Stars at The Meadowlands’ qualifiers provide an early glimpse of what’s to come

Excitement is building as the stakes horses begin to return to the track.

by Brett Sturman

Qualifiers from Friday morning (May 2) at The Meadowlands marked the on-track return of multiple champions from last season — and likely — what will include eventual champions this year. Providing the earliest glimpses into what will be a long stakes season between now and November, there were plenty of notable performances from races on the sunny 70-degree morning.

There were two races that went one-fifth-of-a-second faster, but the most visually impressive, and maybe the one that had the highest probability of setting the tone for the season, was the race won by Captain Optimistic. Closing out his 2-year-old season with a win in the Governor’s Cup in 1:49.3, Captain Optimistic won multiple times last year in under 1:50, among other stakes wins, was a Breeders Crown elimination winner and beaten favorite in the Breeders Crown final.

In his first return to the track since that Governor’s Cup in November, Captain Optimistic sat last, in fifth, throughout much of the mile, came off the pylons at around five-eighths-of-a-mile, was impeded somewhat by flat cover forcing him to move even wider into the stretch and closed powerfully under some encouraging from Dexter Dunn to track down the leader with a final quarter in :25.4 and win in a final time of 1:51.4. In that sequence, Captain Optimistic tracked down last year’s Metro Pace winner and co-third fastest 2-year-old of 2024, making his second qualifying start back, Fallout, out closing that rival by over a full second. In fact, the final quarter by Captain Optimistic was at least one second faster than how anyone closed in the qualifier which also included last year’s Kindergarten winner Papi’s Pistol (1:49.3), who was third.

Staying with the newly turned sophomore pacers — this one on the filly side — Dan Patch champion Miki And Minnie won in a near identical manner as did Captain Optimistic, both driven by Dunn. Friday marked the third qualifier in as many weeks for Miki And Minnie and if that most recent one from Friday is any indication of what’s to come, Miki And Minnie is set to begin the year right where she left off last season, where she stormed through major late season stakes including the Breeders Crown and Three Diamonds to earn divisional honors.

In the qualifier, Miki And Minnie got away sixth and stayed there for nearly the first three-quarters-of-a-mile through mild fractions. She was charted nine lengths back with a quarter-of-a-mile to go which included a gapped-out filly in front of her, came off the pylons right at that mile marker where she was gradually eased into contention. From there, she continued to pick up steam through the stretch and was gaining all the time, eventually besting the race pace setter by a head after outsprinting that one in the final quarter-of-a-mile by almost two full seconds. That qualifier also included Rose, one of the higher regarded 2-year-old fillies earlier in the season last year, who had a useful mile in her first qualifier back, closing in :26.1 and passing a bunch in the stretch.

A division with a ton of potential intrigue is that of the older/open trotters. In two different qualifiers featuring horses from that division, one of those was won by last year’s Maple Leaf Trot champ, and maybe even the horse that the division will go through this year, Periculum. Having finished last year dueling with the likes of divisional champion Winners Bet and then finishing the year being second to Logan Park in the FanDuel, Periculum coasted as a strong wire-to-wire winner in his return qualifier, with a confident looking Scott Zeron in tow. In a close battle for second was Up Your Deo over Oh Well and for all the success those two horses have enjoyed in their 2- and 3-year-old seasons, were somehow just a combined one-for-23 last year.

Another notable from that qualifier won by Periculum was the presence of Amazing Catch. This was the first start for Amazing Catch since that seemingly incomprehensible $1.85 million price tag from the Harrisburg sale last November. He was a non-threatening fifth in the race and so begins what I believe will be a much tougher campaign than perhaps first thought at the time last year’s Canadian Trotting Classic winner was purchased.

In addition to foes from this race, the other older trotting qualifier was won by Ari Ferrari J but also showed the horse Get A Wish DK. If you recall, Get A Wish DK was Denmark’s entrant into last year’s Yonkers International Trot. Highly accomplished in his native land going back a couple of years, he’s been training since remaining Stateside with Svanstedt and could turn out to be a force here this year – his first qualifier from Friday was good! Between the wild card factor of Get A Wish DK and the initially unforeseen, but what will be a welcomed return nonetheless of Karl as a 4-year-old, this division could go in any direction.

From the second-to-last qualifier Friday, last year’s Horse of the Year Twin B Joe Fresh made her second qualifying start back, while My Girl EJ made her first. These two had the race to themselves and the qualifier produced the same result as did their final race from last year in the FanDuel. A big money purchase to close out last year, My Girl EJ gave it a game try as a 3-year-old against the older Twin B Joe Fresh in the FanDuel, and looked up for the challenge as she returned in her qualifier. Driven by Todd McCarthy, My Girl EJ tracked the helmet of Dunn and Twin B Joe Fresh all the way around the track to finish second, miles clear of everyone else. Will My Girl EJ, or any other pacing mares, be able to step up and challenge the reigning Horse of the Year?

As these horses go from the first of their qualifiers and progress through the major stakes races there will undoubtedly be many twists and turns, but already the stage is being set for what promises to be another exciting half-year of racing.