Chocolatier first Hambo fave

The Road to the Hambletonian on August 5 at the Meadowlands begins with last year’s Two-Year-Old Trotting Colt of the Year, Chocolatier, at the top of the standings.

The son of Credit Winner, who set a world record of 1:54.4 at The Red Mile for the team of Hall of Famer Doug Ackerman and his son, D.R. Ackerman, and won the Breeders Crown at the Meadowlands, qualified on May 26 at Hazel Park in 1:59.1.

“He wasn’t so good [the previous week] week, but qualified well the second time,” said the senior Ackerman, who is stabled at Hazel Park. “We plan on making our first start with him on June 10 in the Goodtimes eliminations at Woodbine. He wintered in Kentucky, and grew up good from two to three. He wasn’t a small horse, but he’s a big horse now.”

Peter Haughton Memorial winners are 0 for 27 in the Hambletonian so Keystone Savage will be trying to break that jinx. He won his 2006 debut in a New Jersey Sire Stakes at the Meadowlands in 1:56 on Memorial Day.

The Ron Gurfein trainee by Boardwalk Hall is three-for-three in 2006, including a pair of Meadowlands wins in 1:55.4 and 1:56.

Mr Pine Chip, one of two recent acquisitions for trainer Trond Smedshammer, won his 2006 debut in a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes at Pocono Downs in 1:56.2 on May 28. Smedshammer also added the world record setter Here Comes Herbie late in 2005. The son of Credit Winner won a qualifier at the Meadowlands on May 25 in 1:57.4.

Valley Victory winner RC Royalty is from the barn of Dan Daley. “This colt is a lot sounder than Master Lavec was,” Daley said, referring to his 1999 freshman champ. “I’m going to qualify him the second week of June because we raced him so late last year. He seems good so far. He has a sire stakes on June 24 at Buffalo and then the Historic at the Meadowlands. I didn’t pay him into the Stanley Dancer because I thought it would be too many tough weeks in a row. I’m aiming for the Hambletonian. It’s the race to win.”

Make You Mine qualified on May 25 in 1:57 at the Meadowlands. Capetown Hall and Global Glide, from the Jimmy Takter Stable, are a few weeks away from being race ready. Glidemaster won a qualifier at Mohawk on May 26 in 2:00.2 over a sloppy track.

EARLY LINE, HORSE, TRAINER, OWNER

2-1, CHOCOLATIER, Doug Ackerman, Doug Ackerman Stables
5-2, KEYSTONE SAVAGE, Dane Snyder, King III, D.M. Renfrew, Hartley, Stepanian, Shoplik
4-1, BOARDWALK HALL, Ron Gurfein, Brittany Farms, Sampson St., Silva, Meinzinger
5-1, MR PINE CHIP, Trond Smedshammer, Joe Sbrocco
6-1, HERE COMES HERBIE, Trond Smedshammer, Cutting Edge Stable
10-1, RC ROYALTY, Dan Daley, Raymond W.J. Campbell Jr.
12-1, MAKE YOU MINE, Ron Gurfein, Brittany Farms, Sampson St., Silva, Meinzinger
12-1, CAPETOWN HALL, Jimmy Takter, Takter, Fielding, Brown, Oweida
12-1, GLOBAL GLIDE, Jimmy Takter, Christina Takter, John Fielding
15-1, GLIDEMASTER, Blair Burgess, Brittany Farms, Burgess, Cohen

Date, Stakes, Site, Winner, Owner[s], Trainer, Driver, 2nd Horse, 3rd Horse, Time

5/13, Dexter Cup, Fhld, A Rod, Schnittker Kelks, Paul Doherty, George Brennan, FRANK THE HANDS, WILDWOOD DAYS, 1:58.1
5/29, NJSS -1st Leg, M, Rock The Universe, Let It Ride, Triple A , Ross Croghan, Ron Pierce, BRIND’AMOUR, MAN ABOUT TOWN, 1:56
5/29, NJSS -1st Leg, M, KEYSTONE SAVAGE, King, Hartley, et al, Dane Snyder, Brian Sears, DC’s Piggy Bank, Her Muscle Man , 1:56
5/29, NJSS -1st Leg, M, IRA K, Ira Kristel, John Shultz, Yannick Gingras, MONEY TALKS, Tasty Max , 1:56.1

6/8, NJSS - 2nd Leg, M, , , , , , ,
6/10, Goodtimes Elim, Wdb, , , , , , ,
6/15, NJSS * 3rd Leg, M, , , , , , ,
6/17, Goodtimes, Wdb, , , , , , ,
6/22, NJSS Final, M, , , , , , ,
6/30, Dickerson Historic, M, , , , , , ,
7/7, SF Dancer Elim, M, , , , , , ,
7/15, SF Dancer, M, , , , , , ,
7/29, Hambletonian E, M, , , , , , ,
8/5, Hambletonian, M, , , , , , ,
HAMBLETONIAN ELIGIBLES IN CAPS

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