Inside this issue Two $50,000 Hambletonian eliminations are set for Saturday (8/1) at The Meadowlands, with Burke trio takes aim at $375,000 Adios the top five in each advancing to the $1,000,000 HAMBLETONIAN – 2ND ELIMINATION final on August 8. For the first time since 2012, final at The Meadows, Page 4 the eliminations are being contested the week 1. CAPRICORNUS (TIM TETRICK), 15-1 2. SISTER SLEDGE (BRIAN SEARS), 3-1 Jay Bergman: Rivalries, past, present prior to the final rather than asking horses to race multiple heats on the same day. 3. JULA TRIX TREASURE (AKE SVANSTEDT), 6-1 and future, Page 5 Melander’s barn will send out two horses 4. ROME PAYS OFF (MATTIAS MELANDER), 9-2 Derick Giwner: Much uncertainty in in each elimination, in what is widely consid- 5. THREEFIFTYTWO (SCOTT ZERON), 8-1 New York, Page 6 ered the most up-for-grabs Hambletonian in 6. CHESTNUT HILL (DAVID MILLER), 6-1 years. In the sixth race first elimination, the 7. SKY CASTLES (COREY CALLAHAN), 20-1 28-year-old trainer has Maesteraemon and The Meadows $23K Super Hi-5 8. READY FOR MONI (YANNICK GINGRAS), 5-2 Mandatory Payout analysis, Page 6 Hollywood Story starting from posts five and six, respectively, in the eight-horse field. 9. MOON BRIDGE (ANDY MILLER), 20-1 Darin Zoccali: Evaluating the While less accomplished in 2020, Maester- Hambletonian Eliminations, Page 8 aemon is perhaps the most interesting horse Amigo Volo, Big Oil and the filly Ramona Hill, being sent to the post by Melander. After a all whom he faces on Saturday. On The Backstretch: Profile of trainer strong pair of qualifiers, the son of Ando- Courant Inc. owns the second charge from Per Engblom, Page 9 ver Hall has yet to be put into play by driver the Melander stable in the opening leg. Holly- Brian Sears in three pari-mutuel races while wood Story was perfect in four starts prior Analysis for $52K Pick 5 and $13K Pick coming home with good trot in each. Most to starting stakes action a few weeks back. 6 carryovers at Meadowlands, Page 11 recently, starting from the difficult post 10, Despite being unable to win, he raced well, the colt was stuck at the back of the pack at the finishing fourth in the Reynolds (7/11) and Comments? Questions? head of the lane and was loaded with late trot second behind the highly-touted Ready For Email the Editor [email protected] while catching some traffic in deep stretch. Moni in the Stanley Dancer on July 18. “He’s a good horse. He showed that in the “Hollywood Story raced well in the Dancer qualifiers earlier this year,” said Melander. but he is still a little green and needs a good “Brian (Sears) has been building him up for trip to surprise,” said Melander. TO ENSURE PROPER delivery the Hambletonian. It will be very interesting The battle for favoritism in the opening OF THE NEWSLETTER VIA to see how he does this weekend.” elimination figures to come down to Back Of EMAIL, ADD [email protected]. Owned by S R F Stable, Maesteraemon was The Neck and Amigo Volo. The former has com to your contact LIST able to win in 1:52 4/5 as a 2-year-old, very much on par with his contemporaries like CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 Congratulations to Ohio Sires Stakes winner Charlie May! Charlie May set a national season’s mark of 1:53 in his $40,000 Ohio Sires Stakes division for 2-year-old pacing colts on July 25 at Northfield Park. Charlie May is a son of McArdle Trained by Steve Carter Driven by Danny Noble Owned by Donald R. Tiger of Canonsburg, PA For information Kimberly Rinker 614-779-0269 [email protected] schedule & conditions at www.racingohio.net © 2020 Daily Racing Form, LLC - 10 Grand Central, 3rd Floor, NY, NY 10017 June10_HambletonianSoc_FullPageTemp.qxd 7/17/2020 8:45 AM Page 1 THE GREATEST DAY IN HARNESS RACING $1.2 Million Hambletonian & $600,000 Hambletonian Oaks Saturday, August 8, 2020 Elimination heats will race on Saturday, August 1 Streaming live on the Hambletonian Facebook page Delayed Broadcast 6:00-7:00 p.m. EDT For Hambletonian and Breeders Crown merchandise visit our store at www.hambletonianshop.com For more information visit playmeadowlands.com or www.hambletonian.com Michael Lisa/Lisa Photo CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “I was really happy $600,000 Hambletonian OAKS with the draw,” said won two straight races impressively at The Meadowlands, albeit in Melander of the JJ Racing AB’SATTITUDEEXPRESS just 1:52, a time that should be far eclipsed in both eliminations and Stable-owned colt. “Now CRUCIAL the final. Amigo Volo finished three lengths behind Back Of The Neck Timmy (Tetrick, driver) in the Dancer but displayed the raw speed and talent that won him doesn’t have to push him FORTUNE STARLET the Breeders Crown last year when blowing out a 1:52 winning mile at out of the gate too much. HYPNOTIC AM The Downs at Pocono in Pennsylvania Sire Stakes action on July 26. He really responded good MAY BABY Clearly the deeper elimination of the two, the sixth race also includes to some of the changes Empire Breeders Classic winner and Dancer runner-up Third Shift we made on Saturday in NEXT LEVEL STUFF and a talented son of Archangel that seems to be coming into his own the Dancer. He can be a PANEM in Beads, who was a huge second in the Reynolds in 1:51 2/5 and a some- big outsider that no one EBA LUE HIP what blocked third in the Dancer most recently. A recent equipment thinks about.” R B C addition of a hood seems to have helped the somewhat timid colt. Melander admits that SOLSBURY HILL “I think he was a little scared of Rome Pays Off was his top SORELLA seeing things, not necessarily dirt in 3-year-old when the year his face, but drivers in front of him. started, but something TRICKY SISTER He got hesitant going into situations went amiss. “He trained WHOSE BLUES and I think that it has helped him down best of all of my *POST POSITIONS TO BE DRAWN 8/1 quite a bit,” said trainer Per Engblom. 3-year-olds and I was very **RACE TO BE HELD 8/8 In the second elimination (race 8), excited to start with him, driver Yannick Gingras likely ended but when we started to any discussion on where favoritism qualify he just had no power. We took some blood and it showed some will fall when he chose the Nancy trouble with his liver, so we started to treat him for that. It took a while Takter-trained Ready For Moni (5/2, before we got it to normal,” said Melander. post eight) over the Ron Burke-condi- With the issues in the rearview mirror, Rome Pays Off has posted back- tioned filly Sister Sledge (3/1, post to-back victories to start his 2020 campaign, including a strong 1:52 3/5 two). The former has just one start in first-over win in the Tompkins Geers last weekend. Mattias Melander 2020, but it was a professional 1:51 4/5 will drive the S R F Stable-owned son of Muscle Hill in the elimination. win in the Dancer with an explosive The Hambletonian eliminations are part of a power-packed 13-race KEN WEINGARTNER/USTA Trainer Marcus Melander. 27 1/5 final quarter. Sister Sledge is card at The Meadowlands on Saturday which features Meadowlands three-for-four this year and has never pace winner Tall Dark Stranger, a match-up between 2019 Hambleto- finished off the board in 16 career nian winner Forbidden Trade and Hambletonian Oaks winner When starts. She also owns the co-fastest winning mile in the field, 1:51 2/5, Dovescry, and 2019 Dan Patch winner Bettor’s Wish. Also on the tied with Jula Trix Treasure. program is a mini-preview of the $600,000 Hambletonian Oaks, which For Melander, his hopes lie with Capricornus (post one) and Rome drew 12 horses and did not require eliminations. Eight of the dozen Pays Off (post four). Although Rome Pays Off looks better on paper, fillies compete in the third race. Melander sees Capricornus, who is still seeking his first win in four Post time at The Meadowlands is 7:15 PM, with the first Hambleton- starts this year, as a sleeper.