With no eliminations required, the post position draw for next Saturday's Grade 1 $656,000 Meadowlands Pace for 3-year-old colts and geldings took place this evening. Pepsi North America Cup champion Louprint will depart from post eight for driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr. and trainer Ron Burke and is the 7-5 favorite on the morning line.
Madden Oaks, who came up just a head behind Louprint in the North America Cup from the ten-hole, will have to overcome that post again with Braxten Boyd listed to drive the Cameron Capone trainee.
The full draw for the Meadowlands Pace with listed driver, trainer and the morning line odds is as follows:
PP - HORSE - DRIVER - TRAINER - ODDS
1 - Papis Pistol - Dave Miller - Sam DePinto - 15-1
2 - Papi's Rocket - Yannick Gingras - Ron Burke - 15-1
3 - Knockout Round - Andy McCarthy - Tony Alagna - 25-1
4 - Prince Hal Hanover - Todd McCarthy - Dr. Ian Moore - 9-2
5 - Captain Optimistic - Dexter Dunn - Nancy Takter - 7-2
6 - Fallout - Tim Tetrick - Tony Alagna - 6-1
7 - Joel And The Jets - Louis Roy - Dr. Ian Moore - 20-1
8 - Louprint - Ronnie Wrenn Jr. - Ron Burke - 7-5
9 - Manolete - Scott Zeron - Bruce Saunders - 20-1
10 - Madden Oaks - Braxten Boyd - Cam Capone - 8-1
The Meadowlands Pace will anchor next Saturday night's Fox Sports 2 "America's Day at the Races" broadcast.
► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter
As part of Saturday night's program, The Big M carded a 3-year-old Open, aka the Meadowlands Pace Prep.
Papis Pistol (Papi Rob Hanover-Bang Bang), off a qualifier in which he was an uninspiring fourth coming back sick, charged up the inside to gun down 4-5 favorite Captain Optimistic in 1:49 1/5.
"I didn't know how he would race, but I knew he was feeling good," said winning trainer Sam DePinto about his student who was on antibiotics after the qualifier. "He showed he was OK."
For the prep, Papis Pistol had a new pilot. "Dave's [Miller] a great driver, and the owners and the partnership wanted a Hall of Famer. I was a little nervous coming into the race but he beat some good horses tonight. [His versatility] It's huge. When you win the Meadowlands Pace, you're pretty much set for the rest of the year."
Manolete raced from the rear in the field of six and rallied well along the inside to get second over Captain Optimistic in what was a good-looking tightener for next week’s $656,000 Pace.
Elsewhere, Prince Hal Hanover, prepping in an overnight at Woodbine Mohawk Park, opened up a big lead through fractions of 26, 55 and 1:21 2/5 but was unable to hold off North America Cup elimination winner Lite Up The World, who tore home in 25 2/5 to defeat him by a head in a 1:48 2/5 mile.
--with files from the Meadowlands--