BWTB Week Three – June 19, 2025

Friday, June 20, 2025

Breakfast With The Babies, sponsored by Fashion Farms, got underway over a fast surface at The Meadowlands at 9:00 on a bright, sunny Friday morning, departing from the Saturday tradition. The temperature was a comfortable 75f but a considerable breeze, bordering on gusty wind was in their faces through the homestretch. Joe Romanelli called the action.

The day began with colt pacers and Tony Alagna sent out a winner with his first freshman foray of the season in Drink To That (Todd McCarthy). The Tall Dark Stranger x Tall Drink Hanover stood “tall” in the stretch, charging by on his own in a :28 sprint to end the 1:56.1 mile. Be Sting (Dave Miller/Joe Holloway) was a grinding first over to be a solid second under some Miller stretch rousing.

Drink To That is largely a Marvin Katz, Riverview Racing (My and Stephanie Bell), Tony Alagna homebred who passed through the Lexington sale for $47,000 with Tony not retaining an interest.

Waldon Fashion (Todd McCarthy/Jim Campbell) was super impressive in her second Meadowlands win. Taken back to third in the early going, McCarthy slid the filly out late in turn two, engaged the leader and marched on by resolutely under no encouragement in 1:58.2, home in 28 seconds with Naachtun (Dex Dunn/Melander) following along in second. The Walner filly from Broadway Donna is a Fashion Farms homebred.

The Courant, Inc (Adam Strom) homebred Next Big Think (Dunn/Melander) flashed good foot through the stretch, emerging from the pocket to flash by the leader and rolled on through the wire, ending the 1:57.3 mile with a 28 second close into the wind. R Holly (Scott Zeron/Linda Toscano) closed it up nicely late to be second. Next Big Think is a Greenshoe daughter of Iteration, a multiple stakes winning sister to Gimpanzee.

Nearly a million and a half dollars’ worth of filly trotters teed it up in race 4 with the modestly priced $60,000 (LEX) Gimpanzee lass Ygritte (Dunn/Melander) setting all the fractions and holding off the stretch close of the great Manchego’s little sister Patrona (Yannick Gingras/Nancy Takter) in 1:59. / :29.2. SRF Stable and Erik Good own Ygritte, bred by Ab Svensk Reklamfinans.

Ake Svanstedt drove the Wishing Stone colt Magic Punk to 1:59.1 win in race five. Settling in second early on though moderate fractions then tipping off the leader as they turned home, Magic Punk went by easily then held off the serious late charge of It Could Be Worse (Zeron/Toscano) with a :28.2 final panel. Magic Punk, Inc owns the Swedish bred colt.

It sure looked like Ake was well on his way to another when he put Lion Hearted on the lead from the word go and was cruising mid-stretch when suddenly Onassis (Gingras/Takter) had him in his sights and went by through the :28.4 end to the 2:02.2 mile. Also of note was the solid close from Miguel (Jimmy Takter/Nancy) the Propulsion half to last year’s Hambo winner Karl. Onassis is a $130,000 (LEX) Greenshoe from Sherry’s Lady, owned by Michael Cote Gagnon’s One Legend Racing, Joe Sbrocco and John Fodera as JAF Racing. Coyote Wynd Farm is the breeder.

Sarah Svanstedt had nary an anxious moment with Mr Penner in the seventh, putting the Captain Corey colt on the lead from the word go, continued through comfortable numbers then set him down for the drive to hold off Trumptactical (Josert Fonseca/Takter) through the :28.3 end to the 1:59.3 effort. A $200,000 (LEX) yearling, Mr Penner is owned by breeders Ake Svanstedt, Inc, Jeff Gural as Little E, LLC, along with Tristan Sjoberg as Knutsson Trotting, INC.

Nuance (Mattias Melander/Marcus Melander) was a solid 2:02 winner, emerging from a pocket ride to track down stablemate Noble Encore (Dunn) and repel the close of Bailey’s Breeze (Zeron/Toscano) through the 29 second end of the mile. This daughter of Greenshoe / Hillarmbro was a $310,000 Hanover bred yearling purchased at Harrisburg by Courant, INC.

Scott Zeron drove Nightcap Mearas S to a sharp 1:59.2 for trainer Lucas Wallin in the ninth. Content to follow Iberia IT through consistent fractions, Zeron tipped the Walner filly to the outside off the second turn, ground by the leader then held sway over Kate (Svanstedt) through the :29.4 final quarter. Snogarps Gard, INC is the owner and breeder of the winner.

Pacers came along in the tenth and Bookie J (Dunn/Chris Ryder) was a 1:58 winner from just off the pace. Following the lead of Prime Hanover, then Caviart Cadet, Bookie J fanned for the drive and powered by through the 28 second final split. Caviart Cadet (Todd McCarthy/Tony Alagna) held second with a closing Treacherous (Zeron/Alagna) rolling in third. Kenny Jacobs owns the winner, from the first crop of Perfect Sting, he was a $50,000 (LEX) Yankeeland Partners bred yearling.

Todd McCarthy steered Up In Place, a son of Lather Up, to a sharp 1:57.1 win for Alagna in the eleventh race. Third in the early going a Watchfire (Andy McCarthy/Alagna) set steady fractions, Up In Place accelerated quickly when shown racetrack and roared by through the :28.1 end well in hand. John Barnard owns the homebred winner.

Svanstedt Stable sent out a pacer to win race 12 when Snackcident (Dunn) set all the fractions and fought off the stretch challenge of Caviart Madrid (Gingras/Takter) in 1:56.4. The Papi Rob Hanover filly was a $50,000 (HBG) yearling, bred by Hanover and owned by the trainer in partnership with Roger Johan Jansson.

JK Fierce Lady won at first asking today for Dexter Dunn, right to the top at a :30 beat then a nice 28 second sprint home to score over Wave Dancer (Zeron/Toscano) in 1:57.2. Nancy Takter trains the Captaintreacherous homebred, first foal of world champion JK First Lady for Alan & Ronald Katz racing as 3 Brothers Stable.

The freshman finale on the day was all Lochinvar Matilda and Lauren Tritton from go to whoa in 1:56.4. Right to the front and on a strong lead throughout, Matilda was way the best and the rest of the girls couldn’t catch up through the :28.1 final stanza. Lou’sbodaciousgirl (Zeron/Toscano) came the closest with a late rally to get second. Shane Tritton trains, he and Lauren own as Team Tritton and paid $35,000 (LEX) for the Captaintreacherous filly from breeders Spring Haven Farm and Douglas Millard.

Live racing tonight at The Meadowlands at 6:20 and we open with a Pick 5 carryover of $22,989 on races 1-5. Get yer free programs here.