Rebuff favored in $1 million Hambletonian at the Meadowlands

CREAM RIDGE, N.J. (AP) — Rebuff, who won one of last week’s two elimination races, drew the No. 1 post and was made the 9-5 morning-line favorite in the $1 million Hambletonian at the Meadowlands on Saturday.

Jiggy Jog S, who won the other elimination and is one of two fillies in the race, drew the No. 5 post and was made the 4-1 third choice. Yonkers Trot champion Joviality S, the other filly in the field of 3-year-olds, got the No. 2 post and is the 7-2 second choice.

Elimination winners drew for posts one through five on Tuesday at Dr. Patty Hogan’s Hogan Equine Clinic in Cream Ridge, New Jersey. The remaining horses followed in an open draw.

A filly has won two of the past four Hambletonians. This is the second time in three years that two fillies advanced to the final. Ramona Hill and Sister Sledge faced the boys in 2020, with Ramona Hill winning both her elimination and the final.

The Hambletonian is the middle jewel in the Trotting Triple Crown, between the Yonkers Trot and Kentucky Futurity, which will be held Oct. 9 at Lexington’s Red Mile.

Rebuff, who won last year’s Breeders Crown for 2-year-old male trotters, has seven victories in 14 lifetime starts and $573,670 in purses. He brings a six-race win streak, dating to October, to the Hambletonian final. Tim Tetrick is listed to drive.

Rebuff won his Hambletonian elimination by 1-1/4 lengths over Fast As The Wind in 1 minute, 52.2 seconds.

Jiggy Jog S won her elimination by a head over Temporal Hanover in 1:52.2. Joviality S was third, beaten by a neck.

Jiggy Jog S is trained by Ake Svanstedt, who won last year’s Hambletonian with Captain Corey and in 2017 with Perfect Spirit. Dexter Dunn drove her in the elimination.

Joviality S is attempting to become only the third filly to win two jewels of the Trotting Triple Crown, which began in 1955. The two to accomplish the feat were Continentalvictory in 1996 (Yonkers Trot and Hambletonian) and Emily’s Pride in 1958 (Hambletonian and Kentucky Futurity).

Here is the field for the Hambletonian final from 1-10 with driver, trainer and morning-line odds:

Rebuff, Tim Tetrick, 9-5; Joviality S, Brian Sears, 7-2; Fast As The Wind, Dexter Dunn, 8-1; Keg Stand, David Miller, 10-1; Jiggy Jog S, Dunn also listed, 4-1; Cool Papa Bell, Brian Sears, 15-1; Temporal Hanover, Orjan Kihlstrom, 8-1; King Of The North, Mark MacDonald, 15-1; Periculum, Mattias Melander, 15-1; and Looks Like Moni, Andrew McCarthy, 15-1.

Post time is listed at 6:35 p.m.

___

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports