Meadowlands Pace

[Oskar]

The Meadowlands Pace draw is tomorrow, but Linda Toscano and Ron Burke have already signaled their intention to choose the three and the four respectively for their elimination winners, Heston Blue Chip and Sweet Lou. Burke stated that, while his colt will deal with whatever trip fate hands him, he would prefer that Lou not be required to go first up. In his elimination Heston led by default until the field got half-way up the back, and has had lots of experience on the front end since he’s always the best colt in the field in his NYSS races, but Tetrick was happy to give the lead up to Time To Roll on Saturday and probably won’t feel compelled to make the mile in the final. Following Lou out would be fine with him.



There’s been a lot of talk about how slow the eliminations were when compared with what has been happening at Mohawk and Pocono, but Toscano chalked that up to the hot and humid weather and the fact that those charged with maintaining the surface can’t be sure about how much water to put down since there always seems to be a threat of thunder showers.



In the first elimination everything seemed to happen in a controlled manner until the last sixteenth. Allstar Legend and Bettor’s Edge were the two that left, hitting the quarter in a pedestrian 27. Gingras made a controlled move to the top mid-way up the back and Palone took his time taking the lead at the half in 54.3. And it was State Treasurer, a minor player, who came first up at the half for David Miller. You weren’t going to wind up with a fast mile off a half like that with State Treasurer pressuring Sweet Lou on the last turn.



In the other division, Bolt The Duer and I Fought Dalaw both left hard from the outside, but they dropped in on the turn, leaving Tetrick on top with Heston. They went a faster opening quarter—26.2—but the 27.3 second quarter was the same as in the other elimination. Andy Miller moved Time To Roll to the top up the back, but as in the other elimination, it was a controlled move. The middle half was quiet, and then Tetrick left the pocket with Heston at the three-quarter mark.



Depending on the post position draw for the others, since Palone and Tetrick don’t seem inclined to take the top and dominate, I imagine there will be more power displayed by the supporting cast in the first half of the race, and the final time should be more in keeping with what many expect from these. However, the Meadowlands just isn’t playing like the drag strips right now and that’s fine.

[Scrambler]

I am Hoping TALKING OUT LOUD, Draws good.. Troubled Trip the other night..:ThmbUp:

[Oskar]

Race11, post time 10:15 p.m.



1.A Rocknroll Dance, Gingras, Mulinix, 4-1
2. Pet Rock, Sears, Morgan Jr., 12-1
3. Heston Blue Chip, Tetrick, Toscano, 7-2
4. Sweet Lou, Palone, Burke, 5-2
5. Bolt The Duer, MacDonald, Foley, 6-1
6. Simply Business, Pierce, Takter, 15-1
7. Thinking Out Loud, Waples, McIntosh, 5-1
8. State Treasurer, D. Miller, Moore, 20-1
9. Time To Roll, A. Miller, Takter, 12-1
10. Allstar Legend, Morrill Jr., Teague Jr., 20-1

[Oskar]

Bolt The Duer, A Rocknroll Dance and Allstar Legend have been very aggressive out of the gate in all of their 2012 starts. Andy Miller also likes to leave for position with Time To Roll, who has the nine this week.



Allstar Legend, the ten, is the longest price on the ML board at 20-1, but the son of Four Starzzz Shark keeps exceeding expectations. He beat nw 3 at Chester in his season opener, was third in the $100,000 SBSW at 39-1, won an $80,000 PASS Stake, finished second in his Hempt elimination at 5-1 and second in the $300,000 final at 12-1. Last week in his Pace elimination he was fourth. Sears is able to leave hard with him and still have enough left to be part of the mix at the end. He’s earned $129,000 for Brittany and George Teague in 2012 while keeping a low profile.

[camfella]

Bolt The Duer, A Rocknroll Dance and Allstar Legend have been very aggressive out of the gate in all of their 2012 starts. Andy Miller also likes to leave for position with Time To Roll, who has the nine this week.



