Periculum repeats in G3 Cutler Memorial

Despite being out of action since December, Periculum demonstrated midseason form in his 7-year-old debut, cascading off cover and rolling to a 1:49.4 win in the $150,100 Grade 3 Arthur J. Cutler Memorial on Saturday (May 16) at the Meadowlands, his second consecutive triumph in the annual event for open trotters.

The son of Muscle Hill-Amour Heiress was in no hurry in the race’s early stages, taking back from an early logjam that saw French Wine (driven by Jason Bartlett) push clear of Aetos Kronos S (Dexter Dunn) at the end of a :27 first quarter.

“It looked like there was a lot of excitement going into the first turn, and I didn’t want to be part of it,” said driver Scott Zeron, who activated Periculum out of sixth as 2025 FanDuel champion Lexus Kody (Yannick Gingras) pushed to the fore midway up the backstretch and seized control from French Wine at the :54.4 halfway stage. Meanwhile, Periculum had gained steadily in the breeze before flushing stablemate Aetos Kronos S off the pegs with seven-sixteenths to go, setting up a cover trip through the far turn. Aetos Kronos S ground forward to take a narrow lead from Lexus Kody just past the 1:23.2 three-quarters, but his biggest challenge was on his helmet as the field turned for home.

“We were able to pick up great cover,” continued Zeron. “Once we shuffled three-wide, my horse put his head down and went forward.”

In mid-stretch, Zeron fed Periculum racetrack, and the defending Cutler champ vaulted off his stablemate’s cover and unleashed a :26.1 sprint home to win going away by 2-1/4 lengths and miss his lifetime mark, taken in the 2025 John Cashman Memorial, by a fifth of a second. Aetos Kronos S finished second; French Wine saved third from a failing pocket.

Marcus Melander, who trains Periculum for Brixton Medical Inc. and Holly Lane Stud East Ltd., opted to give his star trotter a second qualifier in preparation for his seasonal debut, as opposed to a single prep as was the case in 2025:

“Last year, even though he won (the Cutler), he could have been a bit sharper. I figured we’d take two qualifiers this year. He was very good last week, and he’s very good when he races week to week.”

Now a 17-time winner with $2,191,346 in career earnings, Periculum paid $3.80 to win as the 4-5 favorite.

The Arthur J. Cutler Memorial is named for the New York City restaurateur who founded Carmine’s Italian restaurant in Times Square, named in honor of driver Carmine Abbatiello.

Following the race, Jeff Gural, chairman and CEO of the Meadowlands, spoke of his friendship with Cutler and their trips to the racetrack:

“He would go to the restaurant, walk inside and take about $2,000 out of the cash register, and he’d be even for the night and I’d be broke,” Gural quipped before recalling his experience owning horses together with Cutler.

“He would park in the garage near my office (in Manhattan), and we would meet and head to the Meadowlands. We owned a mare, Cyclone Beauty, and she had a filly, Cyclone Annie. A few days after [Cutler] died, Cyclone Annie was here in the final of the (1997) New Jersey Sire Stakes. One by one, the horses broke, and God carried Cyclone Annie over the finish line.”