The first edition of the popular Breakfast With The Babies 2-year-old races at the Meadowlands took the stage with Larry Fox at the mic at 9:00 this morning under overcast skies with a negligible breeze and temps in the mid 70's. Jules Siegel is the title sponsor again this season under his Fashion Farms nom de course.
A bit of poetic justice saw Mr. Siegel the breeder and owner of Waldon Fashion (Todd McCarthy), who kicked off baby season quite impressively with a 1:58 3/5 win.
McCarthy let his filly spring from the wings and crossed over immediately, then released Grace In Heaven (Scott Zeron/Marcus Melander) past the 30 2/5 quarter. As the field turned home off middle-half stations of 1:00 1/5 and 1:31, Waldon Fashion shifted out a path, engaged the leader and went by late on her own through the 27 2/5 final panel to take the record. Grace In Fashion held grimly but could not resist the winner's close.
The Walner filly is out of Breeders Crown winner Broadway Donna, who earned more than $1.4 million for Fashion Farms. The fourth foal of the great mare, first Walner, she just might be the one they've been waiting for. Jim Campbell trains the winner.
Race two was a four filly trot with all contestants being trained in the Melander barn. The winner here was the Courant Inc. Chapter Seven homebred Nezuko Kamado S (Zeron), who was quietly sat last throughout, then rallied sharply through the inside for Zeron, like it was Hambletonian, then drew clear in a 27 3/5 end while on her own for the 1:59 4/5 score. Isotta Bi (Brett Beckwith) had some late trot to be second.
The third was a Melander brothers exacta as Lainey W (Mattias Melander) rode a snug pocket while Naachtun (Marcus Melander) reeled off splits of 30 2/5, 1:00 1/5 and 1:30, then fanned off the back of that one and ground by late after a spirited 28 2/5 stretch duel for the 1:58 2/5 record.
The Bar Hopping filly was a $125,000 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale (LEX) purchase by Brittany Farms and Marvin Katz from breeders Kentuckiana Farms and Perry Soderberg.
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The Melander Stable also sent out the winner of the fourth, an impressive Bar Hopping colt called Neighver Punt (Dexter Dunn), who set all of the fractions and ended the 1:59 1/5 mile in 27 4/5 to hold stablemate Chapel (Zeron) at bay by three-quarters of a length. Both colts finished strong under minimal encouragement.
Anders Strom's Courant Inc. owns the winner, a $25,000 (LEX) bargain buy from breeder Brittany Farms.
Diabolic Hill (T. McCarthy) was a powerful winner of the fifth and last of today’s freshman tests for owner Mazza Racing Stables and trainer Annie Stoebe. McCarthy took the colt off the gate and settled last of the four through the early stages as Exactly (Mattis Melander) set lively fractions while on a loose lead, taking the field by a 1:29 2/5 three-quarters when Diabolic Hill rolled on by and drew clear in 27 1/5 to win as he pleased. Exactly held the place.
Mr. Mazza paid $300,000 (LEX) to acquire this handsome Muscle Hill colt from breeder AM Bloodstock.
During the qualifiers for 3-year-olds and up, Twin B Joe Fresh, prepping for next Saturday's Roses Are Red final, led the way for Dexter Dunn and won safely over a flying Aardie B Miki N in 1:50 2/5. Dunn also picked up the drive on multiple stakes-winning 4-year-old male pacer Sabonis, who rallied into the lead in the lane after tipping out of third and kept clear from 2024 Canadian Pacing Derby champ It's My Show to prevail in 1:50 4/5 for trainer Brett Pelling.
Another Dunn-driven victor was Kadena, a Gimpanzee filly who sold for $800,000 as a yearling and then won two legs of the Kentucky Commonwealth Series as a freshman. She vaulted into the lead in the stretch from third and pulled away to a handy 1:54 3/5 win for trainer Marcus Melander.
In other qualifiers for 3-year-olds, stakes-winning Father Patrick filly R Dutchess led all the way and won in 1:53 2/5 for Tim Tetrick and John Butenschoen, and Lily White Hanover, a daughter of Captaintreacherous who captured Pennsylvania Sire Stakes & Pennsylvania All-Stars divisions and was third in the PASS final last year, led through an easy clip and got home in 27 1/5 to win in 1:55 1/5 for Todd McCarthy and Andrew Harris.
There was also a single qualifier for older male trotters, and millionaire 7-year-old Creatine gelding Take All Comers cut the fractions and ended up winning in 1:52 1/5 for Brett Beckwith and Jim Campbell after 2024 Hambletonian runner-up Highland Kismet, who had passed him in the lane following a pocket trip, went off-stride.
--baby race recaps by the Meadowlands--