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Super Chapter jogs Tuesday morning at the farm of trainer Marcus Melander. Ken Weingartner\/USTA photo.<\/p>\nEast Brunswick, NJ \u2014\u00a0Super Chapter, who won one of last week\u2019s three Hambletonian Stakes eliminations, drew post two for Saturday\u2019s $1 million final at The Meadowlands and was made the 5-2 morning-line favorite for the 100th edition of the sport\u2019s premier event for 3-year-old trotters.<\/p>\n
The remaining elimination winners, Emoticon Legacy and Nordic Catcher S, drew post three and six, respectively. Emoticon Legacy was established as the 4-1 third choice while Nordic Catcher S was set at 9-2 on the morning line. Maryland, who finished a nose behind Nordic Catcher S in their elim, drew post four and was made the 3-1 second choice.<\/p>\n
Elimination winners drew for posts one through six followed by the remaining finalists in an open draw. The draws for the Grade 1 Hambletonian, as well as the filly companion Grade 1 Hambletonian Oaks, were held Tuesday during a luncheon at the Chateau Grande.<\/p>\n
Super Chapter jogs Tuesday morning at the farm of trainer Marcus Melander. Ken Weingartner\/USTA photo.<\/p>\n
Unbeaten in five races this year, Super Chapter won his Hambletonian elimination by 1-3\/4 lengths over Maximus Mearas S in 1:51.1. In June, the colt won the MGM Yonkers Trot, the first jewel of the Trotting Triple Crown. The Hambletonian is the second jewel, followed by the Kentucky Futurity in October. Nine horses have captured the Trotting Triple Crown since its inception in 1955, the most recent being Marion Marauder in 2016.<\/p>\n
A son of stallion Chapter Seven<\/a> out of the 2014 Hambletonian Oaks winning mare Lifetime Pursuit, Super Chapter has won 10 of 16 career races and earned $844,765.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a great gaited horse and goes around any size track; he\u2019s just like a car to drive,\u201d trainer Marcus Melander said. \u201cThere have been some races that he\u2019s been doing it on the front; he can cut the mile and then sprint home. He\u2019s a very consistent horse and he always gets the job done.\u201d<\/p>\n Super Chapter is one of four finalists for Melander, who is seeking his first Hambletonian trophy. The 33-year-old has finished second in the race on three occasions. His other finalists are Dan Patch and O\u2019Brien awards winner Maryland, along with Blank and Meshuggah. Dexter Dunn is listed to drive Super Chapter and Maryland.<\/p>\n Maryland has finished second in all four of his starts this season. Last year, the son of Chapter Seven<\/a>-Crucial closed his campaign by winning five consecutive Grand Circuit stakes, including the Mohawk Million and a Breeders Crown, on his way to earning $1.22 million \u2013 a total that led all of harness racing.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel bad for the horse because he deserves a win (this year),\u201d Melander said. \u201cBut he\u2019s a fighter and we drew good, so it will be exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n Emoticon Legacy, unbeaten in four races this season for trainer Luc Blais and driver Louis-Philippe Roy, captured his Hambletonian elimination by a nose over Greenma in 1:51.4. The colt\u2019s other victories include the final of the Goodtimes Stakes in 1:50.2 at Woodbine Mohawk Park (the fastest mile ever by a 3-year-old trotter on Canadian soil) and the Dr. Harry M. Zweig Memorial at Vernon Downs, where he defeated Maryland and Meshuggah.<\/p>\n A son of Walner<\/a>-Emoticon Hanover, Emoticon Legacy has won eight of 11 career races and earned $459,371. Blais won the 2019 Hambletonian with Forbidden Trade.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not an easy race to win,\u201d Blais said after Emoticon Legacy\u2019s elim. \u201cWe just have to hope everything goes good this week. I\u2019ve got a good feeling. He\u2019s a racehorse. I think he\u2019s getting better and better at taking care of himself. He was a little bit tough on himself before, but now I think he\u2019s more mature, more professional. He knows what\u2019s going on. He\u2019s not a big horse, but he\u2019s strong. He\u2019s very strong.\u201d<\/p>\n Nordic Catcher S, trained and driven by two-time Hambletonian winner Ake Svanstedt, won his elimination in 1:50.3. Nordic Catcher S, a son of Six Pack<\/a> out of the pacing mare That Woman Hanover, has won two of four races this year. He has hit the board in all nine career starts, including four victories and four second-place finishes, and earned $313,285.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s been better and better for every race this year,\u201d Svanstedt said after the Hambletonian eliminations. \u201cHe\u2019s gone one second faster in every race, so I\u2019m happy with that. I hope he stays that way for one more week.\u201d<\/p>\n The Hambletonian will be race 12 with a post time of 4:47 p.m. (EDT). The companion $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks is race 10 and will go at 3:37 p.m. Racing will begin at noon.<\/p>\n