A pair of stacked $100,000 eliminations with 10 entrants each for the99th Hambletonian will head to the gate on Saturday at The Meadowlands.
The goal? Obviously to win to earn a protected draw betweenposts 1 and 5 in next Saturday’s $1.2 million final. But if winning is out ofreach, just finishing in the top five suffices to then have a shot at harnessracing’s greatest prize.
The cosmos have made a lofty declaration unto one Karl, whostarts from post 6 in the first Hambletonian elimination, which is race 9 onSaturday at 9:40 p.m. EDT.
His 2-year-old campaign of excess speed and ease not onlyearned him more than $1 million but also burdened him with great expectation.After uncorking four straight wins at The Meadowlands, Karl hit the track forthe Stanley Dancer a prohibitive favorite and exerted the exact authority overhis peers expected from his seemingly endless potential. But then he quicklycame back to earth and to his peers, finishing third in a pari-mutuel eruptionthat included a $335.80 return to place on winner Sig Sauer.
Some riding the meteoric wave of Karl called for thelifeboats after his loss, as if going the long trip he did and still going thefastest mile of his life is the ship hitting the iceberg. But all that StanleyDancer showed is Karl is a good horse. If he won off that trip, then he’s afreak from another world that has happened to collide with our timeline. Buthe’s a horse. And he seems like a good horse with a good draw to go down theroad as he has in the past. Elimination 1 of the Hambletonian is Karl againstthe world.
Some others do catch the eye in the first elimination. BennyJ has taken a quiet route into the biggest harness race on the planet but hasflaunted some sneaky speed in his last few starts to say he could at leastclock into the final at an all-right price. This race also will be a test forHighland Kismet, who traveled in trouble through the whole mile in his StanleyDancer division. Bella’s Musclehill seems like an honest chugger who just needsa target to follow, and Sig Sauer did just upend Karl a few weeks ago. Manyinside of here stand a good chance to capitalize but will need either chaos orto step up in a way they never have before. Both are possible.
Elimination 2 for the Hambletonian, race 11 on Saturday at10:30 p.m. EDT, is an jump ball. T C I figures to take a bulk of play just onhis résumé but comes into this race trying to hitch back onto the wagon vs. ona clear and sharp line. He’s a vulnerable favorite.
Dame Good Time is clearly a horse with speed but maybe justone solid move to him. Scott will fire forward with this guy and could findhimself into a covered spot where he can pounce and win as he did in the$300,000 Zweig Memorial. He’ll have speed coming on the outside from BrightStar, who also comes into this race in good form, along with Daiquiri Hanoverto the far outside and maybe even Wild Ticket from in between. The outsidethree have enough muscle to get into prime spots in this race and may offergreat prices because of the draw.
Private Access also should take money inside of this racebut still has something to prove. He clearly was the best of the rest in thatGoodtimes final at Mohawk, although this is a much stiffer group than he facedin Canada. He’ll need a lifetime-best effort here.
Secret Agent Man is the big question mark inside of thisrace. He’s fast enough to do well, taking a mark of 1:50.3 over this track twoweeks ago. But he’s struggled with his gait all through his career and entersoff a perfect-trip win that likely will just eat his price shorter when hestill carries risk as a win candidate. He could do well here but also may beone to drive others’ prices higher in the event where his breaking issuesresurface.
Alongside the Hambletonian qualifiers, the Hambletonian Oakswill have three $50,000 eliminations going Saturday night. The top three and therichest fourth-place finisher will advance to the $600,000 final serving as thefilly companion to the marquee harness race around the globe.
Hambletonian 99 will race next Saturday afternoon at TheMeadowlands on the greatest day in harness racing.
Coverage of the top standardbred races at Horse Racing Nation is made possible in part through a sponsorship by the Hambletonian Society.
