John Fodera has been involved in harness racing for nearly 65 years, working in various capacities at St. Peter’s Boys High School on Staten Island for 59 years, and credits both pursuits with keeping him young at heart.
“When I’m working with the football team, the basketball team, the track team, and when you’re working with 16- to 18-year-olds, you’re forever young,” said Fodera, president of St. Peter’s Boys High School, where he previously worked as a teacher and principal. “I feel the same way about the racing world. Whether you’re in a night race or a Grand Circuit race, when you’re on a horse coming down the track you feel forever young.
“I believe in that very strongly. Of course, family always comes first, but I have been blessed with my career and the horses. I think staying young and feeling so energetic is largely due to the horses and the children at school.”
Fodera will get plenty of chances to feel young at The Meadowlands on Saturday as he co-owns at least one horse in each of the $125,000 Grade 3 Kindergarten Classic Series finals – six 2-year-olds in all. His horses are female trotter Duicinea Hanover (trained by Noel Daley), male trotter Highball Hanover (Daley), male pacers Louaville (Nancy Takter) and Apocalypsebluechip (Joe Bongiorno) and female pacers Amira Hanover (Bongiorno) and Heartofthesunrise (Linda Toscano).
Only one of the horses will start from the inside of post seven: Amira Hanover, who will start from post two with Bongiorno riding and is 8-1 on the morning line. Highball Hanover, who starts his final from post nine with Andy McCarthy in the sulky, is the sextet’s best choice on the morning line, at 6-1.
But post positions and morning line opportunities won’t dampen Fodera’s enthusiasm.
“You always hope, no matter what the position is,” Fodera said. “It’s quite an achievement to get this far.
“It’s just part of what I believe in and my enjoyment of the business, that you have to be in it to win it. That’s something I’ve lived by, not only in the horse world, but in the sport and education at St. Peter’s. You have to be in it to win. Whether it’s 100-1 or 3-5, we know it can go either way on an isolated day in an isolated event.”
Highball Hanover, a son of Bar hopping-Hall Of A Dream, who has earned $103,906 this season, won a Kindergarten division in September and a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes division in August. He also took second place in two Grand Circuit races at The Red Mile.
“He’s done a really good job,” said Fodera, who shares ownership of Highball Hanover with Sjoblom Racing & M. Dolan, Joe Sbrocco, Caviart Farms and PC Wellwood Enterprises. “I think highly of him despite his post position on Saturday, which could make things difficult for him. Noel has done a great job with him. We haven’t outdone him in any way.”
Amira Hanover has two victories this season, both on the Grand Circuit, in a division of the Kindergarten and a division of the Bluegrass Stakes (G3). The daughter of Dad Rob Hanover-Ameraway has put up $73,500 for owners Fodera (such as In The Gym Partners with Steve Wienick), Let It Ride Stables, Patrick O’Brien and Sbrocco.
“She has completely proven herself,” Fodera said. “She’s a filly that Joey loves very much, and she’s pretty stable.”
Heartofthesunrise, a daughter of Captain treacherous-Along Came Miki has one win this year in the Kentucky Sire Stakes start in July at Oak Grove. She has finished third in two kindergarten starts, most recently last week when she came home with a :26.4 in her final quarter.
“Linda has worked very hard to get her to this point, and now she is starting to show some of her talent,” said Fodera, who owns the filly with breeders Country Club Acres and Sbrocco, as well as Don Latore.
Louaville (Sweet Lou-American Cheer) and Apocalypsebluechip (Papi Rob Hanover-Queen Of Darkness) both bring one win into their finals, while Duicinea Hanover is still looking for her first win but has found herself on the board five times in nine races.
“I think Duicinea Hanover is the sleeper of the group,” Fodera said of the daughter of Greenshoe-Dew To Win that he owns with Harbor Racing Stable, Sbrocco, James McGovern and Vincent Urciuoli. “She’s just very green, very immature, but has lightning speed and talent. She had a race (a second-place finish in kindergarten on September 12) where she trotted her last quarter in: 26.4. When you see a two-year-old’s trot like that, you know there is potential.”
Racing begins at 6:20 PM (EDT) on Saturday at The Meadowlands. Visit The Big M’s website for free TrackMaster performances from the past here. The race coverage will be broadcast live from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM on FOX Sports 2 (FS2).
For full race entries, click here: American Trotting Entries
Through Ken Weingartnerfor the USTA
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