Harness: Fields are set for Hambletonian & Hambo Oaks

Karl and T C I won the $100,000 Hambletonian elimination splits Saturday night under relative ease at the Meadowlands, making them the likely favorites for next weekend’s $1.05 million final.

The post-position draws for both the Hambletonian and $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks will be held at a news conference Tuesday at Hogan Equine in Cream Ridge, N.J. The news conference open to the public is from 2 to 5 p.m. EDT with the Hambo and Oaks draws at 3 p.m. 

Karl’s career-best time of 1:50.3 for the mile in the first elimination was a strong rebound from his only loss of the season in the Stanley Dancer Memorial two weeks ago.

Yannick Gingras, in the bike again, rested Karl (2-5) into third, and Situationship flew from post 10 to take the early lead over Security Protected in a fiery first quarter of 26.3 seconds. By the 55.2-second half-mile, Karl took to the outside and cruised by Situationship after three-quarters in 1:23.3. Gingras nursed Karl through the lane and crossed the line under wraps and 1 1/4 lengths in front. Late-charging Bella’s Musclehill (23-1) angled from second over to finish second with Sig Sauer (7-1) finishing third.

“He bounced back (from a loss) and was the best he ever looked or left from the gate,” trainer Nancy Takter said about Karl. “I don’t mind the pressure, but I don’t like to lose. He’s versatile and has a strong kick. He’s going to be peaking at the right time for next week’s race.”

Takter will try Saturday for her second straight Hambletonian win, having taken the 2023 edition with Tactical Approach.

Christina and Nancy Takter, Black Horse Racing and Crawford Farms own Karl, now a 14-time winner and an earner of $1,274,816. The son of Tactical Landing out of the RC Royalty mare Avalicious paid $2.80 to win.

Highland Kismet (4-1), the second choice in the betting who finished fourth, and Security Protected (4-1), who finished fifth in the field of 10 3-year-olds, also made the Hambletonian final.

In the second elimination, a gate-to-wire victory and a lifetime mark appeared to be business as usual for rebounding T C I and driver David Miller. The son of Cantab Hall out of Nicole’s Promise posted a 1:50.4 win.

T C I (7-5) motored from post 1 for the lead with a 27.3-second first quarter. Private Access (4-1) and Amazing Catch (31-1) followed into a 56.1-second half. Secret Agent Man (5-2) went first over to the final turn but only moved evenly through three-quarters in 1:24.0. Not even a strong challenge near the wire by Private Access, the only remaining rival in contention, could faze the Ron Burke trainee. T C I finished a neck better than Private Access with Amazing Catch another six lengths behind in third.

Secret Agent Man, finishing fourth, and Mars Hill (48-1), finishing fifth, also made it to the final.

David Miller confirmed T C I overcame some stomach problems, and Burke added some shoe changes to help in the win.

“I was planning on getting him out (in front) early,” Miller said, “and we went as easy as I could.”

T C I has won 14 races from 18 starts and $1,418,507 as he readies to meet Karl in the Hambletonian final. He competes for owners Burke Racing Stable, Hatfield Stables, Knox Services and Weaver Bruscemi. He paid $4.80 to win.

The winter-book dream of Karl vs. T C I and eight other trotting glamour boys happens Saturday. Having won their eliminations, they will draw from posts 1-5 for the final.

3 elimination winners are set for Hambo Oaks

Allegiant, Elista Hanover and R Melina won their eliminations Saturday night to clinch their places in next weekend’s Hambletonian Oaks final.

Vernon Beachy trainee Allegiant (9-2) uncorked a slight surprise in winning the first Hambletonian Oaks elimination as the third choice with an authoritative 1:51.4 mile.

Scott Zeron hustled the daughter of Tactical Landing out of post 6 and to the top, and her peers left her to her own devices. Movement launched after Allegiant clocked a pedantic 56.4-second half, but the footsteps followed with fury and futility. Allegiant scooted away from the field to post a four-length victory over odds-on favorite French Champagne (3-5), who marched first over to grab second. Paulina Hanover (28-1) rallied from last to snag the last berth, finishing third in the field of seven 3-year-old fillies.

“We had luck a couple years ago with one, and we wanted to try a New Jersey-bred again, and we ended up with this one, which has been a blessing,” Beachy said. “She’s been a really nice filly from day 1. We were unlucky (in previous starts) but were prepping her for some of the bigger stuff. That’s what we’re shooting for.”

Winning her eighth race from 17 starts, Allegiant out of the Yankee Glide mare Too Good For You upped her bankroll to $427,997 for owner Ryan Smith of Dennison, Ohio. She returned $11.60 to win.

Elista Hanover will risk a 10-race win streak in Saturday’s Hambletonian Oaks final after she swept away her rivals to a 1:51.3 win in the second elimination.

In her class test, Elista Hanover (3-5) left the gate with David Miller and abandoned a pocket trip to grab command to a 57.0-second dawdle to the half-mile. The odds-on favorite then faced a far-turn blitz from Buy A Round (2-1), who rushed up the rim out of fifth and even put a head in front of Elista Hanover by three-quarters of a mile in 1:25.0. Elista Hanover remained resilient through the challenge and held her ground into the stretch. She rebuffed flattening Buy A Round and edged away to win by 1-1/2 lengths at the beam. Drawn Impression (6-1) fanned off a pocket ride to the center of the track to take second, and Warrawee Michelle (15-1) slid along the pylons to grab third in the field of eight. Buy A Round, the richest of the fourth-place finishers from the three eliminations, earned the last spot into the final.

“It feels like I’m living a dream right now,” Elista Hanover’s trainer Annie Stoebe said. “She’s just amazing. I’m comfortable with how she is coming into this big race.”

Elista Hanover entered Saturday’s eliminations with nine wins in a row, including a 1:53.1 romp in a Tompkins-Geers division July 20 at the Meadowlands. The daughter of International Moni out of Evermore has won 11 times from 20 starts and amassed $216,358 for owners R. Lynn & Philomena Curry and Annie Stoebe. She paid $3.20 to win.

R Melina (9-5) stayed flat and overcame the outermost post of the octet to win in the third Hambletonian Oaks elimination in 1:51.4.

Todd McCarthy floated R Melina forward through a tepid 28.0-second first quarter and strolled at a methodical but consistent speed, all while few challengers loomed. By three-quarters in 1:24.1, R Melina had yet to see any other horse and finished the mile without seeing another, crossing the line first, one length better than pocket chaser Miss I La (47-1) in second. Date Night Hanover (4-5), the odds-on favorite, got rolling just past the half but managed to finish only third in her closing surge.

“This is as good as we’ve seen her be,” winning trainer John Butenschoen said. “She tries. It doesn’t matter where we’re at, what happened, what she does. She’s tried every start we’ve ever put her in. Hopefully we come away with a decent journey next week and see what happens.”

A daughter of Chapter Seven out of the Explosive Matter mare Goodtogo Hanover, R Melina notched her 12th win from 20 starts and has earned $606,889 for owners M&L Of Delaware and Alabama Harness Associates. She paid $5.80 to win.

By winning their eliminations, Allegiant, Elista Hanover and R Melina earned the privilege to draw from posts 1-5 for the Hambletonian Oaks final.

Coverage of the top standardbred races at Horse Racing Nation is made possible in part through a sponsorship by the Hambletonian Society.