Allstar Legend, the ten, is the longest price on the ML board at 20-1, but the son of Four Starzzz Shark keeps exceeding expectations. He beat nw 3 at Chester in his season opener, was third in the $100,000 SBSW at 39-1, won an $80,000 PASS Stake, finished second in his Hempt elimination at 5-1 and second in the $300,000 final at 12-1. Last week in his Pace elimination he was fourth. Sears is able to leave hard with him and still have enough left to be part of the mix at the end. He’s earned $129,000 for Brittany and George Teague in 2012 while keeping a low profile.
Sears is driving Pet rock,I think, Morril driving All Star legend

[Oskar]

Meadowlands Pace Consolation



$100,000



1 Bettor’s Edge………………..Tetrick



2 Kingcole…………………………Gingras



3 Mel Mara………………………Morrill



4 Hillbilly…………………………Pierce



5 Dalaw………………………….D Miller



6 Shakerattlenrock………….Morrill







Folks are looking to change their luck. Gingras, who has driven Mel Mara in most of his starts, has Kingcole. He’s only driven that colt once, in the first leg of the NJSS. He finished third.



Morrill is listed for Mel Mara, a colt he has never driven. He’s also listed for Shakerattlenrock, a colt he drove once.

[Oskar]

A couple ofcomments made by Randy Waples, the driver of Thinking Out Loud, who has the seven post on Saturday:



“"It cost me about three lengths and he got beat half a length. I take nothing away from the rest of the horses, they all raced great. I'm not trying to be a whiner or anything like that, but it would have been nice to have a clear shot at them and pick my post next week."



Despite encountering traffic troubles in the stretch in their Meadowlands Pace elimination last weekend, Randy Waples and North America Cup champion Thinking Out Loud (http://trackit.standardbredcanada.ca/?op=QRAP&id=574776) finished second, just a half-length behind Heston Blue Chip in their 1:49 mile, earning a place in this Saturday's $600,000 final at Meadowlands Racetrack.


“A couple of horses veered out [in the stretch],” explained Waples. “It had nothing to do with Thinking Out Loud; he drove a straight line. My wheel got hooked, so I had to back off and unhook the wheel, move him out to the middle of the track and get him going again. ……….



One of Thinking Out Loud's best qualities though, has yet to be tested this year. His "vicious" early speed is something Waples is keeping under wraps for the time being.



"He's got weapons people maybe don't know about yet and I hope I don't have to show them this early in the year," said Waples. "He can go from zero to 90 in about one step. He can absolutely outright fly [off the gate], but he gave us the impression last year that he might have gotten a little hot if we had done that so we started racing him from off the pace and he's raced great; he's won most of his starts from off the pace. But he's got a vicious, vicious kick.That would be the only thing I haven't tested out yet. I've never left real hard with him to see if that kick is still there, but he's a really hard trying horse so it wouldn't suprise me."



StandardbredCanada



(With files from HRC & Meadowlands Racetrack)

[grant miller]

great info oskar ! Im gonna box thinking out loud & heston blue chip in the exacta and ,2.00$ to show on my man morrill.

[Oskar]

Mark MacDonald

(quotes from Bill Finley piece in HRU)



“It was a great trip,” MacDonald

said. “It was just one of those

things. I wanted to cover him up

for the final. I wanted to get the

easiest way around possible while

still winning. Maybe I got a little

too cute. I could have moved him

going into the last turn, but I

wanted to wait until later. I honestly

believed that I would get out.

I was trying to be patient. I was in

a great sport and thought I would

get out for sure. It just didn’t work

out.”





The defeat put Bolt The Duer at the mercy of the post

position draw, but the connections got lucky when they

drew the five post.





“In hindsight, I would have picked the five if we had a

pick,” MacDonald said. “Because we got lucky and drew

well, this is a great way to go into the final.”





“You know what, it would be a huge thrill to win this race,”

he said. “I am so excited to have a contender in there. In

my opinion, Brian Sears is the greatest driver in North

America and maybe in the world. To get to race against

these guys is a lot of fun. You learn a lot just racing against

them.



( I thought Carl Jamieson said JJ is the world’s greatest driver?
Does this bit of heresy amount to Canadian on Canadian crime?)

[MickJ26]

Looks like there's a lot of need-the-lead types in here. Sears could sit the perfect trip with Pet Rock.