APEX BOUNCES BACK; WALL OF FAME STAYS UNDEFEATED IN NEW JERSEY CLASSIC FINALS
Hambletonian champion Apex made amends from a defeat in his New Jersey Classic elimination with an authoritative 1:52.2 win in the $250,000 final for 3-year-old trotting colts and geldings on Friday night (Sept. 11) at The Meadowlands ...
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ -- September 11, 2026 -- Hambletonian champion Apex made amends from a defeat in his New Jersey Classic elimination to win the $250,000 final for 3-year-old trotting colts and geldings authoritatively with a 1:52.2 effort on Friday night (Sept. 11) at The Meadowlands.
Leaving from post 6, driver Dexter Dunn eased Apex forward into a spot third while King Of The Wind, who beat Apex last week, pushed from an inside draw for the top to a :27.3 first quarter. Dunn floated off the pegs in the backstretch and inched Apex up the rim to take command without a sweat through a :57 half. From there, the Marcus Melander trainee coasted to three-quarters in 1:24.4 and kept all his foes to the rear for a 1-1/4-length win over stablemate Nix Nacken, who marched uncovered through the last turn for second. Longshot Practical Man hugged the cones to take third from King Of The Wind in fourth.
“[His loss last week has] one simple answer: a bad trainer job,” Melander said after the race. “I didn’t have him tight enough. I’ve been very nice to him since the Hambo. He wasn’t ready because we didn’t find anything wrong with him and he felt good that night. He was just a little short. With that race under his belt, I could feel already on Monday that he was going to be right today.”
A son of Walner out of world champion Mission Brief, Apex collected his fifth win from seven starts this season and his 11th victory from 16 starts, accruing $1,732,264 in earnings for owners Jeffrey Snyder, S R F Stable and Steve Stewart. He paid $2.80 to win.
Undefeated filly Wall Of Fame upped her record to eight wins from eight starts with a 1:53.1 victory in the $250,000 final for 2-year-old trotting fillies.
Andy Miller planted the daughter of Walner-Saadet into fourth through a :28 first quarter and stayed put through a :57.2 half while Dandelion Wine looped out of third to take the lead. Miller activated Wall Of Fame into the last turn and swept to grab the lead to three-quarters while staying to task through the lane as Rio De Janeiro shook free from a ground-saving trip to rally for second, beaten a half length. Dandelion Wine took third via disqualification of Gabriela Beatriz S, who finished third skimming an inside seam but was placed fourth for going inside a pylon.
“I think she’s a pretty versatile mare,” trainer Julie Miller said, “Andy was just going to sit patiently until he had to move her. I think she’s staked beautifully – she’s got Kentucky Sires, New Jersey Sires, we’ll dabble a bit with the Grand Circuit in Lexington and hopefully end it at the Goldsmith Maid at The Meadowlands in the fall.”
A daughter of Walner-Saadet, Wall Of Fame has amassed $361,250 for owners Andy Miller Stable Inc., Jean Goehlen, Hutchison Harness LLC and Rick Huffman. She paid $2.40 to win.
Jim Campbell pupil Wrong Sounds Right ripped off a pocket ride to equal the track record for 2-year-old trotting colts with a 1:51.4 victory in his cohort’s $250,000 New Jersey Classic Final.
Todd McCarthy secured a forward seat with Wrong Sounds Right when brushing past early leader Lifetime Dreamer through a :28 first quarter and yielding control to that rival when he tipped to retake command. McCarthy tracked the leader steadily through the back half and angled outside in the stretch to motor away for a 3-1/2-length win over longshot Easy Down Blonde with first-up Free Scottie taking third and second-over Bentley Blue Chip taking fourth.
“Todd’s done a terrific job having the horse where you can race him any way you want to race him,” Jim Campbell said. “It’s a great feeling any time you win a race of a purse like this, especially at The Meadowlands.”
Equaling the track record set in 2018 by Don’t Let’em and matched in 2024 by Maryland, Wrong Sounds Right notched his fourth victory from six starts and has now banked $231,250 for owner-breeder Runthetable Stables, which famously teamed with Campbell to pull off a historic upset in the 2022 Hambletonian with Cool Papa Bell.
“I’ve been very lucky to breed some nice horses and he’s one of them,” said Scott Farber of Runthetable Stables. “I’ve told Jim, we’ve talked about this and this is going to be a little brash on my part, I don’t care; I’ve got the best 2-year-old in America right now. We’re thinking Hambletonian, believe me. It’s all that’s on my mind. I’m focused on that.”
Wrong Sounds Right paid $3.40 to win.
Custom rolled down the road for a 1:51.2 victory in the $250,000 final for 3-year-old trotting fillies. Braving the three-wide path through the first turn to grab the top long after a :27.2 first quarter, Custom cruised on the point through middle fractions of :55.3 and 1:24.1 before kicking home and staving off pocket-popping Leading Lady for the win by three-quarters of a length. Sparks rallied from second-over for third and Adios My Lindy rode the pylons for fourth.
“I knew with the post tonight I was able to gradually get her out of there, and there was a lot of action early, but she kept plugging away,” winning driver Jason Bartlett said. “We were last to the front; that’s where I wanted to be. She’s just such a good horse. She’s been knocking all year and she really does deserve this. I look forward to driving her every time I sit behind her.”
Petter Engblom trains Custom, a filly by Walner-Goldy Mary FR, for owner TLH Racing Inc. She won her fourth race from nine starts this season and her seventh race from 17 starts in her career, banking $333,953, and paid $3.80 to win.
