Two impressive colts stamped themselves as the favorites going into Saturday’s Hambletonian, harness racing’s biggest event, at The Meadowlands after winning their respective eliminations a week earlier.
In the first of the two elims, Apex, the son of Walner-Mission Brief, put forth a gutsy performance to finish in 1:50.40, assuring himself a good post position in the Hambletonian, the classic trotting event with a $1 million purse.
Two races later, Ohio sensation Big Ranger put everyone on notice with a scintillating performance, cruising to a four-length victory in 1:50 for trainer Annette Lorentzon and driver Tim Tetrick. The victory upped his earnings to $547,947 for owner Madison Global.
Big Ranger and Apex were anointed as the 2-1 and 5-2 top two choices in the morning-line odds, respectively.
Tetrick, who has sat behind Big Ranger over his last three victories, spoke highly of his horse going into the Hambletonian final.
“He impressed me from day one,” said Tetrick. “He’s got a big set of lungs, he’s got a real set of lungs, and he’s real smart.”
Tetrick is excited about the prospect of securing a second Hambletonian trophy. His first win came in 2012, when he drove Market Share to a first-place finish.
“Growing up, I’ve been lucky to be in [the Hambletonian] for quite a few years, and it’s the greatest race in harness racing. I’m just happy to be here, with an opportunity to compete.”
Starting from post position 2, his biggest threat will come in the form of his next door neighbor, Apex, who will start from post position 3.
“He’s got that winning attitude,” said Dexter Dunn, who guided the Marcus Melander trainee to victory and has been his regular pilot throughout his career. “I really thought Andy [McCarthy with Endurance] was going past me late in the stretch, but he really dug deep and wanted to fight him off.”
Dunn, along with Apex’s trainer Melander, are both looking for their first Hambletonian score.
While both colts enjoyed success in their respective eliminations, they’ll have to contend with eight others in the lucrative final, but both trainers are excited about what’s to come heading into Saturday afternoon.
“It didn’t really surprise me because he’s been doing everything so handy since we got him,” said Lorentzon about her Big Ranger, Ohio’s 2025 Horse of the Year.
“[The final] is a new race, but at least we got [the elimination] over with and he showed what kind of horse he is. I’m very happy.”
Melander is looking to add an elusive Hambletonian title. He’s happy with how his star trotter is coming into the final.
“Our goal was to keep him in top [shape] and prepare him for the final,” said Melander. “I’m happy with how he’s developed during the year. He’s raced great.”
Saturday’s $1-million final is scheduled as race 11 of a 16-race program that will kick off at noon at The Meadowlands. The Hambletonian will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 2 (FS2) at 4:51 p.m.
Aliciana Martinez is a rising senior at the University of Toledo studying Media Communications with a minor in Marketing. She wrote this story for the Boston Globe while participating in the Clyde Hirt Journalism Workshop.