by Bob Heyden

It’s the 44th edition of the Hambletonian in New Jersey at The Meadowlands and the 99^th overall. But the Dancer Memorial divisions have called into question just what is going on with the sophomore trotters. So, what can we anticipate Aug. 3 will actually look like?

Going into Dancer Night, the three clubhouse leaders by a mile, were Karl no question with T C I probably next over Highland Kismet. All three were not in the top pair in the Dancer.

Let’s take a look at some Meadowlands Hambletonians from the past and see if we can clear up this current mess, even if it’s just a little bit.

1981: Year 1 and we wound up with 24 entered and nine of those were 35-1 dreamers. A Michigan-bred gelding got things underway. No, no, no, no, 2024 is not that.

1982: It went as advertised with the two faves winning their elims and Speed Bowl and Jazz Cosmos were just a neck apart at the finish. Maybe some similarities with 2024.

1984: A $52,500 claimer seven weeks prior — Historic Freight — took care of business. Don’t see anything like that in 2024.

1987 and 1988: The best driver, best horse led all the way as the faves, Mack Lobell and Armbro Goal with Campbell. This could indeed play out if those who stubbed their toes on 2024 Dancer night have amnesia.

1990: Nobody heard of Harmonious a month out because he was in a NW2. But he caught up fast, real fast. Has the rest of the crop caught up to Karl, T C I and Highland Kismet, or at the very least severely narrowed the gap?

1992: A total crap shoot with five between 2-1 and 9-2 at post time. It was the Alf Palema year. Don’t really see that repeating in 2024, right?

1994: Victory Dream was soundly defeated finishing fourth in the Beacon Course/Dancer, but laughed it off and dominated as the fave come Hambletonian Day. His son Self Possessed did similar in 1999 blowing up once the month prior to the Hambletonian but then Romping in a world record time of 1:51.3 to close out the century.

1995: A female broke and in 1996 a filly won it. Are there any ladies out there see an opening they want to exploit in 2024?

1998: A four-ply Chuck Sylvester entry go 1-2 and 9-10 with Muscles Yankee showing his heels. Does Ake Svanstedt have enough firepower to do something similar in 2024?

2001: An overseas shipper came in and took the cheese. That was Scarlet Knight. Let’s check incoming flights next week.

2002: Overwhelming favorite Andover Hall’s early miscue opened the door for Chip Chip Hooray. A likely scenario to be repeated in 2024? We’ll see.

2004: It was a Triple Crown year for Windsong’s Legacy. A check of the periodicals from that year pre-Hambletonian do not even mention his name.

2005: A Pennsylvania fair star won in a photo finish, Vivid Photo. Déjà vu?

2006: Almost saw the first post 10 winner with a strong second from freshman king Chocolatier. Karl and T C I were way out in front of the rest in 2023.

2007 and 2008: Double dominance from Donato Hanover and Deweycheatumnhowe. Kinda like we thought a month ago this year was going to be.

2009: Muscle Hill dominated in record time, but he never even experienced an anxious moment heading in.

2010: There’s a real chance for 2024 to mirror image 2010. That year, the Hambletonian was basically Muscle Massive’s career by defeating 2010 Trotter of the Year Lucky Chucky. The 2024 Dancer results should embolden some trainers into dropping in and increasing the chance of a 2010 repeat.

2013: A homebred — Royalty For Life — picked the exact right time to get hot. Is the crop out there in 2024 ripe for the picking?

Finally, maybe 2014 will be the most likely repeat scenario: Three stars — Trixton, Nuncio and Father Patrick — match up well at this stage with Karl, T C I and Highland Kismet. They went 1-2-10 that year with the unfortunate break of Father Patrick completely changing that races complexion.

It’s going to be fun. A head scratcher for sure. The Stanley Dancer has for the most part been a Hambletonian preview from 1977-2016, Green Speed to Marion Marauder. But this year there appears to be sand and a monkey wrench in the gears, which actually makes what happened three months ago a formality, setting up for Aug. 3 to possibly be the race of the year, and that counts the Olympics.