Meadowlands Pace weekend edition of Breakfast With The Babies

Friday, July 11, 2025

Meadowlands Pace weekend edition of Breakfast With The Babies, sponsored by Fashion Farms, got underway at 9:00 on a muggy, overcast summer morning at the Meadowlands. The temperature was 78f and the track fast with negligible wind to begin. Both Myron Bell and Murray Brown made a cameo appearance on the day as John Rallis and Greg Blanchard called the action.

Trainer Nancy Takter and driver Yannick Gingras had a big day combining to win three impressively and Yannick picked up a fourth for Ron Burke.

Skillful Tactics (Yannick Gingras / Nancy Takter) won right back, setting all the fractions at a fair clip then drawing away from his rivals through a :28.4 end to the 1:55.2 mile. Diversion followed along to hold second while Chapel was third with late trot. Skillful Tactics is a Tactical Landing and was a $35,000 (HBG) yearling purchase for Leblanc & Kribbs, Pryde Stables, Inc, Beattie and In The Gym Partners. Christ Beiler breed the winner.

Pacing fillies were led by Amira Hanover (Joe Bongiorno) who left to the top, released a rival through middle fractions then tipped back out for the drive and prevailed in 1:56.1, home in a snappy :27.3 to hold off the sharp late rally of Tan Lines Hanover. The Papi Rob Hanover lass was a $130,000 (LEX) purchase for Let It Ride, O’Brien, Sbrocco and In The Gym Partners from Hanover Shoe Farms.

Kibbie J (Todd McCarthy / Noel Daley) was an impressive winner this morning, reserved off the early fractions then storming home through the:28.3 end to the 1:59.1 mile on his own. Cambridge Hanover rallied well late to get second. Ken Jacobs gave $345,000 (LEX) for the Walner half to Six Pack, bred by Steve Stewart and Doug Hutchins.

Leading Lady roared by the field through the stretch to be the second of the day for the potent combo of Takter and Gingras. The Walner filly smoked home into the into the :28.3 end to the 1:56 mile to overtake Heart For Two. Leading Lady cost Black Horse Racing and Herb Liverman along with co-breeder Marvin Katz $110,000, Lynn Katz and Al Libfeld are co-breeders.

Yannick and Nancy struck again in race five, this time with the royally bred Madam Cheval, a Walner daughter of world champion $2.7 million winning Shake It Cerry, who took over past the half then continued along through a :27.4 end to a mile in 1:58 under her own power. M Biasuzzi Stable paid $330,000 (LEX) to secure from breeder Solveig’s Racing Partners.

Yannick picked off another with the blue-blooded Tall Dark Stranger colt from world champion freshman pacing filly Warrawee Ubeaut, who ground up uncovered to wear down the leader then kicked home in :27.1 to finish off the 1:56 mile over the closing Sneaky Squeaky. Bred by Burke Racing and Crawford Farms, the winner was a $150,000 (LEX) buy for Burke along with regular partners Weaver Bruscemi, Hatfield Stable and Phil Collura.

The day came to an end when Andy McCarthy guided Captain Wonderful to a powerful 1:55.1 win over Caviart Anders with a :27.1 final quarter. Tony Alagna trains the winner, a $200,000 (LEX) buy for Rob Leblanc, Pryde Stables, Brad Grant, and breeder Big Al’s Stable.

Tonight is the first of three legs of the NJSS for 2yo and tomorrow night is the Biggest Party in Harness Racing, Pace night. The best horses in the game will compete for more than $2 million in purses in several of the marquee events of the season, led by the track’s signature event, the $656,000 Meadowlands Pace.

The undercard features too many highlights to mention; you can read for yourself by downloading a free program. The races are on Fox Sports and all of your preferred simo locations but on Pace night, the Meadowlands is the place you wanna be.