Karl and T C I, the top-ranked horses in the most recent Road to the Hambletonian Top 10, have been designated as the morning-line favourites for the two eliminations of the $1.25 million Hambletonian Stakes for three-year-old trotters at The Meadowlands on Saturday.
A total of 20 sophomore male trotters are set to compete in the 99th edition of the Hambletonian, necessitating two $100,000 eliminations. The top five finishers from each elimination will advance to the $1.05 million Hambletonian final on August 3. Winners of the eliminations will draw for post positions one through five, while the remaining finalists will receive their posts in an open draw on July 30 at Hogan Equine Clinic in Cream Ridge, New Jersey.
Karl, ranked No. 1 in the Road to the Hambletonian, is the 4-5 morning-line favourite in the first elimination and will start from post six with driver Yannick Gingras. Competing alongside Karl are Goodtimes Stakes champion Highland Kismet and Stanley Dancer Memorial division winners Sig Sauer and Situationship.
Sig Sauer, Situationship, and Highland Kismet hold spots three through five, respectively, in the Hambletonian rankings, compiled by Meadowlands announcer/analyst Ken Warkentin. Highland Kismet is the 3-1 second choice, starting from post three with Bob McClure driving for trainer Mark Etsell. Situationship (9-2) drew post ten for trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt, and Sig Sauer (8-1) will start from post eight with Andy McCarthy driving for Noel Daley.
T C I, the 2-1 favourite in the second elimination, will leave from post one with driver David Miller. This field also includes Dr Harry M. Zweig Memorial champion, Dame Good Time, starting from post seven at 3-1 with Scott Zeron driving for Travis Alexander, and Tompkins-Geers Stakes winner Secret Agent Man, at 4-1 with Andy Miller driving for Julie Miller.
Both Karl and T C I enter the Hambletonian eliminations off third-place finishes in the Stanley Dancer Memorial on July 13 at The Big M. For Karl, this ended an eight-race winning streak dating back to October. Karl, the 2023 Dan Patch Award winner for best two-year-old male trotter, has won 13 of 15 career races and earned $1.29 million for trainer Nancy Takter, who won last year’s Hambletonian with Tactical Approach. His victories include the Breeders Crown and this season’s New Jersey Sire Stakes championship.
T C I, the 2023 O’Brien Award winner for best two-year-old male trotter in Canada, has won 13 of 17 career starts and earned $1.63 million for trainer Ron Burke. His notable victories include the Mohawk Million, William Wellwood Memorial, and Peter Haughton Memorial.
Situationship is one of three Hambletonian hopefuls from Ake Svanstedt’s stable, along with Amazing Catch and Daiquiri Hanover, both in the second elimination. The Hambletonian is the second jewel in the Trotting Triple Crown, following the MGM Yonkers Trot and preceding October’s Kentucky Futurity. Sir Pinocchio, winner of the Yonkers Trot, is not staked to the Hambletonian.
In the $675,000 Hambletonian Oaks for three-year-old filly trotters, 23 entries require three $50,000 eliminations. The top three finishers from each elimination, plus the fourth-place finisher with the highest lifetime earnings, will advance to the $525,000 final on August 3 at The Meadowlands.
French Champagne, winner of a Delvin Miller Memorial division on July 13, is the 2-1 favourite in the first elimination, starting from post one with Dunn driving for Svanstedt. Last year’s Dan Patch Award-winning filly Soiree Hanover is 3-1, starting from post five with Tim Tetrick driving for Lucas Wallin.
Elista Hanover, with a nine-race winning streak, is the 6-5 favourite in the second elimination. She will start from post four with David Miller driving for Annie Stoebe, counting the W.N. Reynolds Memorial and Tompkins-Geers Stakes among her victories this year.
Date Night Hanover, winner of this year’s Zweig Memorial for fillies, is the 5-2 favourite in the third elimination. Starting from post five with Dexter Dunn driving for Marcus Melander, she is closely followed by Delvin Miller Memorial division winner R Melina at 3-1, starting from post eight with Todd McCarthy driving for John Butenschoen.