Apex wins Hambletonian Stakes in record time, edging Big Ranger
Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Aug 8, 2026, 11:34 PM
Last updated Aug 8, 2026
Apex won the $1 million Hambletonian Stakes for 3-year-old trotters on Saturday at the Meadowlands, beating Big Ranger by a nose with a stakes-record time of 1:49.2. Trainer Marcus Melander and driver Dexter Dunn earned their first wins in the prestigious event. Minoan finished in third place. Two races earlier, Melander’s Nezuko Kamado S also secured victory in the Hambletonian Oaks. Apex, a previous Dan Patch Award winner, has now won 10 of 14 races, amassing over $1.61 million in earnings.
- •Apex won the Hambletonian Stakes at the Meadowlands.
- •Final time set a stakes record of 1:49.2.
- •Trainer Marcus Melander and driver Dexter Dunn achieved their first Hambletonian wins.
- •Nezuko Kamado S, also trained by Melander, won the Hambletonian Oaks.
- •Apex has won 10 of 14 career races.
- 11:34 PMYahoo Sports — Apex edges Big Ranger by a nose in Hambletonian-record time
"Apex won the $1 million Hambletonian Stakes for 3-year-old trotters Saturday at the Meadowlands, holding off favorite Big Ranger by a nose in a stakes-record 1:49.2. Apex gave trainer Marcus Melander and driver Dexter Dunn their first Hambletonian wins. Melander had finished second in America’s Trotting Classic four times, including three of the past four years.
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