MARYLAND MARVELOUS IN KINDERGARTEN COLT TROT FINAL

Sunday, November 10, 2024

Odds-on favorite and millionaire Maryland stayed resolute under an intense far-turn blitz and emerged a 1:53.4 winner in the $173,300 Kindergarten Series Final for 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings on Saturday (Nov. 9) at The Meadowlands.

Leaving from post 2, driver Dexter Dunn floated Maryland into a gap to race fourth to a :28.2 first quarter and waited to make his move. With the tempo slowing to the backside, Dunn pulled from the pylons and punched forward to seize the lead after a :58.1 half.

Monserrate, tracking Maryland’s sweep, stayed aggressive on the rim and pushed to eye Maryland through the turn. The pair motored in lockstep past three-quarters in 1:26.2 and stayed sparring on the spin for home. Monserrate downed Maryland by a head early stretch, but Dunn simply raised the whip and held snug lines on his charge in the battle to the finish. Maryland repelled Monserrate and edged away to a half-length win with Durante Hanover, off a ground-saving trip, finishing third and Uno closing from near last for fourth.

“He fights horses off; he’s a real racehorse,” Dexter Dunn said after the race. “He showed his quality in his last two starts – the Breeders Crown – and tonight: a will to win. It’s a great quality to have in a champion horse.

“Dave [Miller]’s horse [Monserrate] put up a great fight,” Dunn also said. “My fella, he knew how to win and he wanted to win. I just wanted to get around that last turn safely, but he showed why he’s a champion trotting colt this year.”

A colt by Chapter Seven out of the Father Patrick mare Crucial, Maryland competes for owners Courant Inc., PCW Racing, Holly Lane Stud East Ltd. and S. Stewart R. Thorn Stable. He has now won six races from nine starts and banked $1,227,696, placing him shy of T C I’s single-season earnings record for 2-year-old trotting colts as well as near the all-time earnings record for a trotting 2-year-old set by Snow White back in 2007 when she accrued $1,252,646.

Off the 1-9 favorite, Maryland paid $2.20 to win.

KINDERGARTEN CONSOLATIONS: In the $55,000 Kindergarten consolation for 2-year-old colt and gelding trotters, Net Weight made his third lifetime start a winning one, coming from off the pace to gun down 1-5 favorite Yannick G Kemp as the 2-1 second choice in 1:56.4. The son of Muscle Hill-Air Quote Hanover was driven by Johnathan Ahle and trained by Noel Daley.

Papi’s Rocket nipped 2-5 public choice Railroad Station in the $47,700 Kindergarten consolation for 2-year-old colts and geldings on the pace. The 6-5 second choice, a son of Papi Rob Hanover-Real Touch, was piloted by Yannick Gingras and trained by Ron Burke.

A LITTLE MORE: Dave Miller led the driver colony with three winners on the card. … Burke led the conditioners with a training triple. … There is one huge night of racing left on The Big M’s 2024 calendar, as an estimated $2.65 million will be up for grabs on Fall Final Four/FanDuel Championships Night on Saturday, Nov. 30. … All-source handle totaled $2,633,487 on the 14-race program. … Racing resumes Friday at 6:20 p.m.

PHOTO (Credit – Lisa Photo):
Maryland (2) with Dexter Dunn winning the $173,300 Kindergarten Series Final for 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings.