By Mina Afayee | Special for NJ.com
It has been a long run for Tim Tetrick and his colt Long Tom.
With more than 7,700 wins and a victory in last month's Meadowlands Pace, Tetrick has made a name for himself as one of the perennial top harness drivers and at this time in his career, he's surging -- Long Tom has four wins out of his five starts on the year.
Now, Tetrick's goal of winning the $1M Hambletonian may be within reach on Saturday at the Meadowlands Racetrack. Long Tom will start from Post 8 in the first of two elimination races.
Long Tom's last start was on July 15 in the Stanley Dancer, where he earned his fourth win of the year. His morning-line odds for the Hambletonian put him at 3-1, just behind International Moni, who is the favorite at 5-2. Other key players include Devious Man and What The Hill.
Tetrick will drive Enterprise (9-2) in the second elimination of the day. Marcus Melander trains both Long Tom and Enterprise.
"Both horses are going in. Long Tom hasn't raced since the Stanley Dancer, but he came out of that race very good. I'm very happy with him. He's been training great," Melander said.
After opening his 2017 campaign with a 1:52.1 win in the first round of the New Jersey Sire Stakes series for 3-year-old colt trotters, Long Tom's Hambo prospects are promising.
"The best horse [Walner] is not in, so it's like a wide-open race now. I don't know how many will enter, but it will definitely be more now that he's not in," Melander said. "It's 10 horses that can win. You need to be lucky when they draw."
On July 22, Tetrick gave driver Scott Zeron a run for his "Moni" behind Enterprise at the Meadowlands Racetrack. Tetrick and his colt were runners-up to International Moni, missing by just a length and a half in a mile that went in 1:52.
"Enterprise raced (on July 22) and was a little short. He got beat by a good horse, though. I was happy with him, but he needed that race for sure," Melander said. "I think that race will put him forward for the Hambletonian. I think both my horses will be 100 percent when we enter them Tuesday."
Melander said he is not worried about the two colts racing twice in one day, which is necessary to win the Hambo. In the event they finish fifth or better in their elimination heats, they qualify for the final.
"I think that would be good for both of them because they're both strong horses," he said.
Tetrick, a New Jersey resident, is a decorated driver with the 2012 Hambletonian and the 2012 Harness Tracks of America Driver of the Year among his accomplishments.
The Hambletonian broadcast begins at 4 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. The broadcast will include the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks for 3-year-old filly trotters and $224,400 Sam McKee Memorial for older male pacers.
(Mina Afayee is a recent graduate of Rutgers University, reporting as part of the Clyde Hirt Workshop.